Introduction

The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) was officially inaugurated on 1 January 2007. Prior to this, it was known as the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), which was established 10 years earlier, on 30 July 1996, by Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. Dr Tony Tan later became the elected seventh President of the Republic of Singapore. Like its predecessor, RSIS was established as an autonomous entity within Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore). RSIS’ goal is to be a leading research and graduate teaching institution in strategic and international affairs in the Asia Pacific.

Mr S. Rajaratnam

The school expanded its research agenda and took on the name S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in January 2007. The school was named after Mr S. Rajaratnam in recognition of his contributions to Singapore as its first Foreign Minister.

Mission

• Provide a rigorous professional graduate education with a strong practical emphasis
• Conduct policy-relevant research in defence, national security, international relations, strategic studies and diplomacy
• Foster a global network of like-minded professional schools

Graduate Programmes

RSIS offers a challenging graduate education in international affairs, taught by an international faculty of leading thinkers and practitioners. The Master of Science degree programmes in Strategic Studies, International Relations, Asian Studies, and International Political Economy are distinguished by their focus on the Asia Pacific, the professional practice of international affairs, and the cultivation of academic depth. Thus far, students from 66 countries have successfully completed one of these programmes. In 2010, a Double Masters Programme with Warwick University was also launched, with students required to spend the first year at Warwick and the second year at RSIS. A select Doctor of Philosophy programme caters to advanced students who are supervised by senior faculty members with matching interests.

Research

Research takes place within RSIS’ five centres:

• Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
• International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
• Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
• Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
• Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)

Research is also conducted in the National Security Studies Programme (NSSP), the Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP), and the Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme (SRP Programme).

Additionally, within the Office of the Executive Deputy Chairman, the Policy Studies group identifies new emerging trends of concern in the broad national security domain that may then be gradually incubated to form new policy-relevant RSIS research programmes.

The Future Issues and Technology was launched on 1 September 2017. Also under the purview of the Office of the Executive Deputy Chairman, the FIT group works with relevant RSIS Centres, Programmes and researchers to better identify emerging, cross-cutting issues and technology that have strategic impact on policy, as well as potential disruptive national security implications. These include cyber, artificial intelligence, SMART Nation issues, and implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Increasingly, too, issues such as the interplay between trade, technology and geopolitics will feature in the work that FIT does in conjunction with RSIS Centres. The focus of research in RSIS is on issues relating to the security and stability of the Asia Pacific region and their implications for Singapore and other countries in the region.

Endowed Professorships

RSIS has four endowed professorships that bring distinguished scholars and practitioners to teach and to conduct research at the School.

• The S. Rajaratnam Professorship in Strategic Studies
• The Ngee Ann Kongsi Professorship in International Relations
• The NTUC Professorship in International Economic Relations
• The Peter Lim Professorship in Peace Studies

International Collaboration

Collaboration with other professional schools of international affairs to form a global network of excellence is a RSIS priority. RSIS maintains links with other like-minded schools so as to enrich its research and teaching activities as well as learn from the best practices of successful schools.

Governance

RSIS is an autonomous school within NTU Singapore. It has a Board of Governors comprising distinguished local and foreign representatives from the Government, business and academic communities, and practitioners in diplomacy and national security affairs. The Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS is presently also the Director of IDSS and Head of ICPVTR.