RSIS Commentaries are published by the
School to provide timely and, where appropriate,
policy relevant background and analysis of
contemporary developments. Listed here are
the commentaries published since the recent
inauguration of the series in October 2001.
U.S. Policy in the Quicksand of the Middle East by Karim Douglas Crow RSIS Commentaries No. 128 Click here to download Commentary
Low-Intensity Conflicts and Sniper Attacks: Lessons from Iraq by Joey Long RSIS Commentaries No. 127 Click here to download Commentary
India and China: Putting Economics First by Rajesh M. Basrur and Tang Shiping RSIS Commentaries No. 126 Click here to download Commentary
Australia’s Pilotage System in the Torres Strait: A threat to Transit Passage? by Robert Beckman RSIS Commentaries No. 125 Click here to download Commentary
What explains the De-escalation of the Spratlys Dispute by Ralf Emmers RSIS Commentaries No. 124 Click here to download Commentary
November
Critical Infrastructure Security: Why Dynamism Matters by Ng Sue Chia and John Harrison RSIS Commentaries No. 123 Click here to download Commentary
Networked Cooperation and Diversity for the Future by Tom Quiggin RSIS Commentaries No. 122 Click here to download Commentary
A Blueprint for Social Resilience: The Next 1,826 Days and Beyond by Yolanda Chin and Norman Vasu RSIS Commentaries No. 121 Click here to download Commentary
Where to Islam Hadhari? by Mohamad Nawab Mohd Osman RSIS Commentaries No. 120 Click here to download Commentary
A New Era in US-ASEAN Relations by Joseph Liow and Tan See Seng RSIS Commentaries No. 119 Click here to download Commentary
Everything Must Go: The Impact of Motivated Sellers on the Asia-Pacific Arms Market by Richard A. Bitzinger RSIS Commentaries No. 118 Click here to download Commentary
October
Living with a Nuclear North Korea by Bernard Loo RSIS Commentaries No. 117 Click here to download Commentary
North Korea and the UN: Resolution 1718 and Its Legal Dimensions by Robert Beckman RSIS Commentaries No. 116 Click here to download Commentary
Clearing up ASEAN’s Hazy Relations by Sofiah Jamil RSIS Commentaries No. 115 Click here to download Commentary
The Future of Strategic Early Warning by Tom Quiggin and Kumar Ramakrishna RSIS Commentaries No. 114 Click here to download Commentary
China ‘s Losing Battle Against Corruption by Friedrich Wu RSIS Commentaries No. 113 Click here to download Commentary
The “Shi’ite-Catholic Project” by Christoph Marcinkowski RSIS Commentaries No. 112 Click here to download Commentary
Muslim States’ Response to Pope’s Controversial Speech by Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman RSIS Commentaries No. 111 Click here to download Commentary
Learning From the Best The Chinese Response to U.S. Defence Transformation by Richard A. Bitzinger RSIS Commentaries No. 110 Click here to download Commentary
The Rise of the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) by Rommel C. Banlaoi RSIS Commentaries No. 109 Click here to download Commentary
Refuting The ides of Jihad as a perpetual war between Muslims and Non-Muslims by Muhammad Haniff Hassan RSIS Commentaries No. 108 Click here to download Commentary
THE IMO – KL MEETING ON THE STRAITS OF MALACCA AND SINGAPORE Major Maritime Nations and Stakeholders Need to Do More by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentaries No. 107 Click here to download Commentary
September
Between Iran and Persia Islam and Nationalism in Iran’s Resurgence as a Regional Power by Christoph Marcinkowski RSIS Commentaries No. 106 Click here to download Commentary
It Sure is Dark in Those Classified Caves Open Source Intelligence for National Security by Tom Quiggin RSIS Commentaries No. 105 Click here to download Commentary
In Defence of the Singapore Story by Yolanda Chin RSIS Commentaries No. 104 Click here to download Commentary
Maritime Strategy and Grand Strategy by Paul Bracken RSIS Commentaries No. 103 Click here to download Commentary
Ignoring Doctors’ Orders:Political Impediments to China’s Financial Liberalization by Richard Carney RSIS Commentaries No. 102 Click here to download Commentary
Ties That Bind? Asian and European Financial Integration Compared? by Richard Carney RSIS Commentaries No. 101 Click here to download Commentary
The 9/11 Anniversary Tape: Old Song With A New Tune? by Elena Pavlova RSIS Commentaries No. 100 Click here to download Commentary
Traditional Islam: Meeting the Challenge of the Radical Islamists by Mohamed Nawab Mohd Osman RSIS Commentaries No. 99 Click here to download Commentary
Indonesian Peacekeepers in Lebanon by Leonard C. Sebastian RSIS Commentaries No. 98 Click here to download Commentary
