Since 2002, the International Institute for Strategic Studies has organised the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore as a venue at which defence ministers, military and top-ranking defence officials from Asia-Pacific states, and other powers heavily involved in the region, are able to discuss the most important regional security matters of the day. The Dialogue has become a fixture in the calendars of key Asia-Pacific defence decision-makers from 27 countries, and in mid-2014 it convenes for the thirteenth time.

This Regional Security Assessment 2014 is the first IISS Strategic Dossier to be issued in association with the Shangri-La Dialogue. It focuses on issues reflecting the most important themes to emerge from successive Dialogues:

The evolving regional roles of the major powers, particularly the United States and China, but also Japan and India, among others.
The dangers posed by potential flashpoints, notably the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan and territorial disputes in the East and South China seas.
Pervasive low-intensity security concerns, from insurgencies in Southeast Asia to transnational threats relating to maritime, resource and cyber security.
The crucial overarching questions of military competition in the region and how best to construct a more secure and stable regional order.
This Strategic Dossier focuses on the evolving regional roles of the major powers in the Asia-Pacific, particularly the United States and China. It examines the dangers posed by potential flashpoints, as well as pervasive low-intensity security concerns. It also reflects on questions of military competition in the region and how best to construct a more secure and stable regional order.