Why Asia Urgently Needs A New Security Concept and System

By Luxman Siriwardena

Sri Lanka Pathfinder Foundation

It is a great pleasure to be here,with so many NGO leaders from China and other parts of the world.

Era of Elevated Geo-political Risk

The theme of this sub-forum is very topical.We are living at a time of elevated geopolitical risks,most notably in the Middle-East and Ukraine,with a number of potential flashpoints in other parts of the world.

In my remarks,I propose to:comment on different types of threats;address the different dimensions of the concept of security;and finally offer a few remarks on Sino-Lanka relations.

Differentiation of Threats

First,the typology of different types of threat.It is important to understand the nature of different threats before one can address a new concept on security.

Geo-political Threats–stemming from major power rivalry and tensions.The last phase of globalization during the second half of the 19thand early 20thcenturies ended because the rise of Germany and Japan in the global economy could not be accommodated in an orderly fashion.Today,we are moving from a hegemonic world dominated by the United States to a multipolar world,with China as the major rising power.While multilateral institutional frameworks are stronger today than they were in the early 20thcentury,it is still important to ensure that this transition is handled in an orderly fashion–as much as possible within a win-win positive framework.

Regional Threats–involving a number of countries.For instance,the Palestinian/Israeli conflict which has the potential to lead to a regional conflagration which draws in Iran and other Arab states.The instability and extreme violence associated with the Islamic State also has various layers,including the Sunni–Shiites conflict which has regional dimensions.

Bilateral Threats–these can have a historical basis,such as the India-Pakistan tensions,or involve bilateral land or maritime border issues e.g.India-China,South and East China seas.

Sub-national Threats–these generally entails threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nation states e.g.the Tamil separatist threat in Sri Lanka which ended in 2009.This Tamil subnational threats or terrorism was mainly trained,strengthened and equipped,unfortunately,by our closest neighbor.

External driversto bring regime change-Iraq,Afghanistan and Libya are good example of this.The key lesson to be drawn from these experiences is that those who seek regime change have discovered that they fracture states and are confronted with extreme,if not impossible,nation building challenges.While Iraq and Libya were not democratic states in the Western sense,they were stable and broadly secular.The externally induced destruction of these states has led to chaos and instability which has bread violence that has undermined peace and stability at the national and regional levels while elevating global geopolitical tensions.

My own country Sri Lanka was and,probably is still at the risk of such regime change attempts in the pretext of investigating various violations at the last few days of crushing the LTTE,which has massacred thousands of innocent civilians and political leaders including Rajiv Gandhi.

Henry Kissinger in his very recent book the‘World Order’has said that seeking to implement American Values“by military occupation in a part of the world where they had no historical roots”proved“beyond what the American public would support and what Iraqi society would accommodate”

Threats with transnational dimensions,which require international cooperation include terrorism,drug trafficking,transnational organized crime and piracy on the high seas.Technology based cybercrimes and international espionage activities(WikiLeaks),etc.

No Externally Induced Fixes

Each of these threats have different causalities and manifestations.Hence,there is no simple one-size-fits-all recipe for addressing them.The very simplistic notion that the democracy(i.e.elections)would solve all problems has been proved to be wholly misguided,not least in Egypt.Each situation needs strong and inclusive institutional mechanisms to address the underlining problems on the basis of mutual respect.These can be national,regional or multilateral,depending on the nature of the problem.One clear lesson which has to be learnt is that externally induced quick-fixes do not work.

Up to now,I have focused on various types of threats and the difficult challenges posed by them.Let me now turn to preventive action.What is the new concept on security which we need to bring about a more peaceful and prosperous world?

Failures and Disasters of Hegemonic Interventions

During the Cold War,global security was based on the hegemonic role of the two super powers USA,USSR,underpinned by the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction(MAD).

Since the end of the Cold War,the world has been struggling to develop a new concept of security which could address both the end of the old order and the emergence of a multipolar world led by the rise of China.

The period of the U.S.acting as the sole global hyper power or hegemon has been shortlived.Its record as the‘global policemen’has left much to be desired.The United States,fortunately for us in the Asia,no longer has the fiscal capability or the domestic public support to play such a role.Most of all,there has been no consensus and wide spread resistance to a U.S.-dominated world order.

Why New‘Asian’Security Arrangement?

Historical and cultural legacies,similarity of values,centuries of experience in coexistence,

Asian identity overrides ethnic,religious or language differences.

Different Dimensions of a new Asian Security Concept

What should be the different dimensions of a new concept on Asian Security?Here it is important to draw on some of the lessons from the success of the ancient silk route which linked Asia and Europe.The key lesson was that exchanges on the basis of solidarity,mutual trust,equality,inclusiveness,learning from each other and win-win cooperation can be mutually beneficial.

The experience of the ancient silk route demonstrated that countries with different races and cultural backgrounds are fully capable of sharing peace and development.

In this respect,China’s initiatives to revive the land-based silk route and to create a new Maritime Silk Route based on the principles of the ancient silk route are wholly commendable.They also complement the proactive role the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can play in deepening trust and cooperation.

Stability in Asia can be facilitated by using the good political and social relations,geographical proximity and economic complementarity to construct a community of shared interests and mutual respect.These assets should be translated into drivers of tactical cooperation and sustained growth.

President Xi’s concept:Consultative,inclusive and visionary

President Xi has set out the following conditions to realize these objectives:

Policy communication to build consensus in order to foster regional cooperation.

Promoting unimpeded trade and investment.

Building cooperation to settle cross-border payment in local currencies.

Increasing understanding through expanded people-to-people contact.

Mobilizing young people to be inspired by the vision of the 21stcentury being the Asian Century.

These efforts should be based on the following principles:

Openness and inclusiveness.

Mutual understanding,respect and friendship.

Standing together with each other while casting away the cold war mentality.

Win-win cooperation based on mutual respect.

Build trust and good neighbourliness.

Sri Lanka–China cooperation:A Mutually Beneficial March towards Progress

Finally let me say a few words about Sino-Lanka relations.

Contact between the two countries can be traced back several centuries to the visits of the scholar/monk Fa Hsien and the fleet of Admiral Zheng He.

In modern times,the bilateral relations between China and Sri Lanka have flourished for six decades.

The Rubber-Rice Pack signed in 1952 was a major landmark in bilateral relations and established the principle of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries based on the principle of mutual respect.Sri Lanka defied the U.S.and other Western powers,including the UK from which it had gained independence only four years previously and continued to have extensive economic ties,to sell rubber,a strategic commodity,to China against the backdrop of the Korean War.

Subsequently,there has been strong cooperation across the economic,social,cultural,education and security spheres.

Throughout Sri Lanka’s30 year terror challenge,China remained a steadfast friend.At a time when Sri Lanka had difficulty in obtaining arms and ammunition China’s support was crucial in maintaining the country’s war effort to protect its unity and territorial integrity.

Since the end of the conflict in 2009,China has been Sri Lanka’spre-eminent development partner.It has assisted in an unprecedented development program encompassing the building of roads,ports,airports and power stations.

An FTA with China is to be signed soon.It is expected to lead to significantly expanded trade and investment.Chinese FDI can play a major role in getting the best from the impressive infrastructure bill.

There is also a rapid buildup in Chinese tourists to Sri Lanka.