The IMF/WB Meeting in Singapore: ASIA AND EUROPE’S ROLE IN THE WORLD ECONOMY by Eric Teo RSIS Commentaries No. 97 Click here to download Commentary
The Shenzhen-Hongkong Model: Singapore and the South Johor Economic Region by Yang Razali Kassim RSIS Commentaries No. 96 Click here to download Commentary
Youtube Fiasco and the SAF by Bernard Loo RSIS Commentaries No. 95 Click here to download Commentary
The Mahathir-Abdullah Rift: What’s really at stake? by Joseph C Y Liow RSIS Commentaries No. 94 Click here to download Commentary
Baluchistan: A Miscalculated Killing by Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman RSIS Commentaries No. 93 Click here to download Commentary
Death of a Tribal Leader: Implications of the Baluchistan Riots by Christoph Marcinkowski RSIS Commentaries No. 92 Click here to download Commentary
August
GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY TRENDS: 2020 16 applications that could change the world by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentaries No. 91 Click here to download Commentary
Prospects for Reform in PAS by Joseph C.Y. Liow RSIS Commentaries No. 90 Click here to download Commentary
Breda and Guernica: Two Images of War in South Lebanon by Paul T. Mitchell RSIS Commentaries No. 89 Click here to download Commentary
Israel, Lebanon and the Rise of the Islamists by Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman RSIS Commentaries No. 88 Click here to download Commentary
Koizumi’s Shrine Visit Fulfills Pledge, Complicates East Asian Relations by Li Mingjiang RSIS Commentaries No. 87 Click here to download Commentary
The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the Strengthening of Pakistani Islamists by Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman RSIS Commentaries No. 86 Click here to download Commentary
The ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) & the French Exception by Eric Teo RSIS Commentaries No. 85 Click here to download Commentary
Integration of Financial Investigation into Counter-Terrorism Strategy by Arabinda Acharya and Gunawan Husin RSIS Commentaries No. 84 Click here to download Commentary
Influenza Pandemic: How Operationally Ready Are We? by Beverley Loke RSIS Commentaries No. 83 Click here to download Commentary
Time for a Different Approach in the War on Terrorism? by Tom Quiggin RSIS Commentaries No. 82 Click here to download Commentary
Ending the Lebanese tragedy by Bouchaib Silm RSIS Commentaries No. 81 Click here to download Commentary
How Pyongyang may have over-played its hand A Lesson in Strategic Defiance by Eric Teo RSIS Commentaries No. 80 Click here to download Commentary
NAVIES OF THE WORLD UNITE! WILL THE NEW U.S. MARITIME STRATEGY WORK? by Sam Bateman RSIS Commentaries No. 79 Click here to download Commentary
Contemporary Terrorism and Intelligence by Sir Richard Dearlove and Tom Quiggin RSIS Commentaries No. 78 Click here to download Commentary
A New Age of Violence: The Political Use of Force in the Context of Gaza and Lebanon by Paul T. Mitchell RSIS Commentaries No. 77 Click here to download Commentary
Mideast Conflict – A Silver Lining? Mixed Economic Impact Likely by Richard Carney RSIS Commentaries No. 76 Click here to download Commentary
Lebanon: Return to the Dark Ages by Premarani Somasundram RSIS Commentaries No. 75 Click here to download Commentary
The Middle East Crisis and the Issue of Jihad by Rohaiza Ahmad Asi RSIS Commentaries No. 74 Click here to download Commentary
July
Energy Industry and Terrorism in Indonesia by Inggrid Panontongan RSIS Commentaries No. 73 Click here to download Commentary
Freed Bashir to formalise JI ? Could be his first major move after release by Fatima Astuti RSIS Commentaries No. 72 Click here to download Commentary
Sharing blame in the Middle East by Greg Mills RSIS Commentaries No. 71 Click here to download Commentary
Fading Sunshine: China, South Korea losing patience with North Korea? by Shiping Tang and Jaewoo Choo RSIS Commentaries No. 70 Click here to download Commentary
Prelude to Occupation? Implications of Israel’s War on Hizbullah in Lebanon by Christoph Marcinkowski RSIS Commentaries No. 69 Click here to download Commentary
Israel’s Response: A Strategic Misstep with Global Implications? by Kumar Ramakrishna, Tom Quiggin and Hoo Tiang Boon RSIS Commentaries No. 68 Click here to download Commentary
Cambodia’s War Crimes Trials Are they worth it? by J. Eli Margolis RSIS Commentaries No. 67 Click here to download Commentary
Timor-Leste’s new PM No Easy Way Out by Loro Horta RSIS Commentaries No. 66 Click here to download Commentary
