Security and conflict management in East Asia

It is evident that conflict management differs from nation to nation and region to region, and the fact that this variation creates problems in dealing with economic disputes and political conflicts is even more painfully realized. The way in which national and regional differences affect negotiations and conflict management has intrigued scholars for decades. It is apparent that there are regional differences, as well as national ones in some cases. However, the norm when looking at conflict management and the success thereof has unfortunately been the Western model and standards of interaction; a mode that is not always applicable to all regions. One of the regions that have claimed to be different is East Asia, and in particular Southeast Asia, with its so-called "Asian Way." This article will focus on possible emerging structures in East Asia and its sub-regions for conflict management in the security sector and, if they exist, how they work. It will not deal with the "Asian Way" as a concept, but instead simply analyze whether there are regional structures or characteristics that could form regional conflict management structures. The scope of the article will be limited to the Northeast Asian and Southeast Asian region, here collectively called East Asia.