INTRODUCTION

Few topics can be more important to more people than security, not least in Asia. Unfortunately for those who live there, Asia has been one of the world's most belligerent regions since the end of World War II. Of the approximately two hundred armed conflicts registered between 1945 and the present, nearly one-third took place in Asia. Two of the deadliest among them were fought in Asia. More than three million people died in the Korean War (1950–53) and over two million in the Vietnam War (1965–73). The Indochina death toll would reach three million if we add the victims of the first Indochina War (1946–54) and the Cambodian conflict (1979–91). Great power rivalry, arms races, communist insurgencies, ethnic rebellions, genocide, massive refugee flows, widespread human rights violations, terrorism, banditry and piracy have added to the apprehensions over Asia's security.

The end of the Cold War has not defused many of these conflicts in Asia as it has those in other parts of the world such as Europe. Even worse, new threats have emerged to frustrate the efforts of Asian governments and international organizations to create a peaceful security environment in the region. The nature of these threats has been aptly summarized by the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Reviewof the United States Department of Defense. The report describes Asia as a region containing:

In a globalized world the consequences of these conflicts may easily spill over into other world regions. Asia's security problems have thus become a prime focus for study by policymakers, scholars of international relations and the media, both inside and outside the region. This volume contributes to this policy-relevant study. It seeks to assess the changes in the Asian security environment since the end of the Cold War and the shifts in the perceptions and strategies of managing the threats in the region.