Security Politics in the Asia-Pacific: A Regional-Global Nexus?

by William T. Tow

Overview

Asia is experiencing major changes in its security relations. This book brings together respected experts to assess both the theoretical and empirical dimensions of the Asian security debate. Building on the latest research on Asia's regional security politics, it focuses on the 'regional-global nexus' as a way to understand the dynamics of Asian security politics and its intersection with global security. Contributors to the volume offer diverse but complementary perspectives on which issues and factors are most important in explaining how security politics in Asia can be interpreted at both the regional and global levels of analysis. Issues addressed include power balancing and alliances, governance and democracy, maritime and energy security, the relationship between economics and security, 'human security', terrorism, nuclear non-proliferation, climate change and pandemics. This work will serve as a standard reference on the evolution of key issues in Asian security.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521765350
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/15/2009
Pages:	386
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

William T. Tow is a Professor of International Security in the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University and a Chief Investigator for the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Policing and Security (CEPS). He has served on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT's) Foreign Affairs Council and the Australian-American Fulbright Commission's Board of Directors.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Setting the context William T. Tow; Part I: 2. Grappling with an elusive concept Brian L. Job; 3. Asia-Pacific institutions Michael Wesley; 4. The United States: regional strategies and global commitments Michael Mastanduno; 5. A rising China and American perturbations Hugh White and Brendan Taylor; Part II: 6. Hegemony, hierarchy and order Evelyn Goh; 7. Democracy and security in East Asia William Case; 8. Security community-building in Asia-Pacific Sorpong Peou; 9. Human security and global governance Akiko Fukushima and William T. Tow; 10. The economics-security nexus in the Asia-Pacific region John Ravenhill; Part III: 11. Problematising 'linkages' between Southeast Asian and international terrorism Greg Fealy and Carlyle A. Thayer; 12. Nuclear weapons: Asian case studies and global ramifications Marianne Hanson and Rajesh Rajagopalan; 13. Maritime security: regional concerns and global implications Sam Bateman; 14. Thinking globally and acting regionally: securitising energy and environment Aynsley Kellow; 15. Regional health and global security: the Asian cradle of pandemic influenza Christian Enemark; Part IV: 16. The new transregional security politics of the Asia-Pacific Amitav Acharya.

Editorial Reviews

This is a path-breaking study of the interplay of regional and global security dynamics pertaining to Asia, which has become a core world region. It does an excellent job investigating regional-global connections in both traditional and non-traditional security domains.”
Muthiah Alagappa, Distinguished Senior Fellow, East-West Center

“An important contribution to understanding the security politics of the Asia-Pacific. This volume succeeds in its core objective of analyzing ‘how Asian security politics will affect international security or will, in turn, be influenced by global events and structures’. An excellent panel of authors who combine penetrating analysis of existing international relations theories on the global-regional nexus with a firm grasp of the regional environment.”
Barry Desker, Dean of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

“A truly innovative work on Asian security. Readers will be convinced that Asian security has now become ‘autonomous’ enough to be an ‘integral’ component of an evolving world order.”
Yoshihide Soeya, Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Director, Institute of East Asian Studies, Keio University

"Security Politics in the Asia-Pacific provides a timely and well-balanced consideration of the multidimensional problems and challenges facing states and sub-national actors within the region. … Tow has produced a tightly edited, wide-ranging work that deserves a broad audience to debate the myriad complex issues it raises.... Security Politics in the Asia-Pacific "gets Asia right"."
Remy Davison, Australian Journal of International Affairs

"… this volume is one of the most comprehensive studies on Asia- Pacific security politics in recent years. It is appropriate for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on Asian security politics, global security, or international relations, or anyone interested in security issues. Finally, policymakers in concerned countries will also benefit from a better understanding of the dynamic intersection between the Asian-Pacific regional security and global security."
Shiping Zheng, Journal of Chinese Political Science

From the Publisher