Conflict Trends in Asia, 1989–2019

During the pre–Cold War period, Asia witnessed some of the bloodiest conflicts since the Second World War. As of 2019, Asia is host to the most violent conflict scene in the world today: Afghanistan. However, the rest of the region is surprisingly peaceful. This relative peacefulness in Asia has often been referred to as the ‘East Asian Peace’. In this policy brief, we examine the conflict trends in Asia over the past 30 years and highlight their implications for policy.