Institutions and Resource Insecurity in Asia

Abstract

IT has long been recognized in Asia that national security encompasses more than traditional balance of power politics. States must also manage external economic vulnerabilities, especially in “strategic” areas such as natural resources. Due to rapid economic growth in China and India, surging world prices, and increasing concerns over environmental scarcity, resource issues have risen to the top of the international agenda. Recent actions by several producer states to limit exports have also intensified anxieties over resource security, and many consumer governments have announced national strategies to attempt to guarantee their access to foreign supplies. Consequently, resource interdependence in Asia has become increasingly “securitized” in the last few years. Governments have increasingly intervened to influence international trade in resources, opening up the prospect of resource competition that could undermine the operation of world resource markets.