HUMAN SECURITY IN EAST ASIA

This article represents an attempt to revitalize and sustain the momentum of the debates relevant to nontraditional security issues, with particular reference to the study and practice of human security in East Asia. The objectives of this article are fourfold: ⅰ) to reassess the existing literature and debates on human security; ⅱ) to discuss the progress and setbacks in resolving East Asian human security issues by identifying major problems plaguing the region, as well as the specific threats facing individual countries in the region; ⅲ) to review the efforts of the United Nations to in promoting human rights; and ⅳ) to reflect on the future role of the international community in the field of human security, at both the inter-governmental and international nongovernmental levels.