This study investigates the security thinking and behavior, or security practice, of Asian elites as well as that of other segments of society that challenge the elites’ conception of security. It identifies the critical security problems and approaches, and the factors that underlie or shape them, for each of sixteen selected countries. The study also identifies and explains the key common features that characterize security practice in most if not all Asian states, as well as conceptualize security on the basis of the Asian experience.

Its purpose is not to provide time-sensitive guidance for policy makers on immediate issues but, rather, to illuminate the sources and nature of such internal and international security concerns of Asian elites and to explain their behavior at the domestic, regional and global levels to facilitate analysis and contribute to policy making in the long term. It may also enable analysts and policy makers to make more accurate judgments about the future of the region as well as helping them to shape initiatives to promote peace and security in Asia and the Pacific.

© Stanford University Press