Do Institutions Matter? Regional Institutions and Regionalism in East Asia, Edited by See Seng Tan, RSIS Monograph No. 13, 2008. (Available at all leading bookstores)
What are the prospects of transforming the Asian region into a security community where regional states commit to peaceful relations and the avoidance of war with one another? Do regional institutions and the ongoing process of institutionalization in East Asia contribute to the quest for the security, peace and stability of the region? And how?
These are some of the questions that this monograph addresses, through assessments of the specific issues under consideration by the Sentosa Roundtable Study Group in its preparation for the second Sentosa Roundtable. The group assessed the relevance of regional inter-governmental institutions—the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Plus Three, the East Asia Summit and so forth—to regional security, stability and community building in East Asia, among other issues.
Forgetting
Osama bin Munqidh Remembering Osama
bin Laden: The Crusades in Modern Muslim
Memory, Written
by Umej Bhatia, RSIS Monograph No. 12,
2008. (Available at all leading bookstores)
This
is an excellent piece of work on all
counts ... [t]he thesis makes a number of
original contributions. Mr. Bhatia is able
to
combine his knowledge of the crusades with
a knowledge of Arabic that allows his access
to the modem sources - a rare combination.
He is able to show how complex, nuanced,
and far from universally negative the
medieval Muslim view of the crusaders is.
He
shows the use by Al Qaeda of stories related
in a medieval chronicle, and the use made
of
the towering figure of Saladin by a number
of modem Muslim rulers. The treatment ...
is
inventive and innovative.
-
Angeliki E. Laiou, Dumbarton Oaks Professor
of
Byzantine History, Harvard University
Launched
a thousand
years ago, the Crusades live on in Muslim
memory. Extremists like Al Qaeda's chief
Osama bin Laden say that the West is waging
a renewed Crusade to destroy Islam. The
grievance even shapes the region's enduring
source of instability, the Palestinian
issue.
The
Crusades resonate in Islamist consciousness
today. But the Arab historians of that
era considered
it a
marginal event.
Exploring the paradox, this unique study
shows how the modern Islamist narrative
of the Crusades, wrapped around contemporary
events in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine,
has
gained ground in the battle for hearts
and memories in the Muslim world.
Who
will win this battle over history, part
of the larger war of ideas against
extremism? Could the ideas of a 12th
century Arab warrior and diplomat, Osama
bin
Munqidh, counter the propaganda of Osama
bin Laden's movement?
About
the Author
Umej
Bhatia is a graduate of the University
of Cambridge and of Harvard University,
where he completed an advanced degree
in Middle Eastern Studies.
People's
ASEAN and Governments' ASEAN, Edited
by Hiro Katsumata and Tan See Seng,
RSIS Monograph No. 11, 2008. (Available
at
all leading
bookstores)
Is
an ideal Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) being built? An ideal model
of ASEAN is constituted by a combination
of what can be regarded as a "People's
ASEAN" and a "governments' ASEAN". The former
is an association designed to serve the
interests of people, while the latter aims
to serve the interests of the ASEAN member
states. The aims of this volume are to
explore the status of ASEAN cooperation,
in terms of the construction of an ideal
ASEAN, and to identify the tasks to be
completed for the realization of such as
ideal model. Each of the fifteen empirical
chapters focuses on a particular issue
concerning either a people's ASEAN or a
governments' ASEAN. Belonging to former
category are issues such as WMD terrorism,
human rights and democracy, gender, equality,
economic integration, the ASEAN people's
Assembly, and national and regional identities.
In the latter category include ASEAN's
relations with external powers, intra-ASEAN
relations, preventive diplomacy and the
role of "Track 2" institutions. Overall,
the volume finds that some remarkable developments
have been taking place, yet, at the same
time, a number of tasks still remain to
be tackled.
Post-Suharto
Civil-Military Relations in Indonesia, Edited
by Yuddy Chrisnandi, RSIS Monograph
No. 10, 2007. (Available at all leading
bookstores)
One
of the most critical issues in
post-Suharto Indonesia is how to
reconfigure the role of the TNI,
which, since 1965, had been the major
socio-political force in Indonesia and the
principle backer of the Suharto regime.
Since the end of the Suharto era in 1998,
the
military has withdrawn from political life
and sought to enhance its professional skills
by focusing on external defence. Despite
the
fact that elected officials are now expected
to determine policy outcomes, has civilian
oversight of the TNI been realized?
As
a member of the Parliamentary
Committee that is expected to exercise
civilian oversight in defence matters,
Dr. Yuddy Chrisnandi is uniquely placed
to analyse this issue. His presentation
is based
on themes related to a recently completed
manuscript on post-Suharto civil-military
relations in Indonesia. In this monograph,
he analyses the nature of the relationship
between the TNI and the four post-Suharto
administrations, focusing on whether each
of the post-Suharto presidents have been
able to establish civilian oversight over
the
TNI, suggests what lessons we can learn
from these experiences and provides us
with insights on the future of the TNI.
