S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (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 one of modern Singapore's pioneering leaders, the late Mr. S. Rajaratnam, who held various Cabinet appointments until his retirement.
Constituents of the school include
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 “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.
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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 organises seminars and conferences on these topics.
When RSIS was created on 1 January 2007 IDSS remained a security-research focused institute within the School and teaching functions were taken over by the School.[2]
Research at RSIS covers a wide spectrum of security and strategic issues, organised into four interlinking areas:
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 shares its research findings with the strategic studies and defence policy communities through workshops, conferences, articles in refereed journals and frequent analyses of contemporary events through the RSIS Commentary series.
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.
RSIS Master of Science programme offers advanced education to professionals from both the private and public sectors in Singapore and overseas in four specializations: the Master of Science in Strategic Studies, the Master of Science in International Relations,the Master of Science in International Political Economy and the Master of Science in Asian Studies. The school also offers double-degree programmes in collaboration with the University of Warwick and the Nanyang Business School at NTU.
The RSIS Doctoral programme was established in 2006 and awards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy for research in the areas of study of the institute.
In addition to these graduate programmes, the School also teaches modules in courses conducted by the SAFTI Military Institute, SAF Warrant Officer School, Civil Defence Academy, and the Defence and Home Affairs Ministries.
RSIS convenes workshops, seminars and colloquia on aspects of international relations and security development that are of contemporary and historical significance. The School’s activities include public lectures, Colloquium on Strategic Trends in the 21st Century, the annual Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO), the Asia Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO), the biennial Asia Pacific Security Conference and the Singapore Global Dialogue.
RSIS staff participate in Track II security dialogues and scholarly conferences in the Asia-Pacific. The School has participated in research projects funded by the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. It also serves as the Secretariat for the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP), Singapore.