An Introduction to Asia-Pacific Security

This chapter introduces the security environment of the contemporary Asia-Pacific. This chapter also introduces the main theories that are used in this book as it investigates the region and its security challenges. These theories, drawn from security studies, include “traditional” approaches (realism and liberalism) and nontraditional ones (constructivism, the Copenhagen School, critical security studies, and human security). Each of these theories is analyzed by asking three key questions: Whose security is the focus? What threats to security are identified? How can security can be achieved? These theories are then applied to contemporary issues in the Asia-Pacific to illustrate their relevance to studies of security in the region.