The Trade-Security Nexus in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

During the Cold War period, East Asian countries adopted a broader concept of ``security'' as they regarded economic well-being as the linchpin of their survival and prosperity. Under the auspices of the US security umbrella, East Asian countries were able to focus on economic growth by actively integrating themselves into the global economy. Meanwhile, despite a rapid increase in economic interdependence, the hub-and--spoke bilateral security system centered around the US has allegedly retarded the formal institutionalization of East Asian regionalism. Alternatively, East Asian countries have sought an informal networking of the region.