Conflicts in East Asia: How Are They Different from Europe’s?

Abstract

While the threats that turned Europe into the most explosive part of the world in the last century appear to be quite relevant for Asia, the European-style security institutions do not seem to work for Asia. The key reasons are the historically embedded roots of the insecurity, more acute territorial divisions, specific (non-Western) understanding of security, and ethnically-driven separatist and irredentist movements. Also, as deglobalization increases and the international system becomes less and less manageable, East Asian countries tend to push harder for pursuing an autonomous security policy.