Towards a New Balance of Power in Asia

A great deal of attention has been paid to the rise of East Asia as an economic powerhouse, but far too little attention has been paid to the way the balance of power in the region is changing. Ensuring regional security is like ensuring a clean oxygen supply - without it all else is a risk. Paul Dibb, formerly a senior official in the Australian government, and now head of the major Australian security policy think tank, provides a provocative analysis of how the Asian balance of of power is changing. His tough, realist analysis warns about the risks to regional stability. He offers sharp insights into the potentials of the great powers, and in particular he worries about how the region and the wider world will manage the rise of China. Paul Dibb's policy paper is an antidote to the 'econophoric' analysis of Asia and a clear warning of the need to think strategically about the balance of power in Asia. His advice to 'middle powers' begins to offer a strategy for adjusting to what will be the major changes in the global balance of power in the next century.