ISEAS Annual Report 2008-09.Pdf
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ISEAS ANNUAL REPORT 2008•09 ISEAS ANNUAL REPORT INSTITUTE OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES ANNUAL REPORT 2008•09 INSTITUTE OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace • Pasir Panjang Road • Singapore 119614 Telephone: 6778 0955 • Facsimile: 6778 1735 ISEAS homepage: http://www.iseas.edu.sg Front Cover: This trader’s despair at stocks plummeting is the very picture of Everyman in regional financial markets buffetted by the global economic crisis during 2008/09. The photograph on the cover continues ISEAS’ practice of identifying an iconic image that embodies a regional challenge. This challenge is also reflected in the ISEAS research agenda. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) A REGIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE DEDICATED TO THE STUDY OF SOCIO-POLITICAL, SECURITY, AND ECONOMIC TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND ITS WIDER GEOSTRATEGIC AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 00 AContent 08-09 p1-3.indd 1 6/20/09 9:33:40 AM 00 AContent 08-09 p1-3.indd 2 6/20/09 9:33:40 AM Contents Executive Summary 4 Mission Statement 8 Organizational Structure 9 International Advisory Panel (IAP) 12 Research Programmes and Activities 13 Public Affairs Unit 37 Publications Unit 40 Library 42 Administration 45 Computer Unit 46 Appendices 47 I Research Staff 48 II Visiting Researchers and Affiliates 53 III Fellowships and Scholarship Recipients 63 IV Public Lectures, Conferences, and Seminars 64 V New Publications by ISEAS, 2008–09 74 VI Donations, Grants, Contributions, and Fees Received 77 Audited Financial Statements 79 00 AContent 08-09 p1-3.indd 3 6/20/09 9:33:40 AM Executive Summary SEAS crossed an important milestone in in East Asia) were explored in a number of I FY2008/09 with the establishment of two seminars and a major ASEAN-Canada forum. new centres namely the ASEAN Studies Bilateral relations between certain regional Centre (ASC) and the Buddhist Studies and extra-regional countries were also Centre. examined. The ASC, launched by Prime Minister Lee The relevance and value of ISEAS’ policy- Hsien Loong on 21 July 2008 on the occasion related work was given recognition in a of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore global survey released in early 2009 by the reflected the importance of ASEAN-related “Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program” policy work at ISEAS. Supported by a start-up of the University of Pennsylvania which grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ranked ISEAS seventh out of 25 think-tanks the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the ASC is in Asia. An important aspect of the think-tank headed by former ASEAN Secretary-General role was the contribution made by ISEAS Mr Rodolfo C. Severino. Operational since researchers, research associates and visiting March 2008 the Centre actively engaged in fellows to public discourse on a wide range policy research and recommended measures of topical issues through opeds (a total of to assist ASEAN’s work in regional community 208 in the year) published in the national and building. Within a short time it developed international media. a programme of seminars, workshops and conferences and issued several reports on ISEAS also continued to expand its interests various aspects of regional integration, the as a traditional research institute. Its ASEAN Charter and ASEAN’s response to establishment in December 2008 of the the Cyclone Nargis, which carried policy Buddhist Studies Centre (subsequently recommendations for use by the ASEAN renamed as the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre) Secretariat, the ASEAN member states, with funding support by the Singapore academic institutions and scholars, the media Buddhist Lodge and the Ministry of Foreign and the general public. Affairs, facilitated a comprehensive study of the ways in which Asian (including Southeast Relations between ASEAN and its dialogue Asian) polities and societies interacted over partners (including Australia, the United time through religious, cultural and economic States, Canada, the EU and the major actors exchanges and diasporic networks. Headed 4 01 AExe.Sum p4-11IT.indd 4 8/5/09 5:05:16 PM Mr Lee Bock Guan, President of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, presenting a cheque for S$1 million to Professor Wang Gungwu, Chairman, ISEAS Board of Trustees as a donation for the establishment of the Buddhist Studies Centre (since renamed as the Nalanda- Sriwijaya Centre) at ISEAS on 10 December 2008. Witnessing the presentation are President S.R. Nathan and Ambassador K. Kesavapany, Director, ISEAS. by Dr Tansen Sen, the Centre organized an as public discourse on critical economic, inaugural conference in February 2009 on political and socio-cultural developments “Buddhism across Asia: Networks of Material, in the region and within regional states. Intellectual and Cultural Exchange”. It is At the national level key developments worthy of note that ISEAS was selected as an included the paradigm-shifting general affiliate institution for the planned Nalanda elections in