25 April 2024
Multilateral Matters – April 2024
The Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS) is thrilled to share the 51st issue of its quarterly newsletter, Multilateral Matters, with the theme The Future of Multilateralism Amidst Global Uncertainties.
Featured Commentary
In The Outlook for Multilateralism, Dr Kaewkamol Pitakdumrongkit discusses the three major structural factors — power distribution between states, power distribution between states and markets, and changing relationship between the economy and security — in the international system that is posing a challenge to multilateralism today. She explains how active participation from small and middle powers, and initiatives such as the UN Summit for the Future (SOTF) can help prepare the multilateral system for tackling future challenges and weathering future crises.
CMS Events
This issue also features insights from several esteemed guest speakers that the Centre hosted over the last quarter in its seminars and workshops:
- In The Return of Autarkic Thought, Dr Heribert Dieter from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs argued that autarky’s resurgence in international political discourse was spurred by an increasingly polarized and protectionist domestic political environment and the necessity to ramp up domestic manufacturing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In Hedging by Multiple Means? Middlepowership and the Bilateral-Multilateral Nexus in the Indo-Pacific, Dr Cheng-Chwee Kuik from the National University of Malaysia explored how minilateral alliances in the Indo-Pacific, including Quad and AUKUS, allow states to seek a nexus of multi-layered partnerships, adding to bilateral and multilateral relationships.
- On 29 February, CMS hosted its annual workshop with the theme Navigating Global Challenges: ASEAN’s Responses to the Changing Strategic Economic Landscape. Panellists from the academe, business, and policy sectors evaluated the prospects for ASEAN cooperation in the digital and green economies amidst the intensifying great power competition and the enactment of industrial policies.
The Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS) is thrilled to share the 51st issue of its quarterly newsletter, Multilateral Matters, with the theme The Future of Multilateralism Amidst Global Uncertainties.
Featured Commentary
In The Outlook for Multilateralism, Dr Kaewkamol Pitakdumrongkit discusses the three major structural factors — power distribution between states, power distribution between states and markets, and changing relationship between the economy and security — in the international system that is posing a challenge to multilateralism today. She explains how active participation from small and middle powers, and initiatives such as the UN Summit for the Future (SOTF) can help prepare the multilateral system for tackling future challenges and weathering future crises.
CMS Events
This issue also features insights from several esteemed guest speakers that the Centre hosted over the last quarter in its seminars and workshops:
- In The Return of Autarkic Thought, Dr Heribert Dieter from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs argued that autarky’s resurgence in international political discourse was spurred by an increasingly polarized and protectionist domestic political environment and the necessity to ramp up domestic manufacturing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In Hedging by Multiple Means? Middlepowership and the Bilateral-Multilateral Nexus in the Indo-Pacific, Dr Cheng-Chwee Kuik from the National University of Malaysia explored how minilateral alliances in the Indo-Pacific, including Quad and AUKUS, allow states to seek a nexus of multi-layered partnerships, adding to bilateral and multilateral relationships.
- On 29 February, CMS hosted its annual workshop with the theme Navigating Global Challenges: ASEAN’s Responses to the Changing Strategic Economic Landscape. Panellists from the academe, business, and policy sectors evaluated the prospects for ASEAN cooperation in the digital and green economies amidst the intensifying great power competition and the enactment of industrial policies.
