MacArthur Foundation Asia Security Initiative

The growing economic and political power of Asian nations is transforming the world. Yet as the region changes, Asia-Pacific societies will need to find new ways to work together in the interests of peace and prosperity. Although economic cooperation and trade ties are deep, long-standing disputes between states are creating complex security challenges that threaten the region’s continued prosperity. At the same time that Asian countries navigate shifting state-to-state relationships, transnational issues further challenge their ability to provide security for their own populations.

Recognizing that peace and security in Asia can best be achieved through regional cooperation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Asia Security Initiative (ASI) aimed to increase the effectiveness of international cooperation in fostering peace and security in Asia, and help Asian policy research institutions strengthen their capacity to work with counterparts across the globe to develop new ideas for fostering peace and security. The MacArthur Foundation chose NBR to lead two research projects over a three-year period as part of the ASI. NBR joined more than twenty regional institutions to carry out MacArthur’s vision of peace and security in Asia.