ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the current status and future prospects of Northeast Asia security cooperation. It discusses four conditions necessary to the formation of a security regime in Northeast Asia: the evolution of existing security cooperation arrangements; regional economic interdependence with spillover security cooperation; transnational threats as a set of commonly perceived threats; and positions of key actors for a new security regime. Interstate-based (neoliberal) theories of regimes make a much stronger claim for the role that international regimes can play in helping states realize common interests. States are included among non-state actors in these neoliberal formulations. The regional security cooperation architecture should be gradually implemented and institutionalized by epistemic community and the gradual expansion of military exchanges, strategic awareness programs through secretariat or security cooperation center. The epistemic community, consisting of diplomatic and security policy-makers, lawmakers, scholars relating to security areas, and multinational businessmen, needs to be networked to achieve regional affinity.
