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Impact of geopolitical and security environment in 2020on Southeast Asian armies: Forging cooperative securityIntroduction1.Military planners in Southeast Asia are grappling with the issue of army force structuringin light of the changing strategic environment. Recognising that force development is a long-termprocess, many questions have been raised on the impact of the changing strategic environmenton force levels, personnel and training of Southeast Asian armies. However, the nature of futuresecurity challenges is inextricably linked to the geo-strategic context.2 Force structures based onan inaccurately forecasted geo-strategic environment could render an army irrelevant in the futurestrategic context.3 Hence, force structure of Southeast Asian armies should take into cognisance theshifting dynamics in Southeast Asia.2.Southeast Asia has undergone seismic changes since the region was economically dampenedby the ubiquitous financial crisis in 1997. Most economies have recovered from the setback and areback on the economic development track. However, the economic downturn has unleashed a waveof separatist and fundamentalist movements and governments, crippled by the lack of funds andresources, were unable to contain the spread of the malady. Some of these fundamentalist movementshave eventually transformed into terrorist movements.4 When juxtaposed on existing border disputeswithin Southeast Asian countries, transnational issues like drug and illegal trade, and intra-state ethnic
tensions, Southeast Asia will continue to pose uncertainty to military planners and consequently, force
structuring.
3.The aim of this paper is to analyse the nature of security challenges in 2020 in Southeast Asia
and assess the impact of these challenges on Southeast Asian armies. Since the future could only be
understood through the lens of present day, the first part of the paper will identify current geopolitics
and security concerns in Southeast Asia. This is followed by a description of the nature of security
challenges in 2020. Finally, the impact of these security challenges on Southeast Asian armies will be
assessed. The basic hypothesis of this paper is that Southeast Asian armies will have to work closer
together in response to the strategic uncertainty given the effects of regionalisation in Southeast Asia.
In so doing, Southeast Asian armies will need to operate together, thus possibly providing ASEAN
the catalyst to move beyond mere confidence building to cooperative security
The geopolitical and security environment in 2020
9.Why 2020? 2020 will be a significant milestone in the development of Southeast Asian
affairs as the ASEAN Vision 2020 aims to create a tariff-free Southeast Asian market.16 With this
free trade area, the economic prosperity of Southeast Asia will be regionalised with greater economic
interdependence.17 This economic interdependence could translate into political and security
interdependence amongst Southeast Asian countries.
10.Rise of amalgamated threats. The security environment in 2020 will be more complicated
than today. Most security challenges will increasingly take on an amalgamated veneer as one particular
form of threat could amalgamate with others, manifesting itself differently.18 For instance, the Islamic
militant group Abu Sayyaf commits banditry, such as kidnapping, to fund its terrorist activities.
Amalgamation can be conceptualised in three realms. Firstly, security threats are continuously taking
on a transnational nature; security threats will no longer be bounded by geography.19 Secondly,
security threats are starting to have external links with other global organisations with similar political
agendas, as the case of Jemaah Islamiah illustrates. Thirdly, security threats are increasingly using
violent means to spread their cause. Security challenges in 2020 can be put into context in Figure 2.
11.Decline of inter-state armed conflicts. The possibility of inter-state armed conflict within
Southeast Asia would decline.20 This is because the ASEAN forum is still seen as a viable conflict
resolution platform. Furthermore, nations will not jeopardise their economic recovery unless the issue
infringes on the sovereignty of a particular country. Hence, armed conflict carries a heavy economic
cost. Influences from global and regional powers would also contain the outbreak of armed conflicts
as these would have major global implications. However, this equilibrium may be interrupted should
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