ASI Partners

The Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), in association with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, conducted a major research project on the security impact of climate change on Bangladesh and its regional neighbourhood, specifically India, Nepal and the Maldives. The seminal project examined the latest scientifically acceptable prognostications of climate change affecting Bangladesh, focusing on asset losses – especially loss of land and livelihood to rising sea levels, saline intrusions, periodic surge flooding, environmental damage, and the extent and intensity of resultant internal displacement and potential migration.

The project ascertained the status and adequacy of national, regional and local planning and administrative provisions in place to cope with the consequences of climate change, evaluated the stresses born of large-scale IDP movement on national productive capacities and processes, economic infrastructure, public-administrative institutions, services provision, and societal cohesion and order, and examined coping mechanisms. It assessed the need for modifying policy and resource-allocation priorities, identifying the types of advantages that might accrue from diplomatic endeavours to seek assistance from India and OECD donors.
The Project established critical linkages between Bangladesh, India and Nepal in addressing systemic challenges flowing from climate change, assessing the merit of the ‘river basin’ framework for triangular collaboration in mitigating and managing the consequences of climate change. It conducted a comparative study of the threat faced by the Maldives, examining the latter’s policy-response to ascertain if lessons can be derived from the Maldivian experience. On the bases of the above exercises, the project established the nature and scale of threats to the security of the Bangladeshi state and society emanating from climate change, posit realistic approaches to mitigating the most adverse outcomes, and generated appropriate policy recommendations for Bangladesh, its neighbours, and development partners.
The project’s findings and recommendations were launched at an international conference at the conclusion of the study.
The Team
The research focus areas specified above were headed, respectively, by:

• • Major General ANM Muniruzzaman (Retd.), President, BIPSS
• • Dr S. Mahmud Ali, Research Director, BIPSS
• • Shawon Shyla, Research analyst and project coordinator, BIPSS

Contact person for this project: Dr S. Mahmud Ali, Project director
E-mail: [email protected]

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre) began operations in August 1999 and is today one of the world’s most influential conflict mediation organisations. From its beginnings as a venue in Geneva, Switzerland, where discreet discussions took place among those who had a practical impact on humanitarian policy and practice, the HD Centre has evolved into an independent global mediation organisation, with a presence in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. Its aim is to help alleviate the suffering of individuals and populations caught up in both high-profile and forgotten conflicts, by acting as mediators and by providing other mediators with the support they need to work effectively.

Our mission
As a neutral and impartial organisation, our mission is to support only those solutions that offer the best prospect for a just and lasting peace, in line with international law. We aim to contribute to efforts to improve the global response to armed conflict. We believe that dialogue based on humanitarian principles can assist in achieving political settlements, and that the informal initiatives of a private foundation can usefully complement formal diplomacy.
We pursue our objectives with a commitment to new approaches, to learning, and to collaboration, working with others across borders, beliefs and professions. We undertake and promote action to prevent and resolve armed conflicts, in particular through tailor-made support to peace processes where our involvement adds value, including:

• facilitating discussions, including acting as a mediator where appropriate;
• ensuring that the parties are able to participate effectively in negotiations;
• mobilising humanitarian, diplomatic and/or political responses;
• contributing policy input on relevant substantive issues; and
• providing other specifically adapted services, such as financing mechanisms and other logistical support, where the assistance of a private foundation is required.

We also aim to strengthen peacemaking expertise and the capacity of the HD Centre by learning from and contributing to research. We do this by sharing what we learn from our own operational engagements, through policy development and dissemination, and by staying abreast of and commenting on best practice in relevant fields.
Unique strengths

As a private peacemaking organisation, the HD Centre’s strengths and distinguishing traits include:

• The ability to conduct mediation at the leadership level of parties to conflict;
• The political independence and impartiality that is valued by belligerents in third parties;
• Rapid, flexible response and the effective management of discreet processes;
• Readiness to support other lead mediators;
• Contact with high-level and influential networks (particularly in Asia and Africa); and
• Creativity and willingness to take risks;

For more information on Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue click here.

The Centre on Asia and Globalisation in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, brings together leading scholars and policymakers from around the world to analyse the management of global issues and Asia’s role in a rapidly changing and integrating world. The Centre provides a home to world-class researchers and convenes seminars, conferences, and policy dialogues that explore critical issues related to Asia’s existing and potential roles in defining and managing global affairs. The Centre is rapidly becoming a leading producer of innovative and pragmatic thinking on global governance.

With the shift of economic power to Asia come new opportunities and new dangers for world order and for the region. To date, the international agenda and the rules of globalisation have been set largely by the United States and Europe. That handful of countries can no longer effectively make the decisions for the world on the pressing agenda of global issues: security, energy, environment, trade, finance, health, and migration. Yet the other institutions of global governance – international organisations, networks of government regulators, public-private partnerships, transnational civil society coalitions – remain underdeveloped and unrepresentative of Asia’s rising power.

