The ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore welcomed Hon. Enrique A. Manalo, Undersecretary for Policy at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines, to share his views on the highlights of the Philippines’ Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2017.
ASEAN LECTURE SERIES
About the Lecture
As one of ASEAN’s founding fathers, it was an honor for the Philippines to serve as Chair of ASEAN in 2017, a milestone year when the Association marked its 50th anniversary. With its theme of “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World” the Philippines aimed at championing positive change in the lives of ordinary ASEAN citizens within and outside the region, and promoting cooperation with and among neighbors and ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners, through six thematic priorities that served as beacons throughout 2017. The Philippines’ Chairmanship of ASEAN achieved a number of outcomes that gave flesh and substance to the country’s theme and thematic priorities and helped advance ASEAN community-building.
About the Speaker
His Excellency Enrique A. Manalo is Undersecretary for Policy at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines. In this capacity, he was the Philippines’ ASEAN SOM Leader when the country chaired ASEAN in 2017. Mr. Manalo is a distinguished career diplomat, having served in the Philippines’ missions in Geneva, New York, Brussels, and London. Prior to his appointment as Undersecretary, Mr. Manalo was the Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva from 2003 to 2007, then Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium (2010 to 2011) and later the United Kingdom from 2011 to 2016. He was the Philippines’ Sherpa for the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, and co-led negotiations with the EU for the Philippines-EU Partnership Cooperation Agreement. Mr. Manalo earned his BA and MA degrees in Economics from the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
Registration
For registration, please fill in this form and email to ascevents@iseas.edu.sg by 12 January 2018.
ASEAN LECTURE SERIES
About the Lecture
At its mid-century mark, ASEAN finds itself in need of a dose of fresh ideas to rejuvenate the regional project and its economic rationale for regional stability. ASEAN’s trajectory inevitably finds an overlap with that of one of its founding members and a key proponent of regional responses to global challenges: Indonesia. Indonesia is – and has always been – a key node in ASEAN’s axis. But Indonesia’s commitment to, and efforts for, its ASEAN priorities has not lingered in discussions within or outside the country in recent years. This ASEAN Lecture will hear a perspective on some of Indonesia’s core rationale for its ASEAN engagement and on how Indonesia has responded to, and promoted changes in ASEAN, and worked within ASEAN to respond to regional and global changes.
About the Speaker
Dr Raden Mohammad Marty Muliana Natalegawa, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Indonesia, is currently an Asia Society Policy Institute Distinguished Fellow. Dr Natalegawa’s distinguished career in foreign affairs spans various appointments at home and abroad since 1986, including Director-General for ASEAN Cooperation, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations in New York, and Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Court of St. James and to Ireland. Dr Natalegawa earned his Doctor of Philosophy from The Australian National University, a Master of Philosophy from Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Foreign Policy has included Dr Natalegawa among its 2013 list of 500 most influential individuals.
Registration
To register, please complete the attached registration form and e-mail ascevents@iseas.edu.sg.
ASEAN STUDIES CENTRE SEMINAR
About the Seminar
President Trump is expected to make his first visit to Asia in November 2017 for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, East Asia Summit (EAS) and bilateral meetings with leaders of regional countries. This seminar offers one American perspective prior to the visit on the continuities and divergences between the Obama and Trump Administrations regarding Southeast Asia, developments in U.S.-Southeast Asia relations during the first nine months of the Trump Administration and the prospects for U.S. bilateral and multilateral ties with Southeast Asia. It argues that there are clear differences (and uncertainties) regarding the Trump Administration versus the Obama Administration’s approaches to Southeast Asia. However, the weight and diversity of American interests in Southeast Asia remains a constant, and the Trump Administration has pursued active ties with regional countries. Key unknowns that remain include the relative balance between key drivers of U.S.-Southeast Asia ties as well as between diplomacy/defense and trade/investment elements of ties.
Dr. Limaye will also discuss the findings from the latest edition of ASEAN Matters for America/America Matters for ASEAN, a cooperative effort of the East West Center, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and the US-ASEAN Business Council.
