S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

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S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (abbreviated RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was established on 1 January 2007. The school came about as an expansion of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), which was established in 1996.

The school is named after the late Mr. S. Rajaratnam who held various Cabinet appointments until his retirement. He was also one of Singapore’s founding fathers and well respected as a visionary diplomat and strategic thinker.

Constituents of RSIS include

the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies
the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR),
the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS),
the Asian Programme for Negotiation and Conflict Management (APNCM).

RSIS claims to exist to "develop a community of scholars and policy analysts at the forefront of Asia-Pacific security studies and international affairs."^[1] The School's motto is to “Ponder the Improbable”. Its research, teaching and networking objectives are aimed at assisting policy makers to develop comprehensive approaches to strategic thinking in areas related to Singapore’s interests.

1 History
2 Research
3 Teaching
4 Networking
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) was established on 30 July 1996 by Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence.^[2] It was an autonomous research institute within the Nanyang Technological University.

Its stated objectives are to conduct research and provide general and graduate education in the area of national security, military technology and international relations. It also promotes joint and exchange programmes with similar regional and international institutions; and organise seminars and conferences on these topics.^{[citation needed]}

On 1 January 2007, RSIS was created, with IDSS becoming an institute within the School focusing on security research. The teaching functions were taken over by the School.^[2]

[edit] Research

Research at RSIS covers a wide spectrum of security and strategic issues. These are organised into programmes within three broad areas:

Asia-Pacific Security
Conflict and Non-traditional Security
Country and Area Studies

Research programmes within each area are able to benefit from the cross-fertilisation of ideas as many of the programmes are inter-linked. The appointment of staff, wherever appropriate, as Faculty Associates in each other's research programmes reinforces this multi-disciplinary approach. This informal arrangement with its many cross-linkages has contributed to the School’s fast-growing reputation as a centre for research in Asia-Pacific Security, Conflict and Non-traditional Security and in the study of the countries that matter in regional security and stability. The involvement of institutions and experts from around the world in RSIS’ research programmes is a testimony to the School’s international standing. These institutes include the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and individual experts from institutions such as Beijing University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, the University of Warwick, the London School of Economics, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the RAND Corporation, and Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.

RSIS seeks to share its research findings with the strategic studies and defence policy communities. The School’s researchers are also encouraged to publish their writings in refereed journals. The focus of research is on issues relating to the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and their implications for Singapore and other countries in the region. The School has also established the S. Rajaratnam Professorship in Strategic Studies (named after Singapore’s first Foreign Minister), to bring distinguished scholars to participate in the work of the Institute. Previous holders of the Chair include Professors Stephen Walt (Harvard University), Jack Snyder (Columbia University), Wang Jisi (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Alastair Iain Johnston (Harvard University) and John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago). A Visiting Research Fellow Programme also enables overseas scholars to carry out related research in the School.

[edit] Teaching

RSIS provides educational opportunities at an advanced level to professionals from both the private and public sectors in Singapore as well as overseas through graduate programmes, namely, the Master of Science in Strategic Studies, the Master of Science in International Relations and the Master of Science in International Political Economy. These programmes are conducted full-time and part-time by an international faculty. The School also has a Doctoral programme for research in these fields of study. In addition to these graduate programmes, the School also teaches various modules in courses conducted by the SAFTI Military Institute, SAF Warrant Officer School, Civil Defence Academy, and the Defence and Home Affairs Ministries. The Institute also runs a one-semester course on ‘The International Relations of the Asia Pacific’ for undergraduates in NTU.

[edit] Networking

RSIS convenes workshops, seminars and colloquia on aspects of international relations and security development that are of contemporary and historical significance. Highlights of the School’s activities include a regular Colloquium on Strategic Trends in the 21st Century, the annual Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO) and the biennial Asia Pacific Security Conference. RSIS staff participate in Track II security dialogues and scholarly conferences in the Asia-Pacific. RSIS has contacts and collaborations with many international think tanks and research institutes throughout Asia, Europe and the United States. The School has also participated in research projects funded by the Ford Foundation and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. It also serves as the Secretariat for the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP), Singapore. Through these activities, the School aims to develop and nurture a network of researchers whose collaborative efforts will yield new insights into security issues of interest to Singapore and the region.