Reddit reviews Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power

FYI, I was just looking at the reviews for this book on Amazon (just for curiosity, I read this a few months ago) and the top reviews are by two of the best writers on geopolitics and world affairs in my opinion, Robert Kaplan and Walter Russel Mead. Kaplan has written a number of fantastic books (I'd recommend starting with Monsoon. Mead writes and regularly updates a blog that even if I don't always agree with, I find to generally be ahead of the curve and pretty insightful.

If yoyu found this article interesting, you should check out his book Monsoon. I haven't finished it yet, but it's about the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean and quite good.

I have a lot of admiration/respect for Qaboos. I've been to Oman many times and while I really enjoy Muscat, I'm planning on making my next trip there out to Musandam. I developed a greater appreciation for Oman after reading Monsoon by Robert D. Kaplan. One of the most eye-opening books I've ever read on foreign policy and an excellent primer for anyone interested in the history/geopolitics of S.W. Asia. He spends a lot of time discussing in depth Oman's rich history and it's strategic position within the region in the coming decades. He also paints a very intimate profile of Qaboos - one that I don't think most people would expect:

>"Qaboos is one of a kind in the Arab world. He is unmarried, lives alone, plays the organ and lute, and composes music. A graduate of Britain's Sandhurst military academy, he may arguably be the most worldly and best-informed leader in the Arab world, who understands in depth both the Israeli and Palestinian points of view even as he balances Americans off against Iranians and provides U.S. forces with access agreements. Infrastructure projects, women's rights, and the environment are mainstays of his rule, and he has avoided creating the sort of personality cult that plagues the region. His shyness on the world stage is in line with the minimalist manner of Scandinavian prime ministers and in contrast with bombastic bullies like Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela's Hugo Chávez. One Western expert calls Qaboos the only head of state in the Arab world you can call a "Renaissance man." In 1979 Oman was the only Arab state to recognize Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's peace agreement with Israel."

Also since he is 72 years old, has no children and has not formally announced an heir, the succession of power could amount to one of the biggest political shakeups in the Gulf in years and perhaps the adoption of democratic form of government.

If you want a great and contemporary work on this topic I would recommend Robert D. Kaplan's Monsoon: http://www.amazon.com/Monsoon-Indian-Ocean-Future-American/dp/0812979206

On China, India, the US and the shift of both the economic and military center of gravity from the West to the East.