RSIS held a book launch for Asian Military Evolutions: Civil-Military Relations in Asia, edited by Dr Alan Chong, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Multilateralism Studies, and Associate Professor Nicole Jenne of the Pontifical Catholic University in Santiago, Chile, on 29 May. Published by Bristol University Press earlier this year, the book’s theme of Asian military evolutions addresses both deliberate and accidental political efforts to defuse disputes between civilian politicians and military leaders over the operation of political order, and builds on innovative attempts to treat Civil-Military Relations (CMR) as a productive field for defence diplomacy and Military Operations Other than War (MOOTW).

In a blurb for the book, Professor Thomas Bruneau from the US Naval Postgraduate School, commented: “This impressive collection of case studies demonstrates clearly that civil-military relations in Asia diverge substantially from Western models, thereby requiring understanding of the unique historical and cultural bases of politics and society”. Indeed, the book features a comprehensive selection of cases, covering the whole of Asia, including Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and South Asia. Many RSIS staff contributed chapters to this edited volume.

At the book launch, a panel comprising many of the chapter authors, including Dr Gregory Raymond from the Australian National University, and other RSIS staff such as, Dr Chang Jun Yan, Dr Adhi Priamarizki, Dr James Char, and Mr David Han, discussed the book. There was a robust exchange between the panel and the audience. The session was opened by Mr Adrian Tan, Deputy Director of IDSS, while Dr Alistair Cook chaired the session, with Associate Professor Anit Mukherjee serving as the panel discussant.