Initiatives such as the Code of Conduct, being pursued by those who dispute territory in the South China Sea, are very helpful. For a peaceful future in Asia, the nations of the region must redefine or expand their power in predictable, restrained, and constructive ways. Military plans and actions must be designed to reassure and involve neighbors, not to threaten them with arms races. Communal violence in places such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands threatens those caught in its path, fosters terrorism, causes the migration of refugees, and creates humanitarian disasters that can lead to international responses, such as in East Timor. The Asia-Pacific region needs better capabilities to respond collectively, when the UN or the nations of the region determine that an international response is required.
Transnational concerns represent problems that require regional cooperation to address effectively.
All nations in the region have some degree of common interest in working together to address these issues. Some of this is police work, and some of it is military work. Different countries organize differently. But all of the work involves greater international cooperation, since the adversary operates freely around the region and the world, seeking support, bases of operation, and weak points to attack throughout our region. We also should have the capability to help each other when disasters strike.