About the Speaker
Dr. Satu Limaye is Director, East West Center in Washington, Senior Advisor, CNA Corporation, and Creator & Director of AsiaMattersforAmerica.org. His recent U.S.-Southeast Asia publications include: Why ASEAN is Here to Stay and What That Means for the U.S. (2016), Signs are Taken for Wonders: The Trump Administration and Southeast Asia (2017), From ‘Peak’ to ‘Plateau’ in U.S.-ASEAN Relations (forthcoming), ASEAN is Neither the Problem Nor Solution to South China Sea Disputes (forthcoming). Dr. Limaye covers a range of U.S.-Asia Pacific international relations issues. He is a graduate of Georgetown and Oxford Universities where he was a George C. Marshall Scholar.
Registration
For registration, please fill in this form and email to ascevents@iseas.edu.sg by 25 September 2017.
In celebration of ASEAN’s 50th anniversary this year, the ASEAN Studies Centre is dedicating the 32nd ASEAN Roundtable to the review of ASEAN’s achievements and lessons over the past five decades, and an assessment of what the future of regional cooperation will be in the years ahead. With the forward-looking theme of “ASEAN at 50: Charting Our Future Together”, the one-day Roundtable will be convened in Singapore on 2 October 2017.
This year’s Roundtable is also a by-invitation event.
Participants are expected to attend the Roundtable’s proceedings in its entirety.
Registration has closed.
Click here for the programme details.
ASEAN LECTURE SERIES
About the Lecture
When the ASEAN Charter was signed on 20 November 2007, analysts and observers of ASEAN hailed it as the beginning of a new era in the history of the regional organization. For forty years, ASEAN had overcome one existential crisis after another. When the Cold War ended, ASEAN did not fade away as some had predicted. Instead, ASEAN welcomed its former adversaries into the family. In 2004, ASEAN decided that it needed a Charter in order to strengthen its institutions and the rule of law. In his lecture, Prof. Koh will give a brief history of the making of the Charter, explain why he considers the Charter as a revolutionary document, and review the various suggestions to amend the Charter.
About the Speaker
Tommy KOH is currently Ambassador-At-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Special Adviser to the Institute of Policy Studies; Rector of the Tembusu College and Chairman of the Governing Board of the Centre for International Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Law of NUS, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador to the United States of America, High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico. As chairman of the High Level Task Force from August to November 2007, Prof. Koh succeeded in bringing the drafting process to a conclusion in time for the 13th ASEAN Summit. In recognition of his achievements in steering diplomatic negotiations on bilateral and multilateral platforms, Harvard University conferred on him the Great Negotiator Award in 2014.
Registration
For registration, please fill in this form and email to ascevents@iseas.edu.sg by 2 August 2017.
ASEAN STUDIES CENTRE
CONFERENCE ON
THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT: ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ASEAN
About the Conference
On 1 June 2017, US President Donald Trump announced that the “United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord” and that his administration would seek new negotiations that are “fair” to the US. Mr Trump’s predecessor, Mr Barack Obama, had committed to the landmark Paris Agreement together with China’s President Xi Jinping in September 2016, boosting the threshold for the Paris Agreement to enter into force, which it did on 4 November 2016. It is timely to assess the implications of the US withdrawal, although its full weight and force be manifested a few years down the road. Some analyse that US withdrawal may dampen developing countries’ efforts in combating climate change, while others posit that the US might have done more damage inside the Paris Agreement than outside it.
ISEAS is convening a conference to discuss the changes and challenges for ASEAN countries in light of the Paris commitments and the US move. The ten ASEAN member states are signatories to the Paris Agreement, and nine have ratified it. The conference sessions will discuss:
(a) The impact of climate change in the region
(b) Economic costs and opportunities
(c) Impact of US’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on ASEAN countries
(d) Country perspectives: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
Programme
The Conference programme is attached here for your information.
Registration
For registration, please fill in this form and email to ascevents@iseas.edu.sg by 26 July 2017.
ASEAN STUDIES CENTRE SYMPOSIUM:
UPDATES ON THE ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY
About the Symposium
There was considerable public discussion and dialogue on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in the few years preceding the launch of the AEC in 2015. In contrast, there has been very little public information on the progress made in economic integration in ASEAN since then, even though the AEC is very much a community in the making. At the same time, global uncertainties have heightened with an increasing possibility of a retreat from regional trade agreements towards bilateral arrangements while multilateral liberalization remains at a standstill. ASEAN’s external environment is filled with unfolding events such as Trump’s policies, the Brexit and China’s on-going restructuring efforts that may impact both global and regional growth. Integration efforts have to deepen in order for the region to tap on it’s potential to grow and to withstand exogenous shocks that may emerge due to increasing uncertainties. In the light of all these developments, ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute is organizing a one-day symposium entitled ‘Updates on the ASEAN Economic Community’. The event will bring together government representatives, academia, as well as the private sector to share perspectives, knowledge, and experience in regional economic cooperation and integration within the context of the AEC.
