How 'Geography' Informs The Fate Of The World

To understand many of the worlds triumphs, tragedies and conflicts, according to geopolitical analyst Robert Kaplan, look no further than a map.

In his book The Revenge of Geography, Kaplan argues that geography is not just important to understanding world affairs — it's central to understanding where we've been and where we're going.

Kaplan uses this framework to look ahead and speculate about how geography will inform the future development and relations of countries like the United States, China, India, and Iran.

He talks with NPR's Neal Conan about what maps and geography tell us about past, present, and future of world affairs.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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