No. 179/2011 dated 5 December 2011 FPDA at 40: Still Effective and Relevant Peter Ho The FPDA, conceived as a consultative framework for the joint defence of Malaysia and Singapore, has proved to be an effective psychological deterrent. It has evolved into an area defence system that continues to be relevant and beneficial to the region. http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/Perspective/RSIS1792011.pdf
No. 180/2011 dated 7 December 2011 Singapore’s Security in the 21st Century: Charting the Unknown S R Nathan The world is faced with unpredictable threats, in traditional and non-traditional security, economic and social maladies and climate change. Singapore has to look beyond the present to find ways to meet the challenges of the future. http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/Perspective/RSIS1802011.pdf
No. 181/2011 dated 9 December 2011 Raising the stakes: Russian military support for Syria James M. Dorsey Russia is stepping up military support for Syria; reinforcing its opposition to international efforts to force President Bashar al-Assad to halt his eight-month-old crackdown on anti-government protesters. In so doing, Russia is turning the Syrian crisis into an international test of wills. http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/Perspective/RSIS1812011.pdf
No. 182/2011 dated 12 December 2011 China’s Food Conundrum: Insecurity of the Rural Abandoned Zhang Hongzhou The 130 million people who are left behind in China’s rural areas are posing a severe challenge to the country’s food security -- for the food producers as much as consumers. The conundrum of the abandoned farmers and farmland may have global implications. http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/Perspective/RSIS1822011.pdf
No. 183/2011 dated 12 December 2011 South Korea’s Defence Reforms: Impact on the Navy Han Nack Hoon Since the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong incidents in 2010, the South Korean armed forces have embarked on defence reforms to strengthen their capabilities. The reforms, however, have placed the Navy in a strategic dilemma. http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/Perspective/RSIS1832011.pdf
Forthcoming Events
Date
Time
Event
Venue
Remarks
6 January 2011
1530 - 1700
S. T. Lee Distinguished Annual Lecture by Professor Aaron Friedberg, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and Co-director of the Woodrow Wilson School’s Center for International Studies, on “A Contest for Supremacy: China, America, and the Struggle for Mastery in Asia”
RSIS Fortnightly Summary