▁domestic ▁up he aval ▁and ▁state ▁collapse ▁are ▁replacing ▁rising ▁states ▁and ▁great - power ▁rival ry ▁as ▁the ▁chief ▁thre ats ▁to ▁U . S . ▁interests ▁and ▁global ▁security . ▁In ▁one ▁sense , ▁this ▁book ▁offers ▁an ▁el o quent ▁statement ▁of ▁a ▁widely ▁shared ▁view — nam ely , ▁that ▁in ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁terror ism ▁and ▁weapons ▁of ▁mass ▁destruction , ▁it ▁is ▁the ▁weak ness ▁of ▁states , ▁rather ▁than ▁their ▁strength , ▁that ▁is ▁most ▁threaten ing . ▁What ▁is ▁distinct ive ▁about ▁David ' s ▁book ▁is ▁its ▁focus ▁on ▁four ▁critical ▁states — Ch ina , ▁Mexico , ▁Pakistan , ▁and ▁Sa udi ▁Arab ia — in ▁which ▁civil ▁war ▁or ▁political ▁up he aval ▁could ▁" un le ash ▁cat ast roph ic ▁har ms ▁that ▁transform ▁global ▁politics ▁and ▁end anger ▁vital ▁American ▁interests ." ▁In ▁each ▁case , ▁David ▁sketch es ▁a ▁portrait ▁of ▁regime ▁break down ▁and ▁en su ing ▁cha os . ▁Bla zing ▁oil ▁fields , ▁loose ▁nuclear ▁weapons , ▁refuge e ▁flo ods , ▁and ▁great - power ▁collapse ▁are ▁cat ast roph es ▁that ▁could ▁up end ▁global ▁stability ▁and ▁bring ▁ped d lers ▁of ▁violence ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States ' ▁door step . ▁Prov oc atively , ▁David ▁arg ues ▁that ▁spread ing ▁dem ocracy ▁or ▁interven ing ▁to ▁build ▁better ▁states ▁are ▁not ▁good ▁options . ▁R ather , ▁civil ▁war ▁must ▁be ▁seen ▁as ▁a ▁problem ▁a kin ▁to ▁natural ▁dis aster s