By mid-2012, security thinking in Asia-Pacific had to cover two kinds of risk at once. Long-standing concerns remained, and cyber threats were being added to the list.
Older risks that persisted
The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative describes Southeast Asia’s maritime domain as a complex risk environment. Piracy and armed robbery became more common and more violent, centred on the Malacca Straits and the Sulu and Celebes Seas. Old concerns kept returning with new traits, which made them hard to tackle.
Cyber risk as the newer layer
A security outlook from Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies described Asia Pacific as a new front line of cyber warfare. The same CSIS analysis names cyber-insecurity, alongside climate change, as a newer focus. It argues that as some threats are addressed, others emerge.
Why cooperation mattered
Because these threats cross borders, regional bodies such as ASEAN were being asked to find common approaches. Academic work on ASEAN cyber security cooperation, which cited this subject in 2013, examined what form that cooperation should take.