3rd Asia Pacific Regional Security Dialogue, Beijing, 3 - 5 March 2004
- Beijing 2004
- Programme
- Participants
- Resumés
- Prato and London Seminars (2004)
- Dialogue and Communique (1998)
Jointly held by the Monash Asia Institute (MAI ), Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
The Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Beijing, People's Republic of China
Background to the Project
The key theme of the 2.5 day-long dialogue is to look at the interconnections between:
- non-state actors and their activities on the ground which threaten regional security via domestic and cross-border terrorism and
- state actors and the over-arching security scenario created by international border disputes, weapons of mass destruction and the regional arms race. A key focus in this section will be on India-China relations.
The project is unusual in its determination to bring these two themes together and understand how these different dimensions intersect. Typically the 'Global War against Terror' to take one example, is discussed separately from the general security architecture of the world which is still determined by nation states and their defence and foreign policies. Our objective in bringing them together is to assess the relative contribution that each makes to regional security.
For example: the Bali bombings have thrown up a number of critical questions. What relationship do the Bali bombings have to local grievances of a religious, ethnic, economic or political kind or are they part of a regional network of non-state actors? What exactly are the cross border connections within southeast Asia and beyond? To what degree do the Bali bombings reflect on poor governance and might better governance make a difference? And how are the Bali bombings related to state policy in Indonesia and the military and the state policies of other state actors in the region and adjacent areas? The Beijing dialogue seeks to put the evidence for growing violence and regional insecurity into a broad, multidisciplinary and policy framework that spans southeast Asia, south Asia and northeast Asia.
Dialogue Procedures
The dialogue will consist of a series of open discussions or conversations between specialists on what determines regional security. The following basic procedures, it is proposed, should be observed:
- Chatham House rules
- Individuals can discuss their own research and conclusions outside the forum with the press etc but should not discuss the details of who said what at the meetings
- No long speeches or papers
- There will be no microphones
- Participants will be encouraged to sit in different seats after each session
- Participants will be encouraged to mix with guests from different countries rather than sit together with fellow nationals
- The Chairpersons of the sessions will provide guidance to ensure that the available time is divided up fairly between different participants in order to facilitate the flow of conversation.
The Chairperson has the discretion to invite particular participants to make opening statements or statements at any other time in our conversations in order to clarify what is being said, provide essential background information or provide an opportunity to expand on important points.
Definition
Asia-Pacific = the region from Afghanistan to the US (horizontal axis) and Russia/Korea to New Zealand (vertical axis).
Sponsorship
The convenors of the 3rd Security Dialogue gratefully acknowledge the support of The Japan Foundation and the Ford Foundation.