Asia Pacific Regional Security Environment and Security Architecture: Choices and Prospects

Abstract

Does the Asia Pacific region need a new regional security architecture, and if so, what form should it take? The question of resolving or at least managing the regional security environment has become more important as calls for new security arrangements are being made in response to the changing dynamics which affects the region’s stability. Various security challenges brought about by the rise of China and India, the growing recognition of the impact by transnational and non-traditional security concerns along with traditional security concerns such as the potential conflict in the South China Sea and the instability of the Korean Peninsula have heightened the awareness of policymakers, scholars and analysts to the region’s shortcomings in terms of institutional arrangements designed to resolve potential crisis. The ASEAN Regional Forum’s redirection to focusing on non-traditional security concerns and wariness towards moving to preventive diplomacy has made supporters and critics alike to think of regional security architecture that can address the ARF’s shortcomings. This paper analyzes the debate and provides a summary of the choices confronting policymakers. The paper suggests that the evolving regional security architecture’s development will be gradual and based on existing institutions, balancing the concerns of powerful states with less powerful ones and moving towards a community rather than remaining on the current cooperative security framework.