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89 — DP Vol. 05

Regional Security Dilemma: Trends, Directions, and Illusion

Humanity in the 21 st century has witnessed many unprecedented challenges which pose potential threats not only to international security at large but also to states and individuals. They range from the Covid-19 global pandemic and recovery effort, the increasingly intense great power rivalry that also encompasses the strategic and economic role of middle powers, the Russia-Ukraine War, the Myanmar political crisis, and the issue of the Korean Peninsula, and so forth.

Diplomatic Briefing's fifth volume sheds some useful light on these issues, as it brings fresh perspectives on such timely security challenges. The situation in Ukraine seems to be the most intense conflict in the 21 st century, overshadowing the wider international security debate. As Nataliya points out in the Cover Story, this is no longer a purely European security issue, as the wider spill-over effects are clear, including that of a food and energy crisis in ASEAN and in various other regions. US-China strategic competition also remains a relevant topic, with such contestation growing even more intense in recent times. We are now witnessing the increasing assertiveness of China and its soft-power projects, such as the BRI, coupled with a stronger US-led alliance system and minilateral mechanisms. Moving on from this major concern, this volume also discusses the role of the middle powers and small states in international affairs, including India’s economic influence in the Indo-Pacific, Cambodia’s current ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022, and Indonesia’s incoming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023.

In Southeast Asia, external threats have pushed ASEAN to a crossroads in which its member states must do more to ensure ASEAN's relevance and centrality in the future. This is not to mention the significant internal threats faced by the bloc, such as the Myanmar crisis, the post-pandemic economic recovery, the change of political leadership among ASEAN member states, and so on. From Europe to Asia, from diplomats, policy-makers, and academic researchers to young IR scholars, the divergence of perspectives is highlighted in this platform. In doing so, we have noted that complex security issues always require a degree of common ground to work towards a peaceful resolution, as well as to maintain the rules-based international order. Hence, this volume highlights the need for closer cooperation among major, middle, and small states.

We hereby express our sincerest appreciation for all the efforts put in by our esteemed authors, as well as the supporting works of our production team at KAS and CICP.

To our dear readers of the Diplomatic Briefing series, we thank you very much for your kind support along the way. This support is very meaningful to our work and motivates us to produce more quality content in the future. We will continue to bring you more fascinating analyses on international relations topics, key regional trends, and other issues concerning Cambodia’s development and attempts to foster regional peace and stability at large.

We hope you find this volume helpful. We wish you all the best and a thought-provoking read!

LIM Chhay

The Editorial Team

Program Manager for Foreign Affairs

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Cambodia