1st Edition

Regional Organisations and Security Conceptions and practices

Edited By Stephen Aris, Andreas Wenger Copyright 2014
    296 Pages
    by Routledge

    296 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book aims to examine the conceptions and practices of security adopted by Regional Organisations (ROs) across the globe.

    Since the end of the Cold War, there has been an increased focus on regions as a relevant realm for security, with actors within regional contexts identifying a significant degree of interdependency between one another. As a consequence, international security has taken on a distinct regionally institutionalised character, as seen by the increase in calls for greater utilisation of ‘Chapter VIII: Regional Arrangements’ of the UN, in order to create a devolved UN-led system of global security management. However, the idea of a system of global security management is a remote prospect, because divergence seems to be as important as commonality in terms of regional security.

    In light of the above, Regional Organisations and Security analyses the primary ROs that are active in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, the Middle East and South America. The findings of individual case studies are compiled to highlight disparities and similarities in how security is seen, prioritised, understood, practised, managed and implemented across regions. On this basis, the authors reach conclusions about whether we live in an increasingly globalised or regionally distinct world, and go on to assess the prospects for a globalised system of security management and consider how this might be developed and organised.

    This book will be of interest to students of comparative regionalism, international organisations, international security and IR. 

     

    1. Introduction, Stephen Aris  Part I: Africa  2. The Security Culture of the African Union, Paul Williams  3. Security Regionalism in West Africa: Conceptions and Practices, Helene Gandois  4. How much its own and to what end? SADC and the culture of security and regional organisation in Southern Africa, Paul-Henri Bischoff  Part II: (South) East Asia  5. ASEAN as a Regional Organization: Security Conceptions and Practices, Anja Jetschkev  6. The Evolving New Security Agenda in East Asia’s Regional Affairs, Christopher M. Dent  Part III: Middle East  7. Security Conceptions and Practices in the Middle East: The Case of the Arab League, Raymond Hinnebusch  Part IV: Eurasia  8. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: A Eurasian security actor?, Stephen Aris  9. The Collective Security Treaty Organization: A Multilateral Response to New Security Challenges?, Katharina Hoffmann  Part V: South America  10. UNASUR and Regional Security in South America, Detlef Nolte and Leslie Wehner  11. Articulating Mercosur’s security conceptions and practices, Andrea Oelsner  Part VI: Regional Organisations in Comparison and Global Security Management  12. Regional Organisations in Security and Governance, Emil Kirchner and Roberto Domínguez  13. Conclusion, Stephen Aris and Andreas Wenger

    Biography

    Stephen Aris is Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich. He is author of Eurasian Regionalism: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2011).

    Andreas Wenger is Professor and Director of the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, and author/editor of multiple books, as well as editor of the Routledge CSS Studies in Security and International Relations series.