The Coming Anarchy

The book, expanded from Kaplan's 1994 article in The Atlantic Monthly, argues that the period of the Cold War was an unusually stable and peaceful time in world history.

Kaplan forecasts that the future will be marked by increasing urban crime, lawlessness, environmental destruction, disease, hunger, and war.

He suggests that traditional political borders will become less relevant as power becomes more localized and identities are redefined along cultural or tribal lines.

The book also discusses the importance of addressing the causes of these problems rather than just their consequences and advocates for a new kind of cartography that reflects the evolving nature of global conflicts and identities.