Non-Traditional Security Issues in Southeast Asia during COVID-19: Implications and Mitigation Strategies by ASEAN

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, problems of security have become increasingly important. The contemporary notion is that the security of the state is no longer threatened just by conflict, but also by other circumstances and challenges that continue to endanger the well-being of citizens and the state. The objective of this concept paper is to examine ASEAN’s response towards selected non-traditional security issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as infectious disease (COVID-19), regular and irregular migration, food security, cyber security, and the implications faced by ASEAN in such matters. The library research method was used by the author in this article. Several keyword search strings were used, including “nontraditional security issues”, “COVID-19 in Southeast Asia”, and “mitigation measures by ASEAN”. Thus, this study offers new insights and suggestions by focusing on the implications and prospects of ASEAN solutions to NTS concerns caused by COVID-19 as the virus spread throughout Southeast Asia. The findings also indicate that regional cooperation is an integral feature of coordinated efforts by governments and non-state entities, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in combating these security concerns. The blueprint for NTS also can be suggested to help further understand these issues.

Keywords

• ASEAN
• implications
• non-traditional security issues
• policy response