Broadening Asia's Security Discourse and Agenda: Political, Social, and Environmental Perspectives

For most people in Asia —a continent with more than half of the world's population —the greatest threats to security come from disease, hunger, environmental contamination, crime, and localized violence. But for some, an even greater threat may come from their own government. The citizens of states that are "secure" according to the concept of traditional security can be perilously insecure in terms of their everyday reality. Going beyond military threats and state-centric analysis, this book demonstrates the importance of a broad security agenda that incorporates political, economic, social, and environmental dimensions, as well as the many links between them. It applies non-traditional security perspectives to a range of human challenges across Asia to encourage a security discourse where humans are at the vital core. It also explores the potential practical and conceptual benefits of unconventional security thinking in a continent beset by both conventional and non-traditional security challenges.