Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs

Publisher:: Sage Publications, Inc.
Publication date:: 2021-09-06

ISBN:: 2347-7970

Issue Number

No. 11-2, June 2024

Latest documents

A Traumatic Relationship: The United States and Indonesia–Russian Relationship
Indonesia’s insistence on refusing to directly condemn Russia’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine raised a lot of eyebrows. Some scholars attributed this to the long history of Indonesia–Russia relationship, which is dated even before the formal establishment of Soviet–Indonesia relations, when the Soviet Union brought ‘the Indonesian Question’ before the Security Council in 1946 and helped Indonesia’s struggle for independence. That, however, is only part of the picture. In fact, it is more important to see how the history of the relationship between the United States and Indonesia influenced Indonesia’s strategic culture and creating a feeling of trauma, the inability to trust the United States that influences Indonesia’s foreign policy, especially in regards to how Indonesia perceives and reacts to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The invasion is seen less as a state’s infringement of another state’s sovereignty than a sibling spat that is widely exacerbated by meddling from other countries.
Beyond Militarisation: Japan’s Path to Civilian Power
This article examines Japan’s evolution as a civilian power from 2012 to 2023, highlighting continuities and changes. In a nutshell, a civilian power prioritises cooperative international relations over unilateral action and military force. Using a qualitative content analysis of Japanese Ministry of Defence white papers, we base our analysis on three key categories to examine civilian power attributes: ‘Enforcement of morals’, ‘multilateralism’ and ‘will to promote and initiate’. Over 11 years, Japan has updated its Indo-Pacific partnerships, strengthened multilateral cooperation and pursued a proactive regional role. Contrary to views that Prime Minister Abe’s policies favour remilitarisation, we show continuity in Japan’s civilian power posture. While core values shifted from 2013 to 2020, the overall categories increased, particularly under Suga and Kishida. Our findings do not suggest a broad erosion of civilian power principles and show Japan’s gradual progression towards greater civilian power.
Book review: Elizabeth C. Economy, The World According to China
Elizabeth C. Economy, The World According to China>. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2022, 304 pp. (hardback). ISBN: 9781509537495
Cyber Shadows over Nuclear Peace: Understanding and Mitigating Digital Threats to Global Security
This article examines the intersection of cyber warfare and nuclear security, emphasising the significance of addressing the emerging threats to nuclear facilities from cyberattacks. The article highlights a gap in the international security architecture: the absence of an international regime for nuclear cybersecurity. This deficiency challenges the Non-Proliferation Treaty regime, threatening global peace and stability by undermining the treaty’s objectives and increasing the risk of nuclear proliferation and misuse. The research underscores the need for an international regime that integrates cybersecurity with nuclear security. It calls for the involvement of middle powers in international negotiations and consensus-building, alongside exploring innovative diplomatic strategies and robust legal frameworks. The article seeks to contribute to the discourse on international security, advocating for a coordinated global response to safeguard against the catastrophic consequences of digital threats in the nuclear domain.
China’s ‘Liquid’ Warfighting Shift and Its Implications for Possible Future Conflict
Some suggest that remote, precision strike warfare is a Western phenomenon motivated by aversion to high troop casualties among democratic leaders subject to re-election. Others contend that it is the result of a global transition in the way of modern war towards ‘liquid warfare’, centred around the disruption of adversary networks in the increasingly integrated and high-tech battlespace. This article advances the debate by applying the liquid warfare hypothesis to China’s post-1993 military reforms. It finds (a) that China’s development and embrace of its prevailing ‘systems destruction warfare’ concept constitutes a liquid shift in its warfighting approach, dispelling the contention that such transformations are necessarily linked with democratic political systems; and (b) that the liquidification of China’s warfighting approach has immediate implications for possible regional conflict scenarios, particularly those involving the United States, making them mutually costlier and susceptible to rapid escalation.
Book review: Sumantra Bose, Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside India’s 21st-Century Conflict
Sumantra Bose, Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside India’s 21st-Century Conflict. New Delhi: Picador India, Pan Macmillan India, 2021, 333 pp. (hardcover). ISBN: 978-93-90742-73-8
Does the Offence– Defence Theory Explain War Onset Between Small States? Causes and Consequences of the 2020–2023 Armenia–Azerbaijan War
The article explores the causes and consequences of the 2020–2023 Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan reclaimed large parts of territories within 44 days of the war in 2020, the country lost control in the early 1990s and was only hindered from full control by a Russian-brokered ceasefire. Over the subsequent three years, Azerbaijan gradually asserted dominance, reclaiming all lost territories by 2023. The study probes the war’s causes and Azerbaijan’s military success. It focuses on power imbalances and strategic dynamics between the two countries that led to the war. By applying the offence–defence theory, it argues that shifting economic and military strengths rendered war inevitable due to deadlock in negotiations. Azerbaijan’s military investment, modernisation and purchase of advanced technological armament changed the balance between the two states and increased its offensive advantage. The article also examines underlying regional power competition, shaping post-war dynamics in the South Caucasus.
Book review: Bajpai, Kanti, India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends
Bajpai, Kanti, India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends. New Delhi: Juggernaut Books, 2021, 284 pp. (hardcover). ISBN: 9789391165086
Combinative Hedging: Japan and Russia in the East Asian Contested Hierarchical Order
The recent developments in world politics have demonstrated that East Asia has emerged as a critical locus for great power politics, characterised by the pluralisation of power centres resulting from the competing strategic interests of the United States and China. Indeed, the regional order’s power constellation is moving towards a contested hierarchical model. The first-tier United States seeks to maintain its ‘plural hegemony’ through social compacts, while China fits within the hierarchy as a second-tier state, gradually emerging as an influential actor on the regional and global stage. Third-tier states, such as Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, and Russia, with its abundant energy resources and military prowess, have become potential swing players of influence within the evolving orders— appropriate to their respective capabilities. Observing this dynamic geopolitical environment, our article discusses the relationship between Japan and Russia as they attempt to protect their interests within a pluralising region. We argue that Japan and Russia take a combinative hedge, focusing on flexible collaboration, enabling risk mitigation and maximising short or long-term benefits.
Book review: Gerald Chan. China’s Digital Silk Road: Setting Standards, Powering Growth
Gerald Chan. China’s Digital Silk Road: Setting Standards, Powering Growth. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022. 196 pp. (hardback). ISBN: 9781803921204.