ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the security environment in East Asia and considers the way in which the states of the region have responded to these changes. It evaluates the character of security structures in the region, and the way in which new and old concerns intersect in the policy choices made by states. The chapter also examines the way in which Australia has reacted to the changed circumstances in the region. It provides a basic overview of the regional security environment, and considers the bilateral, multilateral and non-state institutions, alliances and mechanisms that states and non-state actors deploy to advance their security interests. In sum, the security environment in the Asia-Pacific involves both traditional state-power derived security concerns (most obviously across the Taiwan Straits and in the Korean Peninsula) and transnational challenges. As Robert Ayson has pointed out, the past few years have dealt three distinctive shocks, which together have had a clear impact on Australia’s view of its regional security policy.
