“Promoting Regional Stability amid Geopolitical Upheavals” was the theme of the RSIS-GRIPS webinar held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024.
It was co-organised by RSIS and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Japan.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong highlighted some of the major upheavals that have confronted the global order and the Indo-Pacific region in the past decade. He underscored the critical importance for countries in the Indo-Pacific to uphold regional peace and stability by expanding and deepening the scope of cooperation at various levels – through institutions or peoples and across different sectors or domains of expertise.
Two distinguished speakers presented at the webinar. Professor Ken Jimbo, Professor of International Relations at Keio University and Managing Director of International House of Japan, traced the evolution of the Indo-Pacific region’s US-led security networks from a “hub-and-spokes” model to a “lattice-like” security network. He explained that regional security architecture in the Indo-Pacific should be examined in the context of a three-tiered regional security framework, comprising the US-led network of alliances and partnerships, regional functional cooperation networks, as well as region-wide cooperation networks through ASEAN-led institutions and other sub-regional groupings.
Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, NTU President’s Chair in International Relations and Security Studies, and Associate Dean (International Engagement) and Head of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies at RSIS; described the Indo-Pacific as a flashpoint where small provocations and brinkmanship could lead to unintended conflicts. She emphasised the continuing relevance of ASEAN and ASEAN-led institutions in the promotion of regional peace and stability and suggested that ASEAN focused on developing the region’s capacity for conflict prevention and crisis management.
Dr Sinderpal Singh, Senior Fellow and Assistant Director of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at RSIS, moderated the Q&A session that was held following the presentations. The questions raised at the session were wide-ranging. Participants posed questions related to the impact of Japan’s incoming new leadership on regional security, ASEAN’s role in the regional architecture amidst the emergence of minilaterals such as the Quad and AUKUS, and the growing interest of some ASEAN member states in BRICS, ASEAN’s response to the Myanmar crisis and the South China Sea, as well as Japan’s perspectives on the China-Russia alignment and their implications for regional security.
The webinar concluded with closing remarks from Professor Narushige Michishita, Executive Vice President and Professor of National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) and Director of Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS), Japan, as well as Ambassador Ong.
Watch the webinar here:
