It looks at security of a particular geographical area and is state-centric a la
the realist approach unlike non-traditional security dealing with “soft”
(non-military) issues which are transnational in nature affecting the whole
region or a wide range of areas, e.g. SARS, piracy, human trafficking, etc.
Asia-Pacific highlights the Asian dimension in a way that
the term “Pacific region” does not. “Asia” or “East Asia”
would exclude powers like the US and Australia.
“Far East” is Eurocentric, dated and even colonial in
outlook.
The most important reason in using the term “Asia-Pacific” is to justify the involvement of the US in Asian
affairs