Publications/ Monographs

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.