Shifting Strategic Balance and Asian Security

“The concept of strategic stability has become increasingly obscure since the end of the Cold War. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of China have changed the structure of strategic balance, which would have defining impacts on world security.”

The concept of strategic stability has become increasingly obscure since the end of the Cold War. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of China have changed the structure of strategic balance, which would have defining impacts on world security. Requirements for strategic stability varies widely among the three bilateral relations, and alliance relations add to the complexity of strategic stability. Unlike Russia and China, the United States has the allies, but unlike the Cold War-time Western solidarity, the security interests of US allies in Europe and Asia today widely diverge in focus. Furthermore, non-strategic problems have come to affect strategic balance among major powers. Terrorism by radical Islamists and spreading sectarian conflicts in the Middle East and a broader Islamic world have distracting and debilitating impacts particularly on the US strategy and profile. These developments have made it difficult to define the concept of strategic stability in a global context.


Ambassador Yukio Satoh

Yukio Satoh is a member of the Global Zero Commission, Washington, USA and the International Advisory Board of RUSI International, London, UK. Previously, he was a member of the National Commission on Public Safety, Japan, the President of JIIA (2003-2009) and a member of the Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

He retired from the Japanese Foreign Service in 2002 as the Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations (1998-2002). Among other posts, he also served as Ambassador of Japan to Australia (1996-1998) and the Netherlands (1994-96).

Ambassador Satoh gave this Keynote Presentation at The Asia-Pacific Conference on Security & International Relations (APSec2016) in Osaka, Japan – an event organised by IAFOR in association with the University of Osaka, Japan, through the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), and the Asia Political and International Studies Association (APISA).

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