Through a systematic examination of several cases, this project will seek to develop generalizations on why, how, and under what conditions regional institutions can or cannot play an effective role in the management of international security. Specifically it will examine: 1) When and why regional security institutions are created; 2) Why, how, and under what conditions regional institutions can contribute to conflict management and mitigation of the security dilemma(s); what are their limitations; and 3) What is the relationship between Institutional and Realist routes to security; how does the regional approach relate to national and global approaches. The study employs the method of structured, focused comparison. The case studies will be of the heuristic type. Cases examined are representative of the security problems confronting a large number of countries in the Asia-Pacific and other regions. In addition to contributing to the development of middle range theory, the study is of direct policy relevance to the Asia-Pacific region. The final goal is a policy relevant theoretical book published by a university press.