Terrorism and security in the Asia-Pacific Region

Abstract

The coming of the new millenium has brought optimism about peace to many people in the world including the Asia-Pacific region. The end of the Cold War has been thought to remove the danger of global war between the opposite camps. The accelerating globalization after the end of Cold War has increased the level of economic interdependence and integration around the world. The Asia-Pacific region is one of the particular areas that has witnessed the impact of globalization. The economic interaction and cooperation within this area has expanded. The increased economic interaction has worked to constrain the political conflicts in this area, as shown by the evolutions of the Sino-U.S. relations, the cross- Taiwan Strait relations and the Sino-Asean relations. In other words, peace seems more likely to last in the Asia-Pacific region in the new millennium. However, the occurrence of the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States has changed the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region. In the aftermath of the September 11 event, the United States has switched its foreign policy to focus on fighting terrorism in the world. The Bush Administration had waged a war in Afghanistan in October last year. The new U.S. foreign policy and the war in Afghanistan have also influenced interstate relations in the area of Asia-Pacific. The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of security situation in the Asia-Pacific region after the September 11 attacks. There have been several major developments after the 911 event that have impact on the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region.