Luis Enrique Ascui Jose Almonte, former national security adviser to the Philippines.

Economic, social and even moral dimensions all play a role in the global war on terrorism, said Jose Almonte, former national security adviser to the Philippines.

Almonte warned delegates here Feb. 23 at the Asia Pacific Security Conference 2004 not to take too narrow a view of the security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region. “We cannot erase terrorism, we can only make it irrelevant,” he said during the conference’s first panel discussion, “Security Challenges in the Asia Pacific.”

Longer-term issues underlie terrorism, in particular religious fundamentalist resistance to Westernized secularization and liberal democracy. Extreme religious sects, Almonte explained, are “against modernization itself” and the religious rebellion that has surfaced requires nations to “think about the moral dimension” as they tackle security issues.

Another area to watch is China, said Almonte. Picking up on a theme many conference speakers here expressed on the uncertainty of China’s ultimate intentions, Almonte posed the question: “What will China’s mellow spirit look like in 15 or 20 years? Will it become more interventionist? Will it pursue a policy of primacy?

“For the moment, continued rapid growth seems to be Beijing’s highest priority,” he said, adding that China’s leadership might do anything to preserve its own stability, including recognizing Taiwan’s independence.

But Almonte tempered this optimistic view with a cautionary note: “China will cooperate today and compete tomorrow. China’s presence will become more constant and pervasive.”

The Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, a think-tank affiliated with Singapore’s Nayang Technological University, and Asian Aerospace Pte. Ltd. jointly produced the conference. Defense News is the official media partner for the event.

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