The Balance Of Power In Asia Pacific Security

Investigating the dynamics of balancing patterns in the Asia-Pacific, this book focuses particularly on the contribution of great powers and middle powers to regional stability. Taking the US and China as great powers, and using ASEAN, Russia, Australia and South Korea as example of middle powers, the author addresses the following questions: Do middle powers influence balancing patterns in the Asia-Pacific? Are the United States and China balancing each other in the Asia-Pacific, and if so, by which means? What is the contribution of the English school to understanding balance of power dynamics? The Balance of Power in Asia-Pacific Security makes a persuasive contribution to the debate on the US-China relationship. Interviews with policy practitioners and academics in the region offer a systematic analysis of the complexities of Asia-Pacific security. Providing conceptual insights, this book gives a fresh understanding of the mechanisms necessary to maintain regional stability and explains the implications of US-China power balancing for global security. It will be an important resource for scholars and students of Asia-Pacific politics and security.

In the turbulent decade since the ending of the Cold War in Europe, a new element of the international relations of Asia and the Pacific has been the emergence of multilateral security dialogues. Both in governmental arenas such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and numerous "track two" channels including the Council for Security Co-operation in Asia-Pacific, it has been a decade of creative interaction and new thinking. The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon identifies the key phrases and ideas that have been the foundation of these dialogues, looking at their origins in international diplomacy and tracing their specific adaptation and modification to the conditions of a trans-Pacific setting. Of interest to both theoreticians and practitioners, the Lexicon is at once a handbook for regional diplomacy and an assessment of the factors that have shaped regional discussions.

The rise of China is profoundly altering the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region, and this shift will accelerate as China’s economy grows to rival that of the United States during the next two decades. This report examines these issues and suggests the course that New Zealand should chart to ensure that its interests in the peace and stability of the Asia Pacific are maintained.

The ending of the Cold War opened a new debate across the Pacific about the meaning of security and the new regional multilateral institutions that were beginning to emerge. The first edition of the The Asia-Pacific Security Lexicon, published in 2002, identified and defined the key concepts and ideas central to security discourse in the region. This second edition updates all of the entries and examines the origins and meanings of some of the new terms in common usage in a different historical setting, among them "e;terrorism"e;, "e;pre-emption"e;, "e;preventive war"e;, "e;a la carte multilateralism"e;, "e;coalition of the willing"e;, and China's "e;peaceful rise"e;. And it looks at how concepts such as "e;human security"e; and "e;non-traditional security"e; have evolved and found new adherents. Both a diplomatic handbook and theoretical exploration, the Lexicon is based on the analysis of more than 3,000 books, articles, conference reports, and speeches. It does not aim to resolve the disagreements about how words are used. Rather, it makes their evolution clearer for academics and practitioners seeking consensual knowledge.

There has been too complacent a view that contends that the next century -- the so-called Pacific Century -- will see power essentially defined in an economic sense. This book questions that notion by examining the evolving structure of power in the Pacific. t takes the view that while economics will have an increased weight in the power equation, military strength will still be a defining feature. The essays in this volume provide crisp analyses of a balance of power, the notion of a security architecture, and regional defence dilemmas. They then examine the shifting roles of the four major Pacific powers, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, all of which will essentially shape the future of the Pacific in the next century.

This textbook provides an introduction to the international relations and security environment of the contemporary Asia-Pacific. The international team of expert authors introduce security studies concepts and terminology, examine the key actors in the region, explore in-depth the traditional and non-traditional security challenges, and frame the Asia-Pacific's international politics through several different international relations theories. Major topics covered include U.S.-China relations, India and Japan's changing roles, middle powers and small states, the possibility of arms races, maritime security, terrorism and transnational crime, human security, and technology and security. Asia-Pacific Security is written accessibly for undergraduate or Master's students who are studying the region for the first time, and the book is intended to be a core text for courses relating to security studies or the international relations of the region. Special features for students include chapter summaries, study questions, guides to further reading, and an extensive glossary.

Investigating the dynamics of balancing patterns in the Asia-Pacific, this book makes a convincing contribution to the debate on the US-China relationship.