Conflict Zone Asia-Pacific // Konfliktzone Fernost

The effects of the current global power shift are most visible in the Asia-Pacific region: China’s rise and the unclear future of the U.S. alliance system in the region raise a number of foreign and security policy issues that have both regional and global dimensions. The 19th Foreign Policy Conference of the Heinrich Böll Foundation will focus on these questions and ask:

How resilient are U.S. security guarantees in the Asia-Pacific region? Which new alliances and dependencies could emerge in the Indo-Pacific and East Asia in response to China’s rise and America’s possible retreat? Are there limits to the regional arms race in Asia, or would a nuclear-armed Japan and South Korea be conceivable? Is the Asia-Pacific region heading toward a wider conflict that could involve external powers such as the U.S. and possibly also its European allies? Do Europe and the U.S. have common interests in the region and should Europe play a more active role there?

This reader summarizes the discussion and gives possible answers to the above mentioned questions.