Security Interdependence In The Asia Pacific Region

The security architecture of the Asia/Pacific region is in a profound transformation. Such changes are not without problems, which are discussed here.

Long divided by cultural, economic, and political differences, the Asia-Pacific region has little history of multilateral cooperation. Alliances that once linked individual countries with one or the other superpower fostered deep mistrust among neighbouring states. The end of the Cold War, however, has created new opportunities for multilateral coo

The field of security studies is undergoing a major re-evaluation in the post-Cold War era, and this has important implications for the region. The security dangers of the 1990s and beyond are different and more complex than those of the Cold War, and strategic thinkers both in the academic and policy-making spheres must begin to understand the new environment lest they fall into the old trap of planning for the next conflict based on the conditions of the last conflict. This book is designed to survey the new environment, assessing what has changed and what remains the same, and suggesting what types of demands future strategists will face.

Is there a relationship between economic interdependence and the cohesion of an Asia Pacific security community? This text addresses this question, exploring the potential for the development of a partnership involving China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

From the war on terror to the rise of China, this book unlocks the major strategic themes and security challenges of the early twenty-first century. Strategy and Security in the Asia-Pacific provides the analytical frameworks needed to make sense of this complex but exciting strategic universe. Offering a unique mix of global strategic thinking and Asia-Pacific security analysis, this book is for readers from Sydney to Seoul who want to put their own local security challenges in a wider regional and global context. It is also for North American and European readers requiring an understanding of the dynamic security developments in the Asia-Pacific region around which so much of global strategy is increasingly based. The really vital questions facing the international community are dealt with here: Why do governments and groups still use armed force? Has warfare really changed in the information age? Why should we be concerned about non-traditional security challenges such as water shortages and the spread of infectious disease? Is a great clash imminent between the United States and China? What are the prospects for peace on the Korean peninsula and between India and Pakistan? Can Southeast Asia survive the challenges of transnational terrorism? What does security mean for the Pacific island countries and for Australia and New Zealand? With contributions from leading commentators and analysts, Strategy and Security in the Asia-Pacific offers a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the field.