Narratives of Security in Asian Geopolitics

From a global history perspective there is nothing inherently Western in the conceptual basis of Asian security. Despite structural resemblances to the pursuit of security in the contemporary international system, the agents within this order come from a diverse historical and philosophical setting. This paper examines three narratives of security in Asian geopolitics: those of Indic Mandala, Chinese Paradox and Islamic Transition. The first divides into two parts: the Buddhist-Hindu cosmological insights of security that are of ontological and psychological significance; and the more strategically oriented ‘statal circle’ that has reverberated from antiquity to modern times. The Chinese Paradox is discussed through such representative narratives as ‘harmony in difference’ and ‘actionless action’. The Islamic Transition is one in which class, culture, race, and statehood are subsumed in a wider identity of a community of believers. The paper concludes with the West’s global projection of power. This is viewed as only an historical phase, albeit a singularly influential one. In creating the conditions of contemporary globalization the West must contend – and be changed by – the world beyond itself. Narratives of security in Asian geopolitics continue to shape the policies of state and non-state actors in the Asian international context.