Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America: Climate Change, the Rise of China, and Global TerrorismOver the next half century, the human population, divided by culture and economics and armed with weapons of mass destruction, will expand to nearly 9 billion people. Abrupt climate change may throw the global system into chaos; China will emerge as a superpower; and Islamic terrorism and insurgency will threaten vital American interests. How can we understand these and other global challenges? Harm de Blij has a simple answer: by improving our understanding of the world's geography. In Why Geography Matters, de Blij demonstrates how geography's perspectives yield unique and penetrating insights into the interconnections that mark our shrinking world. Preparing for climate change, averting a cold war with China, defeating terrorism: all of this requires geographic knowledge. De Blij also makes an urgent call to restore geography to America's educational curriculum. He shows how and why the U.S. has become the world's most geographically illiterate society of consequence, and demonstrates the great risk this poses to America's national security. Peppering his writing with anecdotes from his own professional travels, de Blij provides an original treatise that is as engaging as it is eye opening. Casual or professional readers in areas such as education, politics, or national security will find themselves with a stimulating new perspective on geography as it continues to affect our world. |
Contents
3 | |
2 Reading Maps and Facing Threats | 23 |
3 Earths Changeable Environments | 52 |
4 Climate and Civilization | 74 |
5 A Future Geography of Human Population | 91 |
6 The Mesh of Civilizations | 108 |
Chinas Geopolitical Gauntlet | 125 |
8 Terrorisms Widening Circle | 150 |
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Common terms and phrases
Afghanistan al-Qaeda American areas Asia ATLANTIC attacks Beijing Belarus Blij border boundary British campaign capital cartographers century Chechnya China Chinese cities climate change cold colonial communist conflict continued countries country's cultural decades decline democracy Earth East of Greenwich eastern economic empire environmental environments ethnic Eurasia Europe Europe's European Union Germany glaciations glaciers global historic Holocene human immigration impact India interglacial Iran Iraq Islamic Front islands issue Japan Kaliningrad Kilometers Korea land leaders Little Ice Age Longitude East major miles military million minority Moscow mosques Muslim National Geographic neighbors Nigeria North North Korea nuclear OCEAN Pacific Peninsula percent planet Pleistocene political population President provinces realm regime regional Republic Russia Saudi Arabia Shi'ites South Soviet Union Spain spatial Subsaharan Africa Sunni superpower Taiwan territory terrorism terrorist tion Tropic Turkey Ukraine United urban warming West Western Wisconsinan Glaciation York
References to this book
Evolution of U.S. Counterterrorism Policy: [3 Volumes] Yonah Alexander,Michael B. Kraft No preview available - 2007 |