Security and Arms Prolif- eration in Asia

Event Details

Bates Gill, a professor who obtained his doctorate from the University of Virginia, gives a lecture on arms proliferation in Asia. Gill points out that there is a great deal of disparity in military spending and power throughout Asia. He argues that there is not a real Asian arms race because the weapons stockpiling is going on in a very small number of countries that do not augment their arms necessarily in response to one another. Furthermore, he argues, most of the military spending is on outdated equipment to protect areas that have long been neglected. He stresses that as conflicts are stimulated by more than arms production and defense spending, we ought to be more optimistic in considering the stability of Asia. During the questioning session he discusses America?s arms sales to Asia, the North Korean threat, Chinese arms sales, American intelligence concerning Asia, Taiwanese arms buildup and the Kurile Islands dispute.