June 2nd 2003
YOU may call it a talkfest. Or a wordfest.
But after three days of verbal exchanges, speeches and presentations of papers, the second Asia Security Conference was actually more substantial than that.
Some significant trends on security in the region and the world emerged from the event.
Here are some trends culled from the conference proceedings.
STUMPED BY PYONGYANG
EVERYONE agreed that North Korea's nuclear proliferation must be stopped. But they don't know exactly how.
War or blackmail? That is, a military solution or economic sweeteners? The United States hinted at 'robust, coercive measures' if Pyongyang escalated the crisis but its position was that all options remained on the table.
A conference participant said that the only way that North Korea would negotiate seriously was if it was convinced that its security was threatened rather than enhanced by having nuclear weapons.
SEAMLESS WORLD
SPEAKER after speaker stressed the 21st century reality of a borderless, interconnected world. One of them, Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill, said: 'In this increasingly borderless world, security issues are global. It is increasingly difficult to isolate or quarantine security issues.'
The bottom line: Security challenges, whether they be terrorism or nuclear proliferation, cannot be ignored by any country because the consequences of inaction would boomerang on that country.
U.S. GOES MULTILATERAL
IN TIMES like these when the US is facing criticism all over the world for its unilateralist bent, it was immediately noticed when American officials began talking about multilateral approaches.
US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said that the North Korean nuclear proliferation problem required a multilateral effort, although a conference participant alluded to an ulterior US motive to this - that is, a way of making China accountable.
Commented a European participant: 'We are not used indeed to hearing our American friends emphasise multilateralism in such a systematic manner elsewhere.'
WHERE'S CHINA?
DELEGATES were mad about North Korea, so to speak. It overshadowed the debate on terrorism. But the Asian giant that mattered most in the North-east Asian crisis did not make any impact at the conference.
China, which holds considerable influence over Pyongyang, was not represented by any ranking government minister. Its miniscule three-man delegation was headed by the vice-chairman of the China Institute for International Strategic Studies.
BASES GO PLACES
'REALIGNMENT' became a buzzword that won't go away. It was repeated incessantly at the conference venue. Everyone was talking about the reports of the US redeploying its troops in South Korea and Japan to other parts of the region.
Even when Mr Wolfowitz dismissed the reported details of the 'realignment' as salacious, delegates and journalists were still obsessed by the subject.
He acknowledged that the US was relooking the size and disposition of its forces in Asia but said consultations were still going on.
He said: 'To adapt to a world where potential threats have become more unpredictable, we are placing a greater premium on mobility and the ability to move from existing bases at great speed and using temporary base solutions as needed.'
In a nutshell, the US wants bases but not places, a concept that was the brainchild of former Pacific Command chief Admiral Dennis Blair.
JAPAN STEPS OUT
ONE speech which made delegates sit up was that delivered by Japan's Minister of State for Defence Shigeru Ishiba. It was the most explicit discourse on the enlargement of Japan's military role by a government official.
On the country's 'overseas activities', Mr Ishiba said: 'Although Japan has accumulated good experiences and taken some legal measures to expand the Self-Defence Forces' participation, it is fair to say that we should step up our efforts to further meet the changing security environment.'
