Session: Session 5 / Regency Room
Date/Time: May 1, 2013 / 14:00-15:15

Panel Description

While the danger of conflict between China and Japan and the threat of North Korea tend to dominate news headlines, East Asia also faces a host of other political, economic, and security challenges. Southeast Asia continues to grapple with a number of insurgencies and internal conflicts, ranging from Myanmar’s many ethnic minorities’ resistance movements to Muslim insurgencies in Thailand and the Philippines. East Asia has also been a hot spot in terms of military spending and growing capacity. Not only China, but other countries in the region are joining the trend of military modernization, which may even lead to a regional arms race. This panel will examine the myriad of challenges that have the potential to escalate into major crises and what can be done to manage instability in this changing security landscape.

Guiding Questions

1. Where in the region are major problems likely to emerge in East Asia?
2. How do we assess the trends of military modernization in the region in terms of motivation, justification and implications?
3. What are the policy options for reducing the risks of miscalculation and escalation and preventing the spread of instability in East Asia?