Ukraine war: Consequences for Asian security

Increased security: A Japanese soldier holds position on the ground while a US Marine Corps aircraft takes off during a joint exercise in Japan on March 15. In view of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a Japanese defence analyst says the Japan-US military alliance must be strengthened. — AFP

ASIAN nations will separately step up their security interests but come together with like-minded countries to strengthen rule-based international pacts to thwart a repeat of the invasion of Ukraine, according to regional security and defence experts.

“This is very much felt by us. It has reminded many small countries of the nightmare of great power rivalries, of small countries being invaded by powerful forces, borders can be shifted and changed in a matters of days, defence expenditure could be increased overnight, doubling in a matter of days – in fact, it’s a nightmare for regional balances that many countries in Asia, Asean included, have been trying to achieve,” said Dr Panitan Wattanayagorn.