The
Post-Tsunami Reconstruction of Aceh
and the Implementation of the Peace Agreement, Edited
by Aleksius Jemadu, IDSS Monograph
No. 9, 2006. (Available at all leading
bookstores)
This
monograph examines the politics surrounding
two significant events: the reconstruction
of Aceh after the devastating damage of
the 2004 tsunami and the peace agreement
between the Government of Indonesia and
the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). While these
two episodes are independent, the future
politics of these events are very much
interrelated. The province of Aceh is slowly
recuperating from decades of insurgency
and counter-insurgency campaigns. It is
also on the road to recovery following
the destruction of the tsunami. The future
challenge for all parties is to maintain
the momentum for peace. The process cannot
just rely on the political elites in Aceh
and Jakarta. The success of the post-tsunami
rehabilitation of Aceh and the implementation
of the peace agreement will largely depend
on how the Acehnese grassroots are involved
in the decision-making process.
Dr.
Aleksius Jemadu is Head of the Department
of International Relations, Parahyangan
Catholic University, Bandung, Indonesia.
Fading
Away: The Political Role of the Army
in indonesia's Transition to Democracy
1998 - 2001, Edited by Tatik
S. Hafidz, IDSS Monograph No. 8, 2006.
(Available at all leading bookstores)
The
monograph combines political-historical
analysis within a journalistic narrative
style to tell the story of the crisis the
Indonesian military went through after
the demise of the New Order of President
Soeharto in 1998. Of the three pillars
of the New Order – the government
bureaucracy, the ruling Functional Groups
(GOLKAR) party and the military or TNI – it
was the TNI that received the brunt of
the reform movements (reformasi)
that followed the end of President Soeharto’s
rule. The reformasi forced the
TNI to eventually abandon its almost sacred
doctrine of “dual function” (dwifungsi)
that justified its participation in politics
during the New Order.
As
a narrative, this book is chronologically
structured to better guide the reader through
the complexities of the TNI’s reforms
and changing relations with the executive
and Parliamentary branches of government.
Through personal interviews with key TNI
senior commanders and other political leaders,
this monograph attempts to present an “insiders” account
of developments and how key decisions were
made by whom, and for what reasons. This
monograph will therefore provide much data
for students and analysts of the TNI and
a useful guide to readers to the evolving
role of the TNI in Indonesia today.
Betwixt
and Between : Southeast Asian Strategic
Relations with the U.S. and China, Edited
by Evelyn Goh, IDSS Monograph No. 7,
2005. (Available at all leading bookstores)
This short volume compares key Southeast Asian states’ approaches to
China and the United States in regional security. The states in the region
are sometimes portrayed as having a unified stance: they are eager to develop
closer political and economic relations with China, while maintaining a preference
for strong U.S. military and strategic involvement, as a hedge against the
possible failure of engagement with China. But there is in fact a range of
views and expectations on this issue. Within the new context of counter-terrorism,
there are rising worries about the implications of a trend towards unilateralism
in American foreign policy. At the same time, China has adopted a more assertive
Southeast Asian policy with a decade of successful diplomacy and deepening
economic links. These trends present complications and opportunities for Southeast
Asian countries, creating important emerging differences in their regional
security strategies.
The
OSCE and Co-operative Security in Europe
: Lessons for Asia, Joachim
Krause, IDSS monograph No. 6, 2003. (Available
at all leading bookstores)
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation
in Europe (OSCE) were both established in 1994. Their development since
1994 has, however, been very different. The ARF remains an annual meeting
supported by more frequent meetings of Senior Officials while the OSCE
has grown a secretariat and engages in peacekeeping operations. This monograph
describes the development of the OSCE from the earlier Conference on Security
and Co-operation in Europe, its expansion in the 1990s and its achievements.
The intent of this monograph is to raise and discuss the issue whether
this OSCE experience is relevant to the ARF. Are there lessons for the
ARF to learn from OSCE as both institutions move into the 21st century?
A
New Agenda for the ASEAN Regional Forum, A
Report on the IDSS Project on the Future
of the ASEAN Regional Forum, IDSS monograph
No. 4,
2002 (Available at all leading bookstores)
Since
its establishment in 1994, the ASEAN Regional
Forum (ARF) has had to face a number of
challenges in promoting multilateral security
co-operation in the Asia-Pacific region.
In the current setting, two major challenges
stand out. The first is the slow progress
of the ARF's confidence-building and preventive
diplomacy agenda. The second is the resurgence
of bilateral and unilateral approaches
to strategic affairs. Against these challenges,
the relevance of multilatralism in the
region is being questioned.
This
monograph on A New Agenda for the ASEAN
Regional Forum speaks to these challenges.
Beyond providing a scorecard of ARF's performance,
this volume addresses a number of questions
which include: the obstacles to the implementation
of the goals of the ARF as laid out in
the 1995 Concept Paper; possible lessons
to be learnt from other experiences of
multilateralism; and building linkages
with other multilateral forums. Most importantly,
this monograph offers specific recommendations
to reform and strengthen the ARF process
in order to make multilateralism more effective
in this region.
