ABSTRACT
Introduction Nation-states in the Asia-Pacific have been embarking on building a “security community” in the region to deal with the various threats unleashed by the end of the cold war. The complexities of the post-cold war security environment have prompted nation-states to “go regional” in search of a lasting solution to their multifaceted security problems. Building a security community at the regional level gives nation-states within that region a sense of relative peace and security in an environment of complexities and uncertainties. The aftermath of the September 11,
2001, attacks made the complexities of the regional security situation even more difficult to grasp because of the growing threat posed by international terrorism.
