About the book

Humanitarianism in the Asia-Pacific: Engaging the Debate in Policy and Practice offers insights of the international humanitarian system, considering what constitutes humanitarianism in Asia-Pacific, and how it shapes policy and practice in the region and globally. It adds to the conversation on reforming the global humanitarian system by providing the space to share perspectives on humanitarian action from our place in the world. The authors answer these questions by focusing on a range of issues from national to sectoral perspectives to relations between ‘traditional’ and ‘emerging’ players, concluding that the dynamics of the humanitarian system from the perspectives of the Asia-Pacific are rooted in their localized experiences and built outwards. The first significant trend is that understandings of humanitarianism in the Asia-Pacific are primarily shaped by the experience of disasters at home. Second, national governments play a dominant role in humanitarian affairs in the region. Finally, the humanitarian landscape in the Asia-Pacific constitutes a diverse yet under-appreciated set of actors. This book is based on the RSIS Conference on Asia and the Humanitarian World held in 2019 in Singapore. It is relevant to students, scholars, practitioners and policymakers with an interest in humanitarian assistance, disaster management, strategic studies and international relations in Asia-Pacific.

About the Editors

Alistair D. B. Cook is Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. His research interests focus geographically on the Asia-Pacific and Myanmar in particular and thematically on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), foreign policy and regional cooperation.

Lina Gong is Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, RSIS. Her research interests include non-traditional security studies in East Asia, humanitarian studies, China’s foreign policy, and global governance. She has published journal articles and book chapters on non-traditional security issues in Asia, China’s engagement in humanitarian affairs and China-Southeast Asia relations.

Christopher Chen is an Associate Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, RSIS. He currently specialises in the area of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. He obtained a Master of International Relations and a Bachelor of Arts (Media & Communication and Politics & International Studies) from the University of Melbourne (UniMelb), Australia. He currently specialises in the area of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Tiola was a Senior Analyst at the Indonesia Programme, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), RSIS. Her research mainly covers Indonesia’s foreign policy, civil-military relations, and the modernization of the Indonesian Military. She obtained an M.Sc degree in Strategic Studies in 2016 from RSIS. Her publications have appeared in various outlets, including The National Interest, The Diplomat, and The Jakarta Post.

Keoni Marzuki is an Associate Research Fellow at the Indonesia Programme, IDSS, RSIS. His research covers Indonesia’s defence policy, civil-military relations and the Indonesian military (TNI). His publications have appeared in The Jakarta Post, East Asia Forum and the Pacific Forum’s PacNet Commentary. He recently co-authored The Army and Ideology in Indonesia: From Dwifungsi to Bela Negara with Muhamad Haripin (LIPI) and Adhi Priamarizki (RSIS), which was published by Routledge in 2020.

Julius Cesar I. Trajano is Research Fellow at the NTS Centre, RSIS. He is also presently a member of the leadership team of the International Nuclear Security Education Network and the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific- Nuclear Energy Experts Group. Mr Trajano conducts policy research studies and has publications on non-traditional security issues, particularly on nuclear security and safety governance in the Asia-Pacific, peacebuilding, and human trafficking. Among his latest publications include “Bottom-up peacebuilding: role of grassroots and local actors in the Mindanao peace process “(Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, 2020) and “The Future of Nuclear Security in the Asia-Pacific: Expanding the Role of Southeast Asia” (International Journal of Nuclear Security, 2020).

About the Discussant

Caroline Brassard is Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. Her current research focuses on aid governance in Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Vietnam, comparing policies to alleviate poverty and reduce inequalities, Bhutan’s development based on Gross National Happiness and the development policy lessons from the Post-Tsunami reconstruction in Aceh, Indonesia.

Closing Remarks

Alex Westcott Campbell is a Senior Publishing Editor at Springer, based in Singapore. She handles books acquisitions across the humanities and social sciences, working with editors and authors based in, or with research focused on, Southeast and East Asia. She commissions monographs, edited volumes, handbooks and major reference works, and oversees several interdisciplinary book series.