The Arms Race: A Perspective on Asia *

Abstract

In Asia, the arms race began with the emergence of modern nation-states. Their new ruling elites adopted the concepts of ‘national security’ and ‘national interests’ and proceeded to build up their armed forces to meet mythical permanent threats, to the neglect of real threats to Asian societies such as hunger, natural calamities and cultural decay. With the great powers themselves engaged in a global arms race, taking advantage of the Asian elites' preoccupation with ‘national security’, the race in Asia has become a part of the global arms race with China as the latest - but somewhat restrained - entrant. The paper, however, notes a reverse historical trend under way: the European nation-state model being increasingly found unworkable in Asia (leading to a search for structures suitable to the complex Asian societies) and Asian states trying to opt out of global rivalries. This favourable trend, which promises to wind down the arms race in Asia, must, the paper concludes, be actively pushed forward by concerned citizens of Asian countries who form the Third System in Asia.