Non-traditional security in Asia: The many faces of securitisation

Since the 1990s, there has been a growing interest in the study of nontraditional security (NTS) in Asia, especially in the light of the emerging challenges brought on by a host of factors, including the effects of globalisation. In East Asia1 more generally, concerns about environmental degradation, outbreaks of infectious diseases, illegal migration, various types of transnational crimes and others have now been regarded as threats that endanger the security of states and society, and the regional and international community at large. Many of these non-military concerns are now categorised in the security studies literature as non-traditional security (NTS) threats/issues. The appropriation of the security label attached to these threats has been a significant development. It is significant in that there is increasingly a tendency by a number of actors – regional organisations, national governments, policy communities and civil society organisations – to designate and treat a growing list of national and transnational issues as security concerns. ‘Security-framing’ appears to be an effective way to bring attention to these threats, convey urgency and command resources at various levels – from the local to the regional and international – to address the complex challenges that arise as one responds to these security challenges.