ABSTRACT
The ‘Pacific Century’ is a powerful abstract image that refers to the prophesised dominance of the Asia-Pacific region in the twenty-first century; it is nourished by generally thriving economies, liberalising polities and explosive population demographics that all convey a sense of regional dynamism.1 Yet despite the sanguine prognosis, the region is still riven by intractable conflicts that could threaten the nascent prosperity and security. Whilst the portents are not entirely negative, there is a danger that the region could once again become mired in war; dragged down by any one of the many areas of discord that still plague the region. These areas, in part born of the flux that followed the Second World War, will be the focus of this book: the enduring conflict on the Korean Peninsula; the dormant matter of Taiwan’s independence; the recently stabilised conflict over the Spratly Islands; and the intractable Indo-Pakistan rivalry. This introductory chapter begins with a brief overview of the nature of conflict, first at a global level, then at the regional level. This is followed by a more detailed consideration of how conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region have evolved in the post-Second World War era. Consideration of the trends in violent conflict both at a global and regional scale will provide a contextual canvas for a more detailed examination of the four intractable conflicts which form the focus of this research. The chapter concludes by briefly introducing these cases and considering some of the other potential sources of future conflict in the region.
