This book is about how the international patterns of power are changing in the Indian Ocean. The author argues that US foreign policy and influence will need to change from a predominant view of the regions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to one which focuses on the Indian Ocean and the nations which surround it. The driving force for this refocussing is the rapidly rising influence of India and China, which are both likely to achieve super power status to rival that of America in this century.

The title of the book derives from the historical importance of the south-west monsoon weather system which was critical for the spread of trade, culture and Islam from Arabia, East Africa through to the Indonesian archipelago. The author traces the influence of the Chinese, Arabs, Mughals, Portuguese, Dutch and finally the British on the commercial, religious, political and cultural composition of the countries which surround the Indian Ocean.

Kaplan argues that the Indian Ocean has specific geographical issues which make it significantly different to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans with respect to maritime commerce. Unlike the Atlantic and Pacific, which are “open”, the Indian Ocean is a partially closed ocean being bounded to the north by the land masses of Arabia, the Indian sub-continent and Asia and to the west by the long African coastline. To the east lie the Indonesian Islands and Australia which are forging closer economic and political ties. The major maritime routes for the transport of oil and gas (that is, energy) have to pass through two constricted waterways – the Straits of Hormuz in the west and the Straits of Malacca in the east. Shipping entering the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea also needs to pass through the strategically important, but narrow, waterway between Yemen and the Horn of Africa. These maritime pressure spots pose strategic and energy security issues for both India and China both of which have massively increasing demands for oil and gas. In addition the countries of East Africa, save for Somalia, are slowly developing in economic importance particularly for China.

Kaplan provides a fascinating historical and cultural backdrop to the tensions which are developing around the Indian Ocean littoral. Many of the present problems stem from the colonisation policies of European Powers. Outstanding amongst these was the partition of the Indian sub-continent and the formation of East and West Pakistan (now Bangladesh). At present Pakistan is bordering on a failed-state status with immense strategic consequences for the region especially in relation to Afghanistan. Similarly the army dictatorship in Burma and the parlous economic status of that country are a direct result of poor strategic policy by the British. In 1886 Britain annexed Burma into its Indian Empire and granted it independence in 1945 with no regard to the ethnic complexities existing there. Resource rich Burma is where Indian and Chinese strategic interests are now in competition.

The book puts into an historic perspective the spread of Islam, the critical issues of trade in the region and the importance of a stable Afghanistan and Pakistan to both India and China. The rising influence of Indonesia as a pluralistic and democratic country, of salient importance to Australia, is placed in the context of the spread of the Islamic faith and its recent history since its independence from the Dutch. While the geo-political problems confronting the US, China and India are clearly enunciated little mention is made of Australia’s place in the overall picture of the Indian Ocean. It is only mentioned in the perspective of being a country allied with the US, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which will provide a stabilising influence on the region.

The book is a wake-up call to America with the centre of global power moving rapidly to the Indian Ocean region. It is also a stark reminder to Australians that Australia has a significant coastline on the Indian Ocean. Even though most Australians are demographically and culturally oriented to the Pacific Ocean, one of the future super powers will be India which is only some 5000 kilometres from our north-west coast. It was not until very recent times that Australia became aware of the importance of India with respect to trade and cultural links beyond that of cricket. John Howard in his autobiography Lazarus Rising admits to his government’s failure to appreciate the importance of India to Australia.

Monsoon is scholarly, thought provoking and an enjoyable read. Kaplan has combined a serious geo-political discourse with vivid descriptions of the life and culture of nations surrounding the Indian Ocean. It is certainly required reading by present federal politicians, especially those short on foreign policy credentials.