PROBLEMS OF EAST ASIAN SECURITY IN THE POST-COLD WAR ERA

Assessing East Asian security after the Cold War, this article explains why power shifts and unsettled territorial claims generated new uncertainty despite growing interdependence. It reviews alliance adaptations, the role of forward-deployed forces, and the emergence of regional forums. Maritime disputes, arms modernization and the security–economics nexus are analyzed to show how deterrence and reassurance interact in a crowded littoral. The paper argues that credible crisis communication, operational safety protocols at sea and air, and incremental confidence-building are essential to prevent accidents from spiraling into confrontation. It also highlights how trade integration can stabilize expectations while acknowledging its limits when nationalism is mobilized.

The body begins with a structural overview of post-1991 power balances and the implications of uneven growth. A second section analyzes alliance politics—burden sharing, host-nation support and technology cooperation—and their impact on regional perceptions. The maritime chapter maps competing EEZ and sovereignty claims, naval procurement and constabulary capabilities. It assesses hotlines, code-of-conduct proposals and incidents-at-sea arrangements, evaluating where they have traction and where gaps persist. Another section interrogates the security externalities of export interdependence, supply-chain clustering and dual-use technologies. The conclusion proposes a layered stability agenda: transparency in doctrine, risk-reduction mechanisms among patrol forces, and pragmatic economic compacts that reduce incentives for coercive bargaining while keeping channels for crisis diplomacy open.