Regional Security in the Asia Pacific

This course examines the theoretical and empirical issues related to the international security of Asia-Pacific, with emphasis on East and Southeast Asia. As such, the course surveys key security dynamics and issues in the region, and explores some of the political and military challenges facing the main actors in Asia-Pacific in an era of uncertainty. Some of the major themes covered in this course include: the rise of China; U.S. alliance system in the Asia-Pacific; Japanese militarization; territorial disputes; deterrence and coercive diplomacy; nuclear proliferation; prospects for regional security regimes; and non-traditional security challenges such as energy and environmental security. The main objectives of this course are broadly twofold: 1) introduce students to a range of international security issues in the Asia-Pacific; and 2) provide students with the analytical tools to critically evaluate some of the contemporary policy debates on Asian security. By the end of this course, students should have a more nuanced understanding of security threats and challenges in the Asia-Pacific and also be able to apply (and critique) some of the theoretical framework in understanding the international relations of the region.