“Crucible for Survival is a vital new account of the environmental security and justice issues that dominate this region and challenge the world. It is an impressive and relevant contribution to public understanding and debate"
-Doug McEachern, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovatino, The University of Western Australia, coauthor of Environment and Politics, and a frequent visitor to the region.

"This book has a wide audience. It brings new coherence and rich content to the concept of the Indian Ocean basin as one of the world's major regions. It will benefit scholars in area studies and in international and environmental affairs as well as civil society, governmental organizations, and global environmentalists."
-Jeff Romm, University of California, Berkeley

Spanning a vast, multicontinental area-from Asia to Africa, and including the Middle East and Australia-the Indian Ocean Region represents a diverse and historical network of cultures, economies, and environments. It has been described as the "heart of the Third World" and, in precolonial times, "a crucible for a first global economy." Today, it is a crucible for global survival.

In this collection, Timothy Doyle and Melissa Risely bring together an international group of environmentalists, political scientists, and international relations scholars largely from the region to address key issues vital to determining the human and environmental security of the region. Addressing topics that include agrifood production systems, the geopolitics of water resources along the Mekong River basin, oil production, transportation, waste disposal, and climate change, the contributors highlight the importance of regional collaboration and offer policy and management strategies for cooperative, multinational problem solving.

Timothy Doyle is professor of politics and international studies at Keele University in the United Kingdom and at the University of Adelaide in Australia. He is the founding convener of human and environmental security for the Indian Ocean Research Group.
Melissa Risely graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Ph.D. in environmental studies in 2003 and is now an environmental consultant working with the IORG.