EDITORIAL
Security Summit can be opportunity model

You have to admit: At first blush, it does create a double-take effect: "The Inaugural Asia-Pacific Homeland Security Summit & Exposition."

And exposition? What is that about?

But look a bit deeper and the Nov. 17-19 summit, sponsored by the state of Hawai'i and various local and international organizations, makes a great deal of sense.

If it is successful, it could put Hawai'i more firmly on the map as a place where Asia and the Pacific can do more and better quality business across a Hawai'i table.

Common concerns

The fundamental concept of the summit is that nations and entities across Asia and the Pacific have common security concerns with the United States in this post-9/11 world. To one degree or another, every jurisdiction has its own version of a Department of Homeland Security with its own headaches and challenges.

Why go it alone?

A meeting such as this allows top-level officials from throughout the region to get together to share best practices, information and approaches to the anti-terrorism effort.

Impressive gathering

The idea obviously appealed, because the list of individuals scheduled to attend is impressive.

It includes Tom Ridge, secretary of Homeland Security for the United States, and his counterparts from more than a dozen Asia-Pacific countries as well as leaders from the business, academic and think-tank worlds.

In addition to the roundtables, speeches and workshops one might expect, there will also be an exposition where vendors (both local and national) can show or describe their wares. This could be anything from major airplane manufacturers to producers of imaging and scanning devices.

Hawai'i ideal place

Ted Liu, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, says Hawai'i is an ideal place for such a gathering not only because of its location and multi-cultural background, but because there is a rich vein of resources already in place in the Islands.

This ranges from the various military commands and the many retired admirals and officers who have remained in Hawai'i through institutions such as the East-West Center and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.

Broader concept

And the concept is much broader than security by itself. The same format, the same approach, could be used to bring together officials on a host of issues ranging from environmental protection to urban management.

To some degree, this is an effort to offer opportunities for Hawai'i vendors, specialists and experts.

But it is also an effort to demonstrate to Asia that when it wants to conduct business with the United States, Hawai'i offers an amenable and logical place to do so.

We wish the summit the best of success.