Human Security in East Asia: Challenges for Collaborative Action (Routledge Security in Asia Pacific Series) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415467969 ISBN 13: 9780415467964

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

Synopsis

Since the end of the Cold War the number of interstate wars has remained relatively low, although whilst states may be more secure than ever this does not mean that individual human beings are too. This has led to a growing recognition of the importance of human security, in contrast to the traditional realist focus on state security. This book explores human security in East Asia, focusing in particular on the challenges to collaboration among actors involved in the process of human security promotion. It examines the theoretical complexities of conceptual arguments about human security, drawing on the ideas of scholars from Asia and the West, to provide a global perspective on what causes human insecurity and how security can best be achieved. It considers in detail case studies of military interventions in East Asia, in particular East Timor, and assesses how successful collaborative efforts have been in providing human security. It also explores case studies of non-military intervention, including international criminal justice in Cambodia and East Timor. It discusses the relationship of regional great powers such as China and Japan to human security promotion, arguing that it will be better served if these powers engage less in the traditional game of geopolitics and if human security objectives do not work against actors' interests. It shows how interventions to uphold human security have not always succeeded to the extent that was hoped, despite the best of intentions, and considers how improved collaboration can be achieved, so that future interventions enjoy more consistent success.

 

About this title

About the Author:

Sorpong Peou is Professor of International Security and on the Graduate Programme in Global Studies, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan. Security and democracy studies are his main areas of expertise. His most recent book is International Democracy Assistance for Peacebuilding: Cambodia & Beyond (2007).

Review:

"This volume sheds an indispensable light on the recent human security policy agenda in East Asia. It offers us a cutting-edge assessment of the conceptual debates and empirical cases that the region has experienced so far. On that basis, it provides us with a balanced and realistic framework that we need in overcoming the ongoing challenge we face: achieving policy collaboration among various stakeholders interested or involve d in human security activities. This is a must read for academics and practitioners alike."

Professor Tsuyoshi Kawasaki (Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada)

 

".. a significant and indeed timely contribution to a better understanding of Human Security both in terms of providing different theoretical perspectives and practical findings. A must reading for anyone who cares deeply about how to advance effective cooperation on this issue."

Pranee Thiparat, Ph.D. (Department of International Relations, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand)

 

"...Human security has become a popular theme for students, scholars and – at least rhetorically – in some policy circles, but it has not yet found full acceptance within academic security studies. This collection of chapters – written by prominent academics in the field – takes the debate forward in new directions, applying the concept to new areas and new theoretical enquiries. It attempts – with some success – to resolve some of the remaining analytical conundrums found in the human security movement, and is well-written. It will be of interest to all those who seek to follow this fast moving debate."

Edward Newman (Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham)

 

"...this book is definitely the best written and edited volume on human security in East Asia thus far."

--Guen Lee, Pacifi c Affairs: Volume 83, No. 3 – September 2010

"It deserves a wide readership―academics, scholars, policy makers and students, who are interested in human security of East Asia, especially in Southeast Asia. In addition, this volume is a highly recommended purchase for university libraries and anyone who is trying to know more about the challenges and implications of human security in East Asia."

-Kai Chen, National University of Singapore

 

 

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0415467969
• ISBN 13: 9780415467964
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 216
• Editor: Peou Sorpong