What geography tells us about the world's hotspots

St. Paul, Minn. — Journalist Robert Kaplan suggests that the Obama adminstration would do well to focus on "shatter zones" in the world.

These are places where conflict has historically raged, like Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.

It's there that deep differences continue to unsettle the world, and surprise American foreign policymakers with their lasting violence.

Guests

• Robert Kaplan: National correspondent for The Atlantic and senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. His article, The Revenge of Geography, appeared in the May/June issue of Foreign Policy magazine. He's the author of many books. His latest book is "Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground."

Resources

• Robert Kaplan: The Revenge of Geography
• Robert Kaplan's Atlantic articles