Rethinking APEC's Security Agenda: The Challenges of Functional Expansion

Abstract

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APE C) organization expanded its agenda to incorporate counter-terrorism and human security concerns. While the inclusion of security issues has broadened APEC's policy agenda and successfully maintained the visibility of the organization, it has also resulted in functional overlap with other Asia-Pacific regional institutions. As the functional expansion of APEC changed its nature from an economic centered institution to a broader-focused one, APEC's agenda has been losing its distinctiveness vis-a-vis ASEAN+3 and various other regional institutions. Furthermore, the expansion of the APEC agenda has not been accompanied by a sufficient enhancement of its institutional structure. To cope with these challenges. APEC needs to clarify the scope and value of its security agenda and engage in inter-institutional coordination with other regional institutions to maintain its utility and salience in the Asia-Pacific region.