IS THE ARF OBSOLETE? Three moves to avoid irrelevance by Barry Desker RSIS Commentaries No. 65 Click here to download Commentary
THE MUMBAI RAIL BOMBINGS Explaining Kashmiri Groups’ Expanding Theatre Of Operation by Muhammad Haniff Hassan RSIS Commentaries No. 64 Click here to download Commentary
THE IDEOLOGICAL DNA OF TERRORISM: The role of ideology in London’s 7 July bombings by Ng Sue Chia RSIS Commentaries No. 63 Click here to download Commentary
72-hour Neighours? Designing an ASEAN crisis management mechanism by Amitav Acharya and Jorge I. Dominguez RSIS Commentaries No. 62 Click here to download Commentary
Reviving the Intellectual Heritage in Contemporary Islam: The Shi’ite Perspective by Christoph Marcinkowski RSIS Commentaries No. 61 Click here to download Commentary
SECURING THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN Singapore’s Role in APEC by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentaries No. 60 Click here to download Commentary
June
Does Singapore’s Destiny Lie in Outer Space? Space Elevator project could be a start by Paul T. Mitchell RSIS Commentaries No. 59 Click here to download Commentary
PULLING THE HAIR FROM THE FLOUR The art of defusing the Mahathir crisis by Yang Razali Kassim RSIS Commentaries No. 58 Click here to download Commentary
Time for a ‘Plan B’ for the WTO? Or how to Rescue the Doha Round by Barry Desker RSIS Commentaries No. 57 Click here to download Commentary
Jihad in China? Rise of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) by Kenneth George Pereire RSIS Commentaries No. 56 Click here to download Commentary
Recalibrating the ASEAN Security Community by Mely Caballero-Anthony RSIS Commentaries No. 55 Click here to download Commentary
Rethinking Racial Harmony in Singapore by Yolanda Chin and Norman Vasu RSIS Commentaries No. 54 Click here to download Commentary
The Obstacles to Military Transformation by Alvin Chew RSIS Commentaries No. 53 Click here to download Commentary
Contesting Islamists’ Absolutism on the Islamic State by Muhammad Haniff Hassan RSIS Commentaries No. 52 Click here to download Commentary
Ba’asyir Release: Implications for Islamist Militancy in Indonesia by Rohaiza Binte Ahmad Asi RSIS Commentaries No. 51 Click here to download Commentary
Building a Regional Disaster Response Mechanism for a Secure ASEAN Community by Mely Caballero-Anthony and Amitav Acharya RSIS Commentaries No. 50 Click here to download Commentary
Saving Timor: Whose Responsibility Is It? by Tan See Seng RSIS Commentaries No. 49 Click here to download Commentary
Death of a Jihadi: Implications from the Death of Al-Zarqawi. by John Harrison RSIS Commentaries No. 48 Click here to download Commentary
The 2006 Quadrennial Defence Review: Implications for Asian Security by Bernard Loo RSIS Commentaries No. 47 Click here to download Commentary
Timor as a failed state a slap in the face for ASEAN? by Yang Razali Kassim RSIS Commentaries No. 46 Click here to download Commentary
Darul Islam: Old Brand, New Image by Rohaiza Binte Ahmad Asi RSIS Commentaries No. 45 Click here to download Commentary
From Absence to Presence Understanding Bin Laden’s and Al-Zarqawi’s Recent Recordings by Bouchaib Silm RSIS Commentaries No. 44 Click here to download Commentary
To Nuke or not to Nuke?: A Plea for Reason in the Psychologies of the “Iraq-Iran Issue” by Christoph Marcinkowski RSIS Commentaries No. 43 Click here to download Commentary
May
Timor in Crisis Why did the violence blow up suddenly? by Loro Horta RSIS Commentaries No. 42 Click here to download Commentary
Safety and Security in the Malacca and Singapore Straits by Sam Bateman, Catherine Zara Raymond & Joshua RSIS Commentaries No. 41 Click here to download Commentary
Failed States, Governance and Nation-Building: The Case of Afghanistan by Greg Mills RSIS Commentaries No. 40 Click here to download Commentary
“Iconic Soft Targets”? Public Housing Estates, Terrorism and Social Resilience by Kumar Ramakrishna, Norman Vasu and Tom Quiggin RSIS Commentaries No. 39 Click here to download Commentary
Making Sense of the 2006 Quadrennial Defence Review by Bernard Loo RSIS Commentaries No. 38 Click here to download Commentary
Redefining the Limits of the Straits: A Composite Malacca Straits Security System by Rajeev Sawhney RSIS Commentaries No. 37 Click here to download Commentary
Towards an index of Islamic Governance by Muhammad Haniff Hassan RSIS Commentaries No. 36 Click here to download Commentary
People Power in the War on Terrorism by Norman Vasu and Tom Quiggin RSIS Commentaries No. 35 Click here to download Commentary
