Integration, Vulnerability and Risk : A New Framework for Understanding the Economic-Security Nexus

This thesis reviews and builds on current literature that assesses the impact of economic integration and interdependence on security conditions. Major contributions include:Expanding the traditional debate by bringing together both economic and political science literature to develop a new framework for understanding security risk associated with economic integration; Using the framework to consider the impact of recent economic crises on political and security conditions in Indonesia (1997-1998), and Russia (1998-1999);Outlining the major attributes of the US-China economic relationship in order to determine key areas of strategic risk associated with economic integration; andApplying the framework and the historical record to develop a perspective on the most important features of US-China conomic integration for the bilateral security environment. The paper concludes with observations and recommendations on the benefits of employing a broader and more sophisticated approach to the economic-security nexus in order to minimise security and political risk associated with conomic integration