Asian Security Dynamic: US, Japan and the Rising Powers

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The emerging powers in Asia will have a major influence on international relations in the coming decades, with the rise of China and India playing a significant role. The strategic vision. potential areas of conflicts, and the convergent- divergent needs shared by Japan, the US. China and India will be important factors in the emerging scenario, and the strategic drivers of their relationship will require a new understanding.

This book is a compilation of papers and views presented at an international seminar, 'Asian Security Dynamic', conducted by the Delhi Policy Group (DPG) on November 22-23, 2007 It brings together analysis by some of the bright, young scholars working on the subject. The deliberations at the seminar provide new insights into the evolving security scenario in Asia.

The major themes addressed in the book are:

Security dimensions of power relations in Asia, and the possible shift in power structure

Utilities and limitations of regional security frameworks in Asia

Japan's emerging nationalism and its new Asia policy

China's rising role in Asia and its new approach to Asian security

China, India and Japan: economic and political forces driving a new Asia

An Indian perspective on the strategic dynamic between China and Japan.

General Raghavan has successfully conceptualized and implemented DPG's research projects on comprehensive security and non-traditional security. He is Council Member, International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), London, and was Commissioner of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission chaired by Dr. Hans Blix. He is on the Council of the United Services Institute of India, and was a member of the committee to review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. His well- known writings include, India's Need for Strategic Balance, Infantry in India, and Siachen: Conflict without End.

The international strategic scene is dominated, among other issues, by the emergence of the 'rising powers' in Asia, namely India and China. The response to these rising powers by the existing major powers continues to be closely watched and analysed. The response of the US and Japan to the rising powers is of particular interest to policy planners and scholars. The US, as the superpower with a major Asian presence, is the key determinant of such responses. Its long- standing policy of engaging China is matched by its lasting security relationship with Japan. These two strands of US policy in Asia have been given a new meaning by its emerging strategic relations with India. Japan, as the major economic power in Asia, has had a mixed relationship with China. In recent years, even as trade and investments between China and Japan have improved, historical memories have created tensions between the two. Japan has in recent years also started to build a stronger and deeper relationship with India.

The interplay of evolving relationships between the US, China, Japan and India thus provides an intriguing matrix for analysis. To study these new developments, the Delhi Policy Group started a research project titled 'Asian Security Dynamic' in January 2007. The objective of this project was to examine the strategic dynamics amongst the US and Japan with the 'rising powers', China and India, and the manner in which these relationships would develop.