Within this broad context, the Centre has mapped out two initial areas of research: the mechanisms of global governance, and energy governance. The Centre’s research on global governance investigates a variety of innovative approaches to managing global issues, including: transparency and information; the public roles of the private sector; and inter-governmental organisations. The energy governance programme examines the policies and institutions needed to bring about a shift to a more effective, efficient, and sustainable global energy system, with a focus on the role of Asia.

For more information on the Centre for Asia and Globalisation, please contact:

Mr Sung Lee

Director of External Relations and Special Projects

Centre on Asia and Globalisation (CAG)

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

National University of Singapore

Email: [email protected]

Founded in 1970, the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) is one of the few independent non-governmental organisations in the field of international affairs in Japan. It conducts programmes of exchange, research, and dialogue that bring together key figures from diverse sectors of society in Japan and overseas.

JCIE is dedicated to:

• promoting Japan’s engagement in the international community;
• encouraging thoughtful and collaborative analysis of critical issues in international affairs;
• strengthening civil society and enhancing its domestic and global contributions; and
• establishing, strengthening, and expanding networks of dialogue and cooperation.

Programmes are carried out in collaboration with many organizations around the world, and JCIE undertakes many of them in cooperation with its American affiliate, JCIE/USA, which is based in New York.

JCIE creates opportunities for informed policy discussions and does not take policy positions. It receives no government subsidies; rather, funding comes from private foundation grants, individual and corporate contributions, and contracts.

For more information on JCIE click here.

Since its founding in 1992 by Peter Hayes and Lyuba Zarsky, the Nautilus Institute has evolved into a thriving public policy think-tank and community resource. Along the way it has addresses critical security and sustainability issues such as the United States nuclear policy in Korea and the effect of the U.S.-China relationship of environmental insecurity. The Institute has built a reputation not only for innovative research and analysis of critical global problems. It also translates ideas into practical solutions, often with high impact.

The key to reducing global insecurity – in short, to making the world peaceful, equitable, and sustainable – lies in the creation of global civil society committees to joint problem-solving. The Nautilus community is a global network built around this strategy that serves thousands of people who already use our products every day to improve their own work in over fifty countries.
Over the last decade, the Institute has:

• Reduced the danger of nuclear war and proliferation in Korea by engaging cooperatively the DPRK in projects such as the Unhari wind turbine system that provides villagers with light at night.
• Provided a voice reason for U.S. nuclear policy in Korea with the publication of Pacific Powder keg and informed media and citizens in South Korea, Japan, and the United States about the risks of nuclear weapons.
• Increased the transparency and accountability of American nuclear weapons plans through the use of the Freedom of Information Act.
• Created a dialogue and network of energy experts from China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia, and the U.S. on energy security in the region.
• Increased US-China relationship by convening Chinese and American security, energy, and environmental experts to generate Scenarios for the Future of United States-China Relations 2001-2010.
• Published internationally acclaimed books and standard reference texts including Global Greenhouse Gas Regime, Who Pays? (1994), Peace and Security in Northeast Asia (1995), and Human Rights and the Environment: Conflicts and Norms in a Globalizing World (2002).
• Articulated ‘sustainable and ethical’ rules for international investment and applied these principles to Californian investment institutions.
• Enabled citizens to improve social corporate performance by producing “Whose Business?” and conducting trainings on human rights and the environment, especially in the high technology sector in California, India, Taiwan, and Thailand.
• Convened the first ever-scientific conference on the ecological and public health impacts of trans Pacific pollution transport from East Asia to North America.
• Informed public opinion by interviews given to CBS Evening News, Lehrer News Hour, CNN, regular commentary on National; Public Radio’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered and global media including BBC, Australian Broadcasting Commission and Radio Free Asia; written opens in Newsweek, San Francisco Chronicle, Korea Times (Seoul), Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo); and profiles in papers such as LA Times, San Jose Mercury News.
• Increased environmental awareness and youth leadership by providing 2000 Bay Area youth with a marine environmental education curriculum and access to the San Francisco marine environment.

For more information on the Nautilus Institute click here.

Mission

NBR conducts advanced independent research on strategic, political, economic, globalization, health, and energy issues affecting U.S. relations with Asia. Drawing upon an extensive network of the world’s leading specialists and leveraging the latest technology, NBR bridges the academic, business, and policy arenas.

NBR disseminates its research through briefings, publications, conferences, Congressional testimony, and email forums, and by collaborating with leading institutions worldwide. NBR also provides exceptional internship opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students for the purposes of attracting and training the next generation of Asia specialists.

NBR’s Research

The National Bureau of Asian Research is committed to advanced independent research on issues affecting U.S. relations with Asia. Much of NBR’s research is undertaken by the world’s best specialists, working under contract on specific research projects. NBR develops research guidelines for these projects, but the specialists conduct independent research and reach independent conclusions, which are subject to peer review before publication.

