Session 05

Non-Traditional Security Issues in Southeast Asia

While our studies have focused primarily on threats originating from states, much attention from political analysts has been devoted to “non-traditional” security issues. Today, we will discuss two of them: terrorism and pandemic disease. We will examine the forces shaping these threats and consider the problems involved in trying to address them.

Required Reading:

·        Liow, Joseph Chinyong. “The Arab Spring and Islamist activism in Southeast Asia: Much ado about nothing?”. Brookings Institution. 2015.

Suggested Readings:

·        Ralf Emmers. “Comprehensive Security and Resilience in Southeast Asia: ASEAN’s Approach to Terrorism”, Pacific Review 22:2 (2009), 159-77. (19 pages)

ASEAN and the Limits of Non-Interference

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations offers a unique regional model for managing conflict in East Asia. Unlike traditional alliances, ASEAN works to prevent conflict by socializing its members into a common regional identity and organizational norms, collectively known as the “ASEAN Way”. This model has been extended to other countries with interests in the region through the ASEAN Regional Forum, as well as to an expanding ambit of regional issues such as trade and environmental problems.

Required Reading:

·        David Martin Jones and Michael L.R. Smith. “Making Process Not Progress: ASEAN and the Evolving East Asian Regional Order”, International Security 32:1 (Summer 2007), 148-84. (37 pages)

Suggested Readings:

·        Khan, Shamsul, Lei Yu. Evolving China-ASEAN relations and CAFTA:Chinese Perspectives on China’s Initiatives in Relations to ASEAN Plus I. European Journal of East Asian Studies. 2013.