Rethinking Non-Traditional Security in the Indo-Pacific: Governance, Resilience, and Regional Cooperation

Abstract

The Indo-Pacific is increasingly defined by the convergence of traditional geopolitical competition and non-traditional security (NTS) challenges that transcend territorial and conventional defence frameworks. Climate change, energy insecurity, cyber threats, democratic erosion, pandemics, environmental degradation, transnational crime, disinformation, and disaster vulnerability generate interconnected risks that challenge state capacity, regional governance, and strategic stability. This introduction considers how these developments require a broader conception of security in the Indo-Pacific, one that extends beyond military capabilities and territorial defence to consider the resilience of institutions, communities, ecosystems, and governance systems. It situates the contributions to this special issue within this evolving security landscape and examines what the growing prominence of NTS challenges means for Canada’s engagement with the Indo-Pacific. Originating from the 2025 Thompson Rivers University conference, “Building Resilience: Canada’s Engagement with the Indo-Pacific on Non-Traditional Security Threats,” the collection brings together interdisciplinary perspectives that collectively rethink the relationship between governance, resilience, and security in an increasingly uncertain global order.

Key Words: Indo-Pacific, Non-Traditional Security, Strategic Studies, Geo-political Competition, Regional Security, Resilience