The Knowledge Center Cooperates With Non-traditional Security

Since the end of the cold war,essential changes of the nature of security threats have taken place in the international community,the urgency of traditional security threats has relatively decreased,and the importance of addressing non-traditional security issues has become more prominent.In non-traditional security cooperation,small countries are caught in a dilemma: on the one hand,they are inadequate in their own capacity.In order to better protect Human Security and the well-being of the people,they objectively need external assistance and international cooperation.But on the other hand,small countries worry that humanitarian intervention will erode their sovereignty and threaten internal security.In the post-cold war era,in order to achieve comprehensive security,small countries need to take more initiative in non-traditional security cooperation,and even actively shape and guide the cooperation process.Is it possible for small countries to shape and dominate non-traditional security cooperation? This is the research question of this essay.Existing studies on non-traditional security cooperation pay little attention to small countries.Non-traditional security threats are transnational and trans-regional,so the international community needs to cooperation to address such challenges.However,scholars mainly focused on the responsibilities and strategies of major powers,while the behavior and impact of small and medium-sized countries rarely entered the research agenda.On the normative issues related to security cooperation,existing studies are mainly based on western concepts and experience.Small and medium-sized non-western countries are regarded as the objects to influence and construct.They are in a state of "aphasia" in the western-dominated normative system.Generally speaking,the studies of non-traditional security cooperation is dominated by the research preference of big powers and western-centrism,with little attention paid to small countries,and little discussion on the possibility of small countries shaping and dominating non-traditional security cooperation.With the deepening and expansion of the globalization,more and more small countries have the opportunity to participate in the governance of global affairs.Diverse actors engage diverse practices,and different practices produce different knowledge.This will pose a challenge to the knowledge system dominated by western powers.Previously marginalized non-western small and medium-sized countries will have more opportunities to express their demands or assert their status,and the global knowledge system will become more abundant and diverse.On this basis,this paper assumes that small countries can form a practice community on the basis of common background knowledge and practice,and construct knowledge center to dominate regional non-traditional security cooperation.Knowledge center is built on the basis of local knowledge,information network and interactive relationship,rather than the substantive power center based on material resources.The leading role of the knowledge center is mainly reflected in the management of knowledge and information,as well as the coordination of internal and external security relations.There are three ways for the practice community of small countries to construct the regional knowledge center,which are respectively identity setting,institution innovation and capacity building.Identity setting refers to the process of exploring and clarifying the role of knowledge center based on their background knowledge and specific practice situation.The identity determines the goal and behavior of the knowledge center.In order to put the objective into practice,the practice community of small countries needs to carry out institution innovation in coordination with the identity of knowledge center,which in turn will consolidate the identity.The nascent institutional framework will be tested during cooperation practice,and the deficiencies in institution and capacity building will also be exposed.Therefore,it is necessary to comprehensively improve and shape the capacity of knowledge center on the basis of reflection,so as to strengthen the identity and institutional effectiveness of knowledge center.This paper intends to test the above hypothesis with the case of ASEAN participating in regional disaster management cooperation.After two major natural disasters,the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Myanmar cyclone,Southeast Asian countries recognized the imperative of disaster risk management through regional cooperation,and sought to build ASEAN as a regional knowledge center with a coordinating and leading role to manage disaster reduction and relief cooperation.After defining the identity of the knowledge center,ASEAN put the coordination leading role into practice through institutional innovation,setting up the ASEAN Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance,establishing the operational procedures and specific mechanisms of disaster management cooperation,and initially constructing a comprehensive regional disaster management cooperation system.In response to typhoon Haiyan,this system experienced a major test.After reflection,ASEAN further recognized the new changes,challenges and tasks in disaster reduction,and inspired the concept of "One ASEAN,One Response".After typhoon Haiyan,ASEAN is committed to comprehensively shaping and upgrading the capacity of knowledge center,strengthening regional solidarity and cohesion,further consolidating its role as a coordinating leader,improving the regional cooperation institutional framework,and striving to become a future global disaster management leader.As a regional knowledge center,ASEAN has played a leading role in regional disaster management cooperation through the management of knowledge and information and the coordination of internal and external cooperation,and promoting the continuous deepening and expansion of regional non-traditional security cooperation.