ABSTRACT
Historically, economic factors have been applied to explain many security issues, such as the outbreaks of World Wars I and II, Japan’s military expansions in the 1930s and 1940s, and US interventions in the post-war third-world countries. The way in which economic interdependence has affected security has been viewed from different theoretical perspectives. In particular, with the end of the Cold War and the development of economic liberalization, regionalization and globalization, many scholars, analysts, and policy makers believe that the increase of economic interdependence would not only raise productivity, efficiency and economic welfare, but also enhance or improve national and international security. But is this really happening in the post-Cold War era?
