Regional Security in the Asia Pacific

The September 2001 terrorist attacks shocked the world. But what did they change? In this book Asia specialists from academe and policy think tanks assess the impact of 9/11 on the Asia Pacific. Drawing on unique fieldwork, access to a wide range of documents and inside expertise, the authors consider how old geo-strategic and cultural fault lines have been overlaid with new security threats from state and non-state actors. With chapters on specific countries and regions, defense policies, terrorism, and current and potential conflict zones, this collection critically examines the Asia Pacific region’s post-9/11, as well as post-Iraq war, security architecture.

The 14 contributors to this volume consider regional and global security in ways that go beyond the narrow focus on nation-states. They examine the ‘hardware’ of security (WMD, missiles, etc.) without excluding more fundamental issues of governance, identity, religion, economic collaboration, and the destabilizing impact of poverty and disease. The depth and breadth of research provides a wide perspective on security problems in the Asia Pacific.

A timely and comprehensive examination of the effects and consequences of September 11 and the war in Iraq, Regional Security in the Asia Pacific is a critical book for political scientists, scholars and policymakers engaged in security and terrorism debates, as well as all those interested in the changing landscape of global relations.