242. SECURITY IN THE ASIAN THEATRE (PANEL III)
242.
Panel Title : SECURITY IN THE ASIAN THEATRE (PANEL III)
Chair : Richard Stubbs
Participants :
Richard Stubbs
Paper Title : The End of the Cold War Versus Globalization: Disentangling Influences on
East Asia's Political Economy
Abstract :
Analyses of the development of East Asia's (Northeast and Southeast Asia's domestic and regional political economies over the last twenty years or so have concentrated their attention on the impact of the forces of Globalization. Yet starting in the mid-1980s the Cold War, which had a major role in the region's economic and political development from the Korean War onwards, began to wind down in key parts of East and Southeast Asia and this process clearly affected the regions' political economy over the next decade or so. This paper seeks to disentangle these two disparate influences on the recent evolution of East Asia's political economy. The first part of the paper examines the reasons for, and the ways in which, the theoretical literature on domestic political economies and the international political economy tends to ignore security issues. The second part of the paper details the ways that the end of the Cold War and the forces of Globalization each had an impact not only on domestic political economies but on the evolution of the regional political economy. In the third section of the paper the significance of 9/11 and the Bali Bombings in reintroducing security concerns into East Asia's political economy issues is evaluated. The concluding section argues that the region's political economy cannot be analyzed without taking into account security issues.
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra
Paper Title : South Asia Moving Towards Peace:A Study of the Kashmir Conflict
Abstract :
The people of India, Pakistan and their leaders have come to learn from hard experience that in peace lies the future of the subcontinent, not in war. The last three years have set the trend that the people have chosen the path of peace and this bearing on political leaders have witnessed some remarkable developments. Developments such as the start of bus service in 1999 from Amritsar to Lahore, and the opening of the line of control (LOC), cooperation in the earthquake relief measures, are almost instructive about the future of the subcontinent. Except few incidents of violence in the current scenario, the future beckons peace for the whole region. This trend towards peace seems encouraging for the whole of Asia to emulate in one way or the other. To put the history in a nutshell: both India and Pakistan have made claims and counter claims over the territory of J&K since the partition and subsequent independence of the subcontinent in 1947. While India sanctifies the Instrument of Accession, Pakistan calls it fraudulent and calls for right to self-determination of the people. Both the countries have fought three wars, sharpened propaganda machinery, and tested nuclear weapons. Besides the impact of the cold war the region came into international focus in late 1970s, especially after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. The rising militancy in J&K in 1990s, the alleged Pakistani involvement, the killing of innocent people, the violation of human rights remained cache for each other. The last three years witnessed phenomenal developments to sober up the hard-line policies with Indian declaration of ceasefire in November 2003. In 2004, both the countries resumed talks that had been stalled after the attack on Indian parliament in 2001; in April 2005 bus rolled from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad, in October 2005 both the countries opened the LOC to facilitate relief operation and later for movement of people. The earthquake in October 2005 in a way proved the necessity of joint cooperation to tackle many issues of common concern. It was a tragedy for both, but it was tragedy laden with lessons. Both the countries now realize poverty is the biggest challenge than the political bickering. Pakistan giving up its insistence on the United Nations resolutions and India softening stand towards softening the LOC are some of the remarkable developments that could have been hardly imagined a decade earlier. Though various formula have been floated and forwarded to resolve bilateral issues, the single most important achievement has become the ‘irreversibility' of the peace process. Both India and Pakistan came to realize the value of living in peace, because the peace-dividends are more valuable than the results of war and violence. The meeting of divided families after opening of the LOC, the organization of ‘heart-to-heart' talks in Indian and Pakistani cities in which the civil society members from both sides played active role, and the launch of cricket in each other's ground are some of the big achievements. Hence, the South Asian way, as seen in case of India and Pakistan, of inching towards peace can be worth emulating in other conflict situations.
Zarina Othman
Paper Title : East Asia (In) security: Islam Factor vs. China Factor
Abstract :
Literature on East Asian Security has been dominated by the realist school of thinking, which sees China's rising power as a threat to the region's stability and security. This is due to the fact that China's huge population, immense geographic size and rich natural resources, is thought to be a potential economic competitor to US hegemony. China's emerging economic power also could provide an opportunity for China to enlarge its military capabilities and thus pose a military threat. However, recently the US has been focusing on terrorism as the strongest potential threat to international security. Some Islamic-dominated states, including Malaysia and Indonesia, begin to feel that it is Islam rather than terrorism that the US perceives as a threat. This article is designed to explore the role of Islam vis-Ã -vis China in the context of East Asia peace and security. In particular this article will seek to understand why China, who claims that it intends to follow a peaceful approach in using its rising power, is nevertheless considered a threat. Similarly, in what way is Islam seen as a threat to the region? To gain a better understanding of the phenomenon, this article will also look at Samuel Huntington's thesis of Clash of Civilizations-in which he sees future conflicts revolving around differences in type of civilization and culture--will be examined in the context of the security of East Asia. By comparing the two entities, Islam and China, it is hoped that the article will provide food for thought in the ongoing debates regarding contemporary international relations, security and related issues.
Azman Ayob
Paper Title : Maintaining Good Civil- Military Relations In Asia: Malaysia's Experience
Abstract :
Asia has witnessed several military takeovers in the last century. The last one before the world moved into the new millennium was in Pakistan in 1999. Within seven years in the 21st Century, there are at least two military takeovers of governments in Thailand and Fiji. The tension of possible military takeover also was felt by the Philippines. To some, military-controlled government is a bless, whereas to some others, it is not friendly to the idea of democracy. Malaysia has never experienced a strong military dominance over its civil government, let alone a coup d'etat. Since its independence, the Armed Forces have played its significant role in helping the civil government to perform its best to all Malaysians. In other words, the civil-military relations in Malaysia are rather good. The aim of this paper is to identify some influential factors that have contributed to this cordial relationship between the Malaysian civil government and its military forces. Besides, this paper also tries to analyze the reciprocal demands and expectations of both the Malaysian civil government and the military in ensuring political stability in the country. Lastly, this paper shall highlight some roles and contributions of the Malaysian military forces to the country and its people, both from the military and civilian aspects.
