THINK TANK
Think Tank (September to November 2019)
HIGHLIGHT
RSIS Workshop on Geopolitics and Technology

On 23 October 2019, RSIS conducted a workshop on “Geopolitics and Technology” at the Conrad Centennial Singapore. The workshop was attended by a select group of senior policymakers as well as industry and think tank leaders, including Dr Tony Tan, Chairman of the RSIS Board of Governors (BOG) and Mr Peter Ho, BOG member, were present.

Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chair ...

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RECENT BOOKS BY STAFF
Rising from the Ashes: UN Peacebuilding in Timor-Leste

This book, Rising from the Ashes: UN Peacebuilding in Timor-Leste, provides an in-depth look into the UN’s first experiment in governing and building peace in the aftermath of conflict, using East Timor as a case study. It examines how the Timorese have progressed after the UN lef ...

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The Absent Dialogue: Politicians, Bureaucrats, and the Military in India

Civilian control over the military is widely hailed as one of the major successes of India’s democracy. Because it is so rare, especially among post-colonial states, this control is rightfully celebrated. But has this come at a cost? In The Absent Dialogue, Anit Mukherjee argues t ...

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Malaysia’s 14th General Election and UMNO’s Fall: Intra-Elite Feuding in the Pursuit of Power

The 2018 Malaysian General Election will stand as a major defining event in Malaysian history, when the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition unexpectedly lost power in the country they had ruled for over half a century. This volume brings together scholars who assess one fundamental factor that b ...

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Normalization of Violence: Conceptual Analysis and Reflections from Asia (Irm Haleem, ed.)

This book offers both a conceptual and an empirical analysis of how violence is normalized. In its conceptual analysis, Irm Haleem offers a framework of explanation that she argues is universal in its narratives, which she submits is premised on moralizing, legalizing, and popularizing violenc ...

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The Responsibility to Provide in Southeast Asia: Towards an Ethical Explanation

Despite the long-held and jealously guarded ASEAN principle of non-intervention, this book argues that states in Southeast Asia have begun to display an increasing readiness to think about sovereignty in terms not only of state responsibility to their own populations but also towards neighbour ...

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Understanding and Countering Online Falsehoods and Influence Operations
The Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) held its workshop titled “Understanding and Countering Online Falsehoods and Influence Operations” from 4 to 5 November at Marina Mandarin Singapore. This annual workshop is a follow-up to its previous editions, held in 2017 and 2018. < ...
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Trilateral Dialogue on Strategic Landscape, Governance Trends, and Economic Cooperation in Southeast Asia
RSIS, The Brookings Institution and Lowy Institute, co-organised a conference on “ASEAN, Australia, and the United States”. Held from 29 to 30 October at Grand Copthorne Waterfront, the dialogue examined the strategic landscape, governance trends, and economic cooperation in Southe ...
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Singapore Trade Policy Forum 2019
The Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS), organised the Singapore Trade Policy Forum at Sheraton Towers Singapore on 21 and 22 October. With support from the governments of Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia, the forum brought together experts from government, business, and academia. Th ...
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RSIS-IAEA Faculty Development Course on Nuclear Security
The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies at RSIS and the Division of Nuclear Security of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), co-organised a faculty development course on nuclear security at the RSIS Lecture Theatre, from 21 to 25 October 2019. The course provided basic traini ...
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RSIS-GCSP Executive Course on “Crisis Management: Navigating the Storm”
The RSIS’ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme and Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) co-hosted the second “Crisis Management: Navigating the Storm” executive course in Singapore. The five-day course had participants from government, military, international organi ...
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Belt and Road Initiative: Impacts on Recipient Countries and Global Governance
On 7 October 2019, RSIS brought experts together to discuss the “Belt and Road Initiative: Impacts on Recipient Countries and Global Governance”. Co-organised by the RSIS’ China Programme and Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme of School of Social Sciences, the workshop provided a platf ...
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Seminar by NSSP Distinguished Visitor Dr Sean McFate
Dr Sean McFate was in Singapore from 7 to 11 October as part of the Distinguished Visitor Programme hosted by RSIS’ National Security Studies Programme. Dr McFate is an author, novelist, and expert on foreign policy, grand strategy, and war. A professor of strategy at the National Defense Univ ...
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Crises, Political Populism, and Wealth Shocks
On 4 October 2019, Professor Andrew Walter, NTUC Professor of International Economic Relations at RSIS and Professor of International Relations at the University of Melbourne, delivered a public lecture at Marina Mandarin Singapore, on how financial insecurity affects support for populist poli ...
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Conference on Foreign Interference Tactics and Countermeasures
The Conference on Foreign Interference Tactics and Countermeasures was held on 25 September at the PARKROYAL on Beach Road Singapore. Organised by RSIS, the conference aims to raise awareness on the modalities of foreign interference/evolution of foreign interference and digital-age tactics.
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China’s Vision for a New Regional and International Order
The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) and RSIS held a joint workshop on 18 September 2019 exploring China’s vision for a new regional and international order. In recent years, an increasingly wealthy and powerful China has sought to remould the world order in accordance with China’s stat ...
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Countering Extremism
The Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) held its annual workshop on countering extremism from 16 to 17 September, at the Marina Mandarin Singapore. Organised by CENS’ Radicalisation Studies Programme, this year’s iteration was titled “The Next Lap”, which recognised the progress ...
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Kick-off Workshop for the Policy Research Network on Contemporary Southeast Asia
RSIS, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Japan, and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Indonesia co-organised a kick-off workshop from 6 to 7 September 2019, to launch the Policy Research Network on Contemporary Southeast Asia. Around 50 par ...
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Appraising Thucydides’ Trap
Professor Steve Chan, College Professor of Distinction and Professor of Political Science, University of Colorado, Boulder and Ngee Ann Kongsi, Professor of International Relations delivered an RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture titled “Appraising Thucydides’ Trap” at Marina Mandarin Singapore ...
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Hindu Nationalism: Meanings and Implications
On 2 September 2019, Professor Gavin Flood, FBA, Visiting Professor at the RSIS’ Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme, presented his views on the various meanings of Hindu nationalism. He argued that Hindu nationalism need not come at the cost of Hindu narratives ...
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Maintaining Strategic Autonomy in Times of Tectonic Shifts in Global Affairs
RSIS and Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) dedicated its inaugural dialogue to addressing the contemporary topic of “Maintaining Strategic Autonomy in Times of Tectonic Shifts in Global Affairs”. Hosted by RSIS in Singapore, the dialogue brought together more than 30 academics and resear ...
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EDITOR
Mervin Kok
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Adrian Chong
CONTRIBUTORS
Adrian Ang U-Jin
Angelo Trias
David Butler
Jansen Wee
Lee YingHui
Sarah Teo
Zi Yang
Alistair D. B. Cook
Benjamin Ho
Ghina Natasha
Julius Cesar Imperial Trajano
Muhammad Haziq Bin Jani
Tsjeng Zhizhao Henrick
Amalina Anuar
Cameron Sumpter
Gulizar Haciyakupoglu
Lee Hui Ying
Nazia Hussain
Xue Gong