Programme
The Symposium programme is attached here for your information.
Registration
For registration, please fill in this form and email to ascevents@iseas.edu.sg by 25 July 2017.
ASEAN LECTURE SERIES
About the Lecture
In 2017, Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, ASEAN its 50th anniversary, and the ASEAN-Canada Dialogue Partnership its 40th year. Its longstanding partnership with ASEAN has provided a solid anchor for Canada to sustain its footprint in the constantly changing architecture of Asia-Pacific. Going forward, questions remain about the future of ASEAN as well as the place of Canada not only in the world but also Asia. With Canada’s foreign policy being pulled in all vectors – the US at its south, Europe across the Atlantic and Asia on the other side of the Pacific – Canada will have to reassess what its priorities are as it reaches this important milestone. Ultimately, both ASEAN and Canada should see value in enhancing their partnership into the future as the world’s centre of gravity shifts decidedly towards Asia.
About the Speaker
Richard Stubbs is Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of Political Science at McMaster University in Canada. He was Academic Adviser to the Canada-ASEAN Centre and has been a long-time observer of ASEAN affairs. He has published widely on security, regional political economy and region building in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific regions. His books include Hearts and Minds in Guerrilla Warfare: The Malayan Emergency 1948-1960 (Oxford), Rethinking Asia’s Miracle Economy (Palgrave Macmillan). He has also co-edited three editions of Political Economy and the Changing Global Order with Geoffrey R.D. Underhill (Oxford) and Theorizing Southeast Asian Relations with Amitav Acharya (Routledge) and The Routledge Handbook of Asian Regionalism with Mark Beeson (Routledge).
Registration
For registration, please fill in this form and email to ascevents@iseas.edu.sg by 27 June 2017.
REGIONAL STRATEGIC & POLITICAL STUDIES PROGRAMME
AND ASEAN STUDIES CENTRE
AND ASEAN STUDIES CENTRE
About the Seminar
The Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998 awakened a decade of vibrant scholarly and political debate touting East Asian regionalism as “inevitable and necessary”. Today, however, the prospect of regionalism seems to have lost its luster in favour of a darker regional narrative. Has the heyday of East Asian regionalism and ASEAN’s vision of an emerging Asian community now come to pass? This presentation explores the declining policy and scholarly narrative of Asian regionalism since 2011 within the broader context of Asian security trends. Until recently, discussion of East Asia’s future vacillated between two different narratives: one marked by robust economic growth, increased interdependence, and the growth of Asian regionalism, and the other characterized by increased tensions, rising military budgets, and slower economic growth with conflict looming on the horizon. Since 2011, however, the discourse has shifted in favour of the latter narrative, casting a pall over the future of Asian regionalism. In particular, perceptions of China’s increasing assertiveness have resulted in a turn to more pragmatic interpretations of Asian regionalism defined by power balancing and institutional complexity. Thus, if ASEAN remains the driver of East Asian regionalism, China holds the key to further integration.
About the Speaker
Andrew I. Yeo is Associate Professor of Politics and Director of Asian Studies at The Catholic University of America. He is the author of Activists, Alliances, and Anti-U.S. Base Protests (Cambridge University Press, 2011). Dr Yeo is currently completing two book projects: the first explores the evolution of East Asia’s institutional architecture from 1945 to the present. The second is a co-edited volume titled Living in an Age of Mistrust (forthcoming with Routledge Press). His other research has appeared in International Studies Quarterly, European Journal of International Relations, Perspectives on Politics, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Comparative Politics, and Journal of East Asian Studies among others. He is the principal investigator of a two-year Korea Foundation sponsored project on North Korean human rights discourse and transnational advocacy. Dr Yeo is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies, and was a Mansfield Foundation U.S.-Korea Scholar-Policymaker Nexus Fellow in 2013-2014. He received his Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University in 2008 and a BA magna cum laude in Psychology and International Studies from Northwestern University.
Registration
For registration, please fill in this form and email to iseasevents2@iseas.edu.sg by 12 June 2017.