More than a decade has passed since the end of the Cold War, but Asia still faces serious security challenges. These include the current security environment in the Korean Peninsula, across the Taiwan Strait and over Kashmir, the danger of nuclear missile proliferation and the concern with the rising power of China and with American dominance. Indeed, some experts see Asia as a dangerous and unstable place. Alagappa disagrees, maintaining that Asia is a far more stable, predictable and prosperous region than it was in the post-independence period. This volume also takes account of the changed security environment in Asia since September 11th, 2001. Unlike many areas-studies approaches, this work makes a strong case for taking regional politics and security dynamics seriously from both theoretical and empirical approaches. The first part of the book develops an analytical framework for the study of order; the second part examines the salience of the different pathways; the third part investigates the management of specific security issues; and the final part discusses the nature of security order in Asia.