ABSTRACT
The central thesis of this chapter thus runs that there were security foundations, based on which the two post-war civilian powers, Europe and Japan, and, at the later stage, other NIEs and ASEAN countries too, could pursue their economic (integrative) strategies. Of course, there always are sorne limits to any analogy. Europe has attained a high level of de jure integration, while japan is part of de (acto economic integration, which has rather spontaneously been developing in East Asia. However, sorne common observations can be rnade, which could well entail significant implications. In both cases, the leadership role of the US remains crucial; the economic strategies are a long way from being de-coupled from the given political structure; and the current difficulties both regions face in securing durable order and prosperity, can partIy be explained in the interplays between the security and econornic spheres.
