Civilizing the anarchical society: Multilateral security processes in the asia-pacific

The Asia-Pacific is in the early stages of the sort of strategic transformation that in the past had produced acute tensions, high levels of armament, and a significant risk of serious conflict. The region closely exemplifies Hedley Bull’s “anarchical society”, that is, states compete for power and influence in an international arena still relatively free of multilateral constraints. Trends in relations between the key major powers suggest that allowing security outcomes to be determined by the free play of the “security market-place” will be a high-risk strategy. A stronger determination to boost multilateral security processes, to take charge collectively, should be seen as a key element of a strategy to improve the prevailing odds attached to the security outlook for the Asia-Pacific.