Documents

IS207 International Relations (Theories and Approaches)


Main textbook: Jackson, R., & Sorensen, G. (2013). Introduction to International Relations: Theories and approaches (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Download here

Handouts:
Chapter I: Why study International Relations? Download here

Chapter II: IR as an Academic Subject Download here

Chapter III: Realism Download here

Chapter IV: Liberalism Download here


Major assignment guide download here


Additional video/reading materials (only for academic purposes):
(1) What is neo-liberalism? How does it relate to globalization? (We will learn more in chapter 4) Read here

(2) Has realism got the big things right? Read here

(3) The tale of a realism in international relations Read here 

(4) Carr vs. Morgenthau on political realism Read here 

(5) Can China rise peacefully? John Mearsheimer's theory of great power relations (video) Watch here 

(6) International Relations Theory for the 21st century: An Introduction Download here 

(7) The Letters of Machiavelli Download here 





IS307 Comparative Politics


(To download textbooks and supplementary reading materials, go to "IS307")


Major assignment guide download here


Lecture slides (some chapters are taught without the slides, so textbook(s) is compulsory)
Introduction Chapter (1): What is politics? Download here

Introduction Chapter (2): Politics and States Download here

Chapter 2-3: Democracy and Democratization: Transition from Authoritarianism Download here






Summary of 2014 CSCAP Activities

I. Introduction
Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP) was formally established on 08 June 1993 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On 16 December 1993, CSCAP Charter was adopted at a meeting of the Steering Committee Pro Tem in Lombok, Indonesia, and was subsequently amended in August 1995. Its membership has substantially grown since its inception in 1993, now consisting of 21 full members from different countries, such as Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Japan, DPR Korea, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, United States of America and Vietnam and one associate member (Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat)[1].

In 2014, four main memorandums of the Council specifically focus on (1) the Enhancement of Water Security in Asia Pacific; (2) Safety and Security of Vital Undersea Communications Infrastructure; (3) Maritime Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs), Trust and Managing Incidents at Sea; and (4) Towards an Effective Regional Security Architecture for the Asia Pacific.

As of June 2014, there were three main CSCAP Study Groups concerning (1) Countering the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD SG) in Asia Pacific; (2) Principles for Good Order at Sea; and (3) Regional Security in Asia Pacific region.
 
II. Specific 2014 CSCAP Activities

January 2014
A memorandum No.23 from the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP) on Enhancing Water Security in Asia Pacific particularly focuses on risk factors, approaches to mitigating the risks and recommendations for the governments in Asia Pacific region to build up regional cooperation on water security. The potential risk factors or threats to water security in the region are both man-made causes and natural disasters. The recommendations to enhance regional water security includes promoting inter-regional cooperation, improving regulatory and institutional frameworks, engaging and empowering the people, improving transparency, and working cooperatively toward a code of conduct on water security among participating countries.

February 2014
On18-19 February 2014, the second meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Maritime Security at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta, Indonesia, Indonesia, was co-chaired by CSCAP Singapore, CSCAP Indonesia and CSCAP New Zealand. This meeting was attended by 25 participants from 14 countries, and its findings would supplement the recommendations from the previous Study Group meeting by focusing on the absence of trust needed to underpin confidence-building measures in Asia Pacific and a need for the region to prepare for crisis prevention, mitigation and management. The Study Group aimed to propose specific crisis prevention and management measures that CSCAP could recommend to the Track I level.

May 2014
A memorandum No.24 from the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP) on Safety and Security of Vital Undersea Communications Infrastructure proposes measures for moving forward at a regional level to protect submarine cables, reduce the risks to cables, and improve repair responses to damaged cables when faults occur. The proposed areas of action of the Council are contingency planning at regional level and cooperation to develop best practice guidelines. It also includes recommendations for action, such as actions by states, regional cooperation and future study to ensure the security of undersea communication infrastructure.

07 June 2014
The 18th meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Countering the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD SG) in Asia Pacific was held in Tokyo, Japan, on 07 July 2014, back-to-back with the 6th ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Nonproliferation and Disarmament (ARF ISM/NPD). It brought together approximately 60 participants from 19 countries from throughout the Asia Pacific and beyond, including several ISM/NPD participants and Pacific Forum CSIS Young Leaders. All attended in their private capacities. The meeting examined recent developments in nonproliferation and disarmament, the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process, implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540, and the role of strategic trade controls and the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).

June 2014
A memorandum No.25 from the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP) on Maritime Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs), Trust and Managing Incidents at Sea focuses on the CBMs at the political, operational and technical level. At political level, the continued work of a series of political CBMs includes (1) the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia; (2) the Declaration of Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea; (3) the ASEAN Regional Forum; (4) the ASEAN Maritime Forum and Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum; and (5) the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting. The operational level consists of functional cooperation, regional incident-at-sea agreement, code for unplanned encounters at sea (CUES) and pan-regional coast guard forum. At technical level, participating countries should enhance maritime situational awareness (MSA) and establish direct communication links and hotlines. This memorandum also includes specific recommendation to promote political CBMs, maritime situational awareness as well as the hotlines among those participating countries.

June 2014
A CSCAP’s memorandum No.26 on Towards an Effective Regional Security Architecture for the Asia Pacific to review the regional security architecture and offer recommendations to strengthen and improve on the existing regional security arrangements and processes. This memorandum addresses two main problems: the disconnection between economic and security processes and the problems associated with exiting regional security frameworks. The recommendations are strengthening ASEAN, enhancing the management of multilateral processes and promoting the roles of the East Asia Summit (EAS) and of the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP) so as to enhance an approach to regional security architecture that consolidates existing institutions and processes rather than creating new ones.
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Further information about CSCAP activity details can be obtained from CSCAP’s official website www.cscap.org.



[1] CSCAP Member Committees and their contact details at the CSCAP’s official website: http://www.cscap.org/index.php?page=member-committees-page

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