The First ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting: An Early Test for the ASEAN Security Community? by Lianita Prawindarti RSIS Commentaries No. 34 Click here to download Commentary
What Europe Day can mean for ASEAN by Graham Gerard-Ong Webb RSIS Commentaries No. 33 Click here to download Commentary
Chasing The Elusive Militant In Indonesia: The Wonosobo raid to capture Noordin M Top by Fatima Astuti RSIS Commentaries No. 32 Click here to download Commentary
Ferry Safety: A Neglected Aspect of Maritime Security? by Sam Bateman RSIS Commentaries No. 31 Click here to download Commentary
April
Bangladesh: The Quagmire of Conflicting Nationalisms by Swati Parashar RSIS Commentaries No. 30 Click here to download Commentary
Singapore’s Darwinian Imperative Survival in a Complex and Uncertain World by Kumar Ramakrishna and Tom Quiggin RSIS Commentaries No. 29 Click here to download Commentary
Papuan unity and Australia-Indonesia relations by Leonard C Sebastian RSIS Commentaries No. 28 Click here to download Commentary
Expanding NATO: An Organisation Searching For The Wrong Missions by Bernard Loo RSIS Commentaries No. 27 Click here to download Commentary
Jihadis in Iraq: Did al Zarqawi resign? by Bouchaib Silm RSIS Commentaries No. 26 Click here to download Commentary
Bangsamoro’s Autonomy The Key Issue Behind Bid to Oust MILF Chief? by Lynn Antonette Lumayag RSIS Commentaries No. 25 Click here to download Commentary
The West Papua issue A view from Timor-Leste by Loro Horta RSIS Commentaries No. 24 Click here to download Commentary
Paternalism, Ijtihad & Counter-Terrorism by Zhou Souli RSIS Commentaries No. 23 Click here to download Commentary
Australia, Indonesia & The Future of West Papua by Haseenah Koyakutty RSIS Commentaries No. 22 Click here to download Commentary
The United States National Strategy For Maritime Security: Implications for the International Community by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentaries No. 21 Click here to download Commentary
March
Afghanistan and the Logic of Suicide Terrorism by Hekmat Karzai RSIS Commentaries No. 20 Click here to download Commentary
God, history and countering insurgency by Greg Mills & Terence McNamee RSIS Commentaries No. 19 Click here to download Commentary
A New Chapter in Indo-U.S. Relations? by Sumit Ganguly RSIS Commentaries No. 18 Click here to download Commentary
BURDEN SHARING IN THE STRAITS Not So Straightforward by Sam Bateman RSIS Commentaries No. 17 Click here to download Commentary
Young and Wild Timor-Leste’s troubled military by Loro Horta RSIS Commentaries No. 16 Click here to download Commentary
The U.S. Ports Controversy-The Politics of Fear and Maritime Security by Sam Bateman RSIS Commentaries No. 15 Click here to download Commentary
MARINE WAR RISK INSURANCE Should the Government be invoved? by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentaries No. 14 Click here to download Commentary
February
The Controversies of FATWA: Growing Conservatism in Indonesia? by Irman G. Lanti RSIS Commentaries No. 13 Click here to download Commentary
FOUR YEARS AFTER Is Bush Winning the War on Terror? by Haseenah Koyakutty RSIS Commentaries No. 12 Click here to download Commentary
Free Speech and The Muslim World by Yang Razali Kassim RSIS Commentaries No. 11 Click here to download Commentary
Learning from Cartoons The Globalisation of Free Speech by Norman Vasu RSIS Commentaries No. 10 Click here to download Commentary
Recognising The Teachers of Religion: Some Food for Thought by Muahmmad Haniff Hassan RSIS Commentaries No. 9 Click here to download Commentary
Al Qaeda’s Exit Strategy? by John Harrison RSIS Commentaries No. 8 Click here to download Commentary
January
Networked Power: Insurgents versus “Big Army” by Hekmat Karzai & Paul T. Mitchell RSIS Commentaries No. 7 Click here to download Commentary
Getting the private sector involved in national security by Adrian W.J. Kuah RSIS Commentaries No. 6 Click here to download Commentary
The GRP-MILF Peace Process: The Quest for International and Domestic Legitimacy by S.P.Harish RSIS Commentaries No. 5 Click here to download Commentary
Community-Based Initiatives Against JI By Singapore’s Muslim Community by Muhammad Haniff Hassan RSIS Commentaries No. 4 Click here to download Commentary
Global Terrorism Threat in 2006 by Rohan Gunaratna RSIS Commentaries No. 3 Click here to download Commentary
ANIMATED JIHAD Growing Sophistication of Jihadist Video by Bouchaib Silm and Faizah A Samat RSIS Commentaries No. 2 Click here to download Commentary
Afghanistan and the Globalisation of Terrorist Tactics by Hekmat Karzai RSIS Commentaries No. 1 Click here to download Commentary
