In The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future, acclaimed Southeast Asia expert Milton Osborne tells the story of the peoples and cultures of the great river from these obscure beginnings to the emergence of the modern independent nations of today. Drawing on a wealth of research material gathered over forty years of studying the region, Osborne traces the Mekong's dramatic history through the rise and fall of civilizations and the era of colonization and exploration. He details the struggle for liberation during a twentieth century in which Southeast Asia has seen almost constant conflict, including two world wars, the Indochina War, the Vietnam War and its bloody aftermath-and explores the prospects for peace and prosperity as the region enters a new millennium.

In each era, Osborne brings to life the individuals who witnessed and shaped the course of events along the great river. There is Chou Ta-kuan, the thirteenth-century Chinese envoy who recorded the glory of Angkor Wat, the capital city of the Khmer Empire. There are the Iberian mercenaries Blais Ruiz and Diego Veloso, whose involvement in the intrigues of Cambodia's royal family shook Southeast Asia's politics at the end of the sixteenth century. And there are the revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh, whose campaigns to liberate Vietnam from the French and unify the nation under communism changed the course of history.

Vibrant, insightful, and eminently readable, The Mekong is a rousing narrative of a dynamic region that has fascinated readers the world over.

"A tour de force, weaving together personal reflections and a lifetime of scholarship.... A remarkable literary and historical achievement."--Jill Ker Conway, author of The Road from Coorain

"Osborne's book addresses the mighty river with fascination and appreciation. It answers questions about the region's yesterdays and todays, but raises difficult questions for tomorrow. It merits reading."--John Nance, The Columbus Dispatch

"Not only an important history, but a document that hopefully may draw world attention to a growing ecological and human tragedy."--The Australian's Review of Books

Milton Osborne is the author of seven books on Southeast Asia, including Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness and River Road to China. A former academic, diplomat, and United Nations advisor, he has been a full-time writer and Southeast Asia consultant since 1993.