The next stage: preventive diplomacy and security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region

Abstract

Preventive diplomacy has been identified by the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as the next stage in the development of security cooperation in the Asia Pacific region. However, there has been little progress with either the definition and exposition of the concept and its operating principles, or the development of acceptable and practical means of preventive diplomacy. This book is designed to promote better understanding of the concept and principles of preventive diplomacy, and hence to contribute to a more informed and productive debate about this critical stage of the ARF process. It is intended to advance the preventive diplomacy agenda in terms of both conceptual coherence and practical measures. This collection includes the principal progenitors of the subject in this region, the most notable of which is Gareth Evans' chapter published in 1993. It includes papers prepared by Foreign Ministry officials, such as Hasjim Djalal, Indonesian Ambassador-at-Large for the Law of the Sea and Maritime Affairs; academic contributions, such as papers on preventive diplomacy concepts, theory and principles; several regional case studies (such as the South China Sea, the Moro conflict in the southern Philippines, and the 1997 crisis in Cambodia); and discussion of the applicability of the concept in intra-state conflicts and utility of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This book is the product of a joint project by the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC) and the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) in Singapore