ABSTRACT
Well after the end of the Cold War the shape and meaning of ongoing structural change in the Asia-Pacific region remains unclear. Early predictions that the United States would exercise uncontested hegemony there have been overtaken by that country’s preoccupation with such emerging asymmetrical threats as international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to ‘states of concern’ and, potentially, to hostile non-state entities. The rise of China and its implications for regional order are not yet understood, even by the Chinese, much less by other regional and extra-regional actors. Asia-Pacific ‘communitybuilding’ is proceeding, although in only painstaking ways. Regional security dilemmas or ‘flashpoints’ in the Korean peninsula, the Taiwan Strait and Kashmir remain capable of exploding rapidly and with global ramifications. The politics of energy security has assumed centre-stage as Asia’s rapidly growing economies become increasingly competitive in their quest for access to fossil fuels and other commodities. Other ‘non-traditional security’ challenges have intensified in such areas as environment, health and human rights. Too little consensus still exists, however, over how such developments are best confronted.