Beyond
Vulnerability? Water in Singapore-Malaysia
Relations, Irvin Lim, Joey Long
and Kog Yue Choong, IDSS monograph No.
3, 2002. (Available at all leading bookstores)
Singapore
depends upon Johor for about half of its
daily supply of portable water. This dependence
upon Malaysia for water is perceived in
Singapore to compound its vulnerability.
Malaysian threats to cut its supply of
water to Singapore whenever it has a disagreement
with the latter have confirmed Singapore's
worst fears. Is this issue of supply of
Johor water the equivalent of the sword
of Damocles hanging over Singapore-Malaysia
relations? This issue of water in Singapore-Malaysia
relations is in large part driven by an
increasing demand for water not only in
Singapore, but also in Malaysia and the
pressure on the supply of water from catchment
areas threatened by urbanisation, industrialisation
and agriculture.
The
three essays in this Monograph examine
the prospects of new technology meeting
this increasing demand for water and challenges
to its supply in Singapore and Malaysia.
The essays take different approaches to
examining the prospects of moving the issue
of water in Singapore's relations with
Malaysia from the vicious cycle of vulnerability
and threats to the virtuous cycle of conflict
avoidance and co-operation.
China's
Strategic Engagement with 'New ASEAN', S.
D. Muni, IDSS monograph No. 2, 2002.
(Available at all leading bookstores)
This is an exploratory study of China's evolving strategic engagement with
its south-western neighbours: Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The
significance of these neighbours to China has been enhanced since the mid
1990s when these countries became members of ASEAN and China started paying
greater attention to its hithero neglected western provinces. Nuances of
China's approach in wooing these neighbours through careful moves to build
economic and military co-operation and cultivate political constituencies
have been critically examined. Wider implications of China's growing space
within these countries for the ASEAN region are also discussed. The study
has been supported by maps, useful tables and personal interviews.
Neither
Friend nor Foe: Myanmar's Relations with
Thailand since 1988, Aung Myoe,
IDSS monograph No. 1, 2001 (Available
at all leading bookstores)
Since late 1988, the Thai government has adopted a policy of constructive engagementof
constructive engagement towards Myanmar. Although it was not wihout its
imperfections, the Thai government has hoped that such a policy would enhance
its national security and, in particular, its border security. However,
with deep-rooted historical animosity on the part of Thailand and Myanmar's
memory of Thailand's involvement in anti-Myanmar activities in the recent
past, the relationship between the two countries since 1988 has not been
completely smooth. Diplomatic disputes and tension have become common features
of Myanmar-Thai relations. Myanmar's border with Thailand has become a
focus of tension and conflict, and a potential flashpoint on the mainland
Southeast Asia.This book examines the factors and issues that has caused
bilateral tensions between Myanmar and Thailand.
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Publications 
The terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November 2008, which killed 166 people, exposed India's vulnerability to organised armed violence, precipitated a fresh downturn in India-Pakistan relations and alerted the world to the threat of commando-style terrorist assaults. This monograph systematically assesses the national, regional and global implications of the incident.
It is not known when, or where, the next deadly infectious disease will emerge, or how it will spread around the world. Are Asian countries prepared for a pandemic? How are National Pandemic Preparedness Plans to be operationalized at the local level? Are there critical gaps in current planning? Which indicators can accurately determine comprehensive pandemic preparedness frameworks? What are the roles of different societal actors and how are they defined? What are the prospects of enhancing regional cooperation in preparing for pandemics and other public health emergencies?
Today, common concerns are driving East Asians to collaborate in ways unimaginable a few years ago. In particular, recent developments in the financial, energy, health, anti-transnational crime, and other sectors suggest that "functional cooperation" - technical collaboration based on common interests or issues - is on the rise among East Asian states. Collaboration under Anarchy brings together ten leading experts who assess the prospects for deeper and more extensive cooperation in various "non-traditional" sectors of security, as well as the views of several regional powers and of ASEAN on functional cooperation within and by their region. Their analyses suggest that functional cooperation, while not without difficulties, could however prove indispensible to realizing East Asia's collective aspirations for prosperity, security and order.
This monograph extends the notion of securitization in exploring and framing the concerns over the spread of HIV/AIDS. It claims that concerns over the spread of HIV/AIDS along territorial border regions constitute a security threat that demands urgent and sustained policy attention. Such a security threat is broadly captured from a perspective of human security or non-traditional security (NTS), which places an emphasis on the security of people. In this light, this monograph examines the socio-economic status of people living near the borders between Bangladesh and India. By uncovering the realities that explain the nature of cross-border migration and sexual behaviour/habits of the migrants, this monograph seeks to understand to what extent these activities have an effect on their level of socio-economic development. Attention is also given to the role of the state in the process of such dynamics.