Cambridge University Press, 2003. 570 p.
This book develops the idea that, since decolonisation, regional pattes of security have become more prominent in inteational politics. The authors combine an operational theory of regional security with an empirical application across the whole of the inteational system.
Individual chapters cover Africa, the Balkans, CIS-Europe, East Asia, EU-Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America, and South Asia. The main focus is on the post-Cold War period, but
the history of each regional security complex is traced back to its beginnings. By relating the regional dynamics of security to current debates about the global power structure, the authors unfold a distinctive interpretation of post-ColdWar inteational security, avoiding both the extreme oversimplifications of the unipolar view, and the extreme deterritorialisations of many globalist visions of a new world disorder.
Their framework brings out the radical diversity of security dynamics in different parts of the world.
Barry Buzan is Professor of Inteational Relations at the London School of Economics.
Ole W?ver is Professor of Inteational Relations at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen.
Introduction:developing a regional approach to global security
Theories and histories about the structure of contemporary inteational security
Three theoretical perspectives on the post-Cold War security order
A brief mode history of regional security
History and diversity: the different state legacies of regional security complexes
Levels: distinguishing the regional from the global
The how and why of distinguishing the regional from the global level
The problem of polarity post-ColdWar
Security complexes: a theory of regional security
Security at the regional level
Regional security complex theory: main variables
Descriptive RSCT: a matrix for area studies
Predictive RSCT: scenarios
Revised RSCT: constructivist method and the wider
agenda of securitisation studies
Place in the literature
Asia
South Asia: inching towards inteal and exteal transformation
The South Asian RSC during the Cold War: decolonisation to conflict formation
Post-ColdWar: continuity or transformation?
Northeast and Southeast Asian RSCs during the Cold War
The domestic level
The regional level
The interregional level
The global level and East Asia
The 1990s and beyond: an emergent East Asian complex
The domestic level
The subcomplex level
The regional level
The interregional level: an expanding supercomplex
The global level
Conclusions: scenarios for the Asian supercomplex
Conflict formation
Security regime
The Middle East and Africa
The Middle East: a perennial conflict formation
The Middle Easte RSC: 1948–1990
The post-Cold War peace process and its failure
Sub-Saharan Africa: security dynamics in a setting of weak and failed states
The domestic level
The regional level
The interregional level
The global level
Africa
The Middle East
Interplay between the Middle East and Africa
The Americas
North America: the sole superpower and its surroundings
The formation of an RSC in North America
The structure of the Cold War RSC
Security in North America after the Cold War
South America: an under-conflictual anomaly?
The origins and character of the RSC
The Cold War
Post-Cold War changes
Conclusions: scenario for the RSCs of the Americas
The Europes
Formation of the European RSC
Operation of the RSC until 1989
EU-Europe: the European Union and its ‘near abroad’
European security during the Cold War
Securitisations in post-Wall Europe: the EU core
Securitisation in the easte circles
The outer circles of EU-Europe
Regional institutions and traditional security
EU-Europe’s global standing – self-securing? interregionally active? global power?
The Balkans and Turkey
Emergence of the main Balkan units
Security dynamics in Southeaste Europe after the dissolution of Yugoslavia
Containment, intervention, and integration: the Balkans as Europe
Turkey
The post-Soviet space: a regional security complex around Russia
History before 1991
Evolution of the RSC, 1991–2002
Conclusions: scenarios for the European supercomplex
Conclusions
Regions and powers: summing up and looking ahead
Introduction: the structure of inteational security
Regions and powers: the outlook for RSCs
Global level dynamics
Reflections on conceptualising inteational security
Starting assumptions: territoriality and the regional level of security analysis
Comparing regions
The advantages of the regionalist approach to security
Problems in applying regional security complex theory
This book develops the idea that, since decolonisation, regional pattes of security have become more prominent in inteational politics. The authors combine an operational theory of regional security with an empirical application across the whole of the inteational system.
Individual chapters cover Africa, the Balkans, CIS-Europe, East Asia, EU-Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America, and South Asia. The main focus is on the post-Cold War period, but
the history of each regional security complex is traced back to its beginnings. By relating the regional dynamics of security to current debates about the global power structure, the authors unfold a distinctive interpretation of post-ColdWar inteational security, avoiding both the extreme oversimplifications of the unipolar view, and the extreme deterritorialisations of many globalist visions of a new world disorder.
Their framework brings out the radical diversity of security dynamics in different parts of the world.
Barry Buzan is Professor of Inteational Relations at the London School of Economics.
Ole W?ver is Professor of Inteational Relations at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen.
Introduction:developing a regional approach to global security
Theories and histories about the structure of contemporary inteational security
Three theoretical perspectives on the post-Cold War security order
A brief mode history of regional security
History and diversity: the different state legacies of regional security complexes
Levels: distinguishing the regional from the global
The how and why of distinguishing the regional from the global level
The problem of polarity post-ColdWar
Security complexes: a theory of regional security
Security at the regional level
Regional security complex theory: main variables
Descriptive RSCT: a matrix for area studies
Predictive RSCT: scenarios
Revised RSCT: constructivist method and the wider
agenda of securitisation studies
Place in the literature
Asia
South Asia: inching towards inteal and exteal transformation
The South Asian RSC during the Cold War: decolonisation to conflict formation
Post-ColdWar: continuity or transformation?
Northeast and Southeast Asian RSCs during the Cold War
The domestic level
The regional level
The interregional level
The global level and East Asia
The 1990s and beyond: an emergent East Asian complex
The domestic level
The subcomplex level
The regional level
The interregional level: an expanding supercomplex
The global level
Conclusions: scenarios for the Asian supercomplex
Conflict formation
Security regime
The Middle East and Africa
The Middle East: a perennial conflict formation
The Middle Easte RSC: 1948–1990
The post-Cold War peace process and its failure
Sub-Saharan Africa: security dynamics in a setting of weak and failed states
The domestic level
The regional level
The interregional level
The global level
Africa
The Middle East
Interplay between the Middle East and Africa
The Americas
North America: the sole superpower and its surroundings
The formation of an RSC in North America
The structure of the Cold War RSC
Security in North America after the Cold War
South America: an under-conflictual anomaly?
The origins and character of the RSC
The Cold War
Post-Cold War changes
Conclusions: scenario for the RSCs of the Americas
The Europes
Formation of the European RSC
Operation of the RSC until 1989
EU-Europe: the European Union and its ‘near abroad’
European security during the Cold War
Securitisations in post-Wall Europe: the EU core
Securitisation in the easte circles
The outer circles of EU-Europe
Regional institutions and traditional security
EU-Europe’s global standing – self-securing? interregionally active? global power?
The Balkans and Turkey
Emergence of the main Balkan units
Security dynamics in Southeaste Europe after the dissolution of Yugoslavia
Containment, intervention, and integration: the Balkans as Europe
Turkey
The post-Soviet space: a regional security complex around Russia
History before 1991
Evolution of the RSC, 1991–2002
Conclusions: scenarios for the European supercomplex
Conclusions
Regions and powers: summing up and looking ahead
Introduction: the structure of inteational security
Regions and powers: the outlook for RSCs
Global level dynamics
Reflections on conceptualising inteational security
Starting assumptions: territoriality and the regional level of security analysis
Comparing regions
The advantages of the regionalist approach to security
Problems in applying regional security complex theory