124 The Polish Quarterly of International Affairs, 2016, no. 1 MICHITO TSURUOKA NATO’s Challenges as Seen from Asia: Is the European Security Landscape Becoming Like Asia? It was not so long ago when people believed that Europe was at peace, while Asia was not. The age of state to state wars seemed to have passed in Europe, while the danger of such conlicts continue in Asia. NATO’s 2010 Strategic Concept claimed that “Today, the Euro-Atlantic area is at peace and the threat of a conventional attack against NATO territory is low.” 1 When the Obama administration in the United States announced a “pivot to Asia,” some Europeans became nervous as it was seen as a sign of loosening U.S. commitment to the Old Continent. Yet the decision was based on the simple fact that European security was regarded as more or less inished business, while there were increasing security challenges to be addressed in Asia. Many Asians welcomed the U.S. move, but they were in an unenviable position, recognising the increasingly tense regional security environment. However, since the start of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, and amid challenges arising from the Islamic State (IS) including the refugee crisis that erupted in 2015, many Europeans have been wondering whether it is their region that is in turmoil compared to a seemingly quiet Asia. As a result of this sudden deterioration of the security situation, Europeans appear too busy dealing with the problems in their own neighbourhoods, both in the east and the south. Seen from the ground, Asia remains far from quiet when it comes to regional security: the situation in the South China Sea keeps worsening; China challenges Japan’s control of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea more forcefully; and North Korea conducted nuclear and ballistic missile 1 “‘Active Engagement, Modern Defence’, Strategic Concept for the Defence and Security of the Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation,” adopted by heads of state and government at the NATO Summit in Lisbon, 19–20 November 2010, para. 7.