Future peacekeeping activities in East Asia

Abstract

1. Since the end of the Cold War, the international community has experienced both integration and dis-integration while heading in the direction of constructing a new order aimed at stability and prosperity. This process is likely to continue throughout this century at a minimum, but during that time, the international community will continue in a world that is less than stable. Within this environment, it will be necessary that each nation make its own independent security effort. After the Vietnam War ended, a relatively stable period of time has continued in Asia. The stability of Asia, it goes without saying, resulted from the US. ability to bring pressure to bear. That functioned satisfactorily and each nation within the region was able to remarkably develop economically under secure political conditions. If Asia continues to sustain its this economic growth into the next century, it will be able to become a region that enjoys the greatest stability and prosperity. Since the end of the Cold War, however, sources of instability and the inherent potential danger and sacrifice are beginning to appear. The cause of this stability is that the balance of power among the principal leading nations is causing a structural change that includes the reinforcement of military expenditure, expansion of weapons proliferation and advantages and disadvantages among the nations of the region, especially, over territorial, nationality and religious issues between nations that share national borders. To the extent that various Asian nations are unable to wisely overcome the causes of instability, continued peace and stability in Asia cannot be expected; therefore, more than any other time, additional efforts are required by each country within the region. Northeast Asia appears to be a region of Asia where the end of the Cold War has had the least impact. Nevertheless, relations among the nations of Northeast Asia have undergone some changes since the end of the Cold War, but it is not clear what the actual trends are regarding the military power of Russia and China. Furthermore, the causes for potential instability on the Korean peninsula remain unchanged. There are actually improvements in relations among the nations in the region, but all of the nations are increasing their potential military power, while at the same time, upgrading their weapons systems and engaging in military cooperation. Under these circumstances, the North Korea nuclear development issue began to surface as a major problem for stability and security in Northeast Asia during the late 1980s. Specifically, the North Korea nuclear development issue started becoming a key concern, not only for Asia, but as a peace and security matter for the international community too, when North Korea announced in March of 1993, its intention to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty(NPT). This is not only a problem that gravely challenges the peace and stability of Northeast Asia, including the Korean peninsula, it also threatens the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and calls for swift action by the nations concerned to formulate policy to resolve the problem. This paper addresses the issues relevant to North Korea’s problem and assesses the significance of the responses made by the concerned nations discussing some of the gaps existing among the various facts. *