Funding for NBR’s research comes from NBR itself, foundations, corporations, the U.S. Government, and individuals. NBR undertakes a small amount of contract work for public and private sector organizations, but always reserves the right to publish findings from such work. NBR does not undertake classified or proprietary research work.

History

The origins of The National Bureau of Asian Research date back to Senator Henry M. Jackson, who believed that an urgent need existed for an institution that could tap the nation’s best expertise to study Asia and Russia with U.S. national interests in mind. NBR was established in 1989 with major grants from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation and the Boeing Company, and both institutions continue to provide critical core support for the organization to this day.

Senator Jackson’s legacy shapes NBR’s essential values: integrity, honest, concern for people, loyalty, importance of foreign policy, integration of realism and idealism in foreign policy, importance of China and relations among the great powers, and the importance of bipartisanship in making policy.

NBR Project on Developing Disputed Maritime Energy Resources in Asia

The Need

Outstanding maritime sovereignty disputes are among the greatest potential threats to security in Asia. Given the complexity of the political, historic, legal, economic, and strategic factors at play, resolution of these boundary disputes has eluded claimant states. These complexities are compounded by mounting pressure to develop additional energy resources as global demand soars. It is thus essential to provide stakeholders with the analysis and policy tools to diffuse the prospect of conflict.

Approach

Led by Dr. Clive Schofield, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security, three research teams investigated case studies of maritime sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, East China Sea and Gulf of Thailand. These rising experts were primarily drawn from Asian institutions and employed a multidisciplinary approach incorporating the fields of law, energy and natural resources, economics, regional politics and security, and negotiation and conflict resolution. Dr. Schofield directed the teams’ efforts and integrated their results to produce project outcomes over the four year duration of the project, from 2009–2012. Additionally, three longstanding experts on maritime disputes in Asia served as advisors to the project. Through this collaborative effort, the project aimed to strengthen regional networks and develop capacity building mechanisms.

Impact

The research teams worked with key stakeholders to analyze the contours of the disputes, propose models for resolution and joint development, and disseminate research findings and recommendations. This included convening public and private regional workshops and conferences and publishing white papers and a final report. NBR engaged in ongoing consultations with key stakeholders throughout the project. Experts presented the final report, including analysis of the disputes and recommendations, to key stakeholders inside and outside the region.

Project Management

The National Bureau of Asian Research’s Economics and Trade Affairs (ETA) group managed this project. The ETA group leads NBR’s efforts to conduct ground-breaking policy research on the rising economic importance of Asia to the United States. The group focuses on issues related to energy, the environment, and natural resources; innovation; and developments in trade and investment relations. Ms. Meredith Miller, Vice President of Economics and Trade Affairs & Outreach, oversaw the project, and Ms. Stephanie Renzi, Project Director, managed the project. In this capacity, Ms. Renzi worked closely with the principal investigator, research teams, regional partners, stakeholders, and the MacArthur Foundation to ensure effective collaboration and long-term capacity building.

Project Experts

For more information on this project, please contact Ms. Stephanie Renzi ([email protected]) or visit www.nbr.org.

Strategic Foresight Group was established in 2002 to create new forms of intellectual capital. In a short span, it has created intellectual and political assets to draw input from all continents and deliver output to decision makers anywhere in the world.

We have advised governments around the world and produced scenarios and innovative policy concepts that have been discussed in august bodies including the Indian Parliament, the European Parliament, Oxford University, UK House of Commons, World Bank, the League of Arab States, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, World Economic Forum, Swedish Defence Commission, Global Futures Forum, Geneva Security Forum and others. Our research findings and views have been covered by the world media including BBC World Television, CNN, International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, New York Times, The Straits Times, Gulf News, Khaleej Times, Asahi Shimbun and almost all major newspapers in India and Pakistan.

Strategic Foresight Group undertakes forward-looking research in geopolitical, economic, technological and societal changes. Our research examines future trends and discontinuities in spaces where geopolitics intersects with business, economy, society, religion and technology. In addition to specific client-driven research projects, SFG also publishes public reports. Its publications includes reports on Global Security and Economy, 2011-2020, An Inclusive World: Where West, Islam and the Rest Have a Stake, Managing Global Challenges, and reports on the future of the Middle East, South Asia.

SFG launches initiatives for dialogue and policy change to address specific challenges. The initiatives are backed by innovative research and engage senior level policy makers who are most relevant to bring about a change. These may include cabinet ministers, members of legislature, advisers to Heads of Government, leaders of multilateral organisations, and leaders of business groups. SFG also engages in direct consultation with Heads of Government.

Since 2003, SFG has been involved in a complex initiative to address the deficit of trust between Western and Islamic countries. Since 2004, SFG has launched several initiatives to sensitise policy-makers in conflict zones about cost of conflicts. In the next few years, SFG is poised to launch initiatives in the areas of water security, emerging technologies and major global shifts.

For more information on Strategic Foresight Group please click here.