ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses how the post-11 September changes in defence policymaking in Strategic Asia are affecting the regional security environment. It describes Asia as a zone of strategic interaction where major forces converge to shape Asia’s rapidly changing socio-political landscape. The chapter explains Asia’s strategic importance as a global centre of economic dynamism, military power and geopolitical positioning. It examines changes in defence policymaking in ten pivotal states in Strategic Asia—China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam—focusing primarily on national security strategies, defence spending patterns and procurement priorities in the context of each state’s path towards military modernization. The chapter presents the implications of changes in defence policymaking on Asia’s security environment and the long-term challenges and opportunities that Strategic Asia presents to the US and the potential costs and consequences of mismanaging critical issues fundamental to sustaining US influence in the region.
