The Foreign Service Journal, May 2011

M A Y 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 79 what is happening in the Indian Ocean — which, Kaplan reminds us, repre- sents history repeating itself. So if you’re a U.S. policymaker or diplomat, this new reality should matter to you. Kaplan advises us to take a fresh look at Oman and Zanzibar, Gujarat and Aceh—places not usually high on the list of traditional U.S. foreign pol- icy concerns. He suggests that perhaps conducting two significant land wars during the past decade was not the best use of our resources — particularly as China focused on the “First Island Chain” (a chain of major archipelagos extending out from the East Asian con- tinential mainland coast) and explored ways to turn Taiwan, an “unsinkable air- craft carrier,” from a geographical lia- bility into a natural asset. Conversely, our effort to rebuild re- lations with Indonesia is producing long-termbenefits for us in what is now a huge and democratic Islamic nation. And how closely and effectively the U.S. works with India in the informa- tion technology industry, on agricultural issues and in defense, among many other fields, multiplies out across a vast region of influence. The Middle East has long been on our list of geopolitical hot spots, but we don’t usually think of Iran (a thorn in our side for more than 30 years now) and Pakistan (which may well become another enduring headache) as next- door neighbors. But they are. Both in scale and duration, the trade, cultural connectivity and shared experiences of these nations and their peoples go far beyond those triggered by our own declaration of independ- ence. So we neglect the history of these places at our peril. Josh Glazeroff, an FSO since 1997, is visa chief at Embassy New Delhi. B O O K S CHANGE OF ADDRESS Moving? Take AFSAWithYou! Change your address online at: www.afsa.org/address_change.aspx To log in, use your AFSA membership number on the mailing label of your Foreign Service Journal. The number is on the top left corner of the label, right above your name. It may be 2 digits or up to 7 digits. The password is your last name. It is not case sensitive. Or Send change of address to: AFSA Membership Department 2101 E Street NW • Washington, DC 20037