Malaysia; questioning of the University. future of Malaysia’s New Economic Policy; elections and post-coup political turmoil At the same time ISEAS pursued (through in Thailand; unrest in the Thai south; the its three core programmes) research into quickening pace towards general elections in and provided avenues for analysis as well Indonesia as well as the dynamics between 5 01 AExe.Sum p4-11IT.indd 5 8/5/09 5:05:21 PM Islam and politics in the country; leadership other issues, extensively covered in the succession and economic development in flagship Regional Outlook Forum (ROF) held Vietnam. These and many other country on 7 January 2009. ISEAS followed up with issues were covered in several seminars, a forum in October 2008, on the causes and conferences and publications during the year. implications of the global financial meltdown ISEAS researchers published two books on and published a report on the implications Malaysian politics — one on the March 2008 of the global financial crisis for ASEAN. The general election and the other on the arrested financial crisis also re-focused attention on reforms of Abdullah Badawi. the problem of poverty in the region. In March 2009 ISEAS organized a conference and a The 2008 Regional Strategic and Political public seminar on the theme of “Poverty, Development (RSPD) Forum provided a Food and Global Recession in Southeast platform for a discussion of key regional Asia”. developments under the rubric “Democracy, Crisis Management and the New Regionalism In the run up to the APEC Summit in in Southeast Asia”. The Regional Social Singapore in 2009 and commemoration of and Cultural Studies programme explored APEC’s 20th Anniversary, the APEC Studies developments in the intersection between Centre at ISEAS began preparatory work for religion and politics in a regional context a major conference and publication reviewing through a conference, in collaboration with the the work of the mega-regional forum. It NUS on the Sufi Movement in Contemporary launched its series of activities with a public Islam. Another conference looked at “Religion seminar on “APEC: Relevant or Passé?” in Southeast Asian Politics: Resistance, Negotiation and Transcendence”. Reflecting Multi-disciplinary research and discourse at its interests in ethnic communities in the ISEAS were sustained. Work on population region, ISEAS organized with the Institute dynamics and development focused largely of Ethnic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan on the collection of data and estimation of Malaysia an international workshop on Sikhs population movements in the region with in multicultural Southeast Asia. special reference to Indonesia and the financing of ageing communities in Southeast The unfolding global financial crisis which Asia. The environment and climate change began to catch up with the region was among cluster hosted several seminars on a range of 6 01 AExe.Sum p4-11IT.indd 6 8/5/09 5:05:23 PM issues from freshwater scarcity and security, 800 strong audience on 12 August 2008. The the regional implications of the geopolitics of Outreach Programme for University Students climate change to carbon footprints and the (OPUS) was a new initiative which sought to ecological credit crunch. It also organized a engage students from foreign institutes of workshop (jointly with the Institute of Oriental higher learning. and Asian Studies, Bonn University) on the oil palm controversy in transnational perspective. A bumper crop of 67 ISEAS publications were The human security and development cluster recorded in 2008/09. One book received an conducted a workshop looking at disaster award for new business model for electronic management in the context of the Cyclone publishing while another received an award Nargis. Energy issues addressed included for non-fiction at the Asian Publishing Singapore’s energy policies; hydrogen Convention 2008. A third book was nominated combustion technology; Asian oil, gas and for the ICAS Book Prize 2009 Social Sciences coal as well as energy efficiency. The Energy Longlist to be awarded in August 2009. Studies Cluster also continued work on two books on energy issues. On gender studies, The ISEAS Library recorded an addition of research focus shifted to women and politics 409 registered new users while the in-house and the health and social dimensions of use of its collection increased by about 8 per vulnerable groups of women. cent over the previous year. The hit rate of the library’s website grew by 6 per cent over ISEAS had a hectic year of briefings, the previous year. The library mounted three roundtable discussions and public lectures. major book exhibitions in connection with A total of 57 foreign delegations were briefed high profile ISEAS events. on a wide range of regional issues and developments. A high point was the 29th Going by existing trends the rest of FY2009/10 Singapore Lecture by visiting Australian promises to be another busy and challenging Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who addressed an year at ISEAS. 7 01 AExe.Sum p4-11IT.indd 7 8/5/09 5:05:26 PM Mission Statement he Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) other researchers in the networking process by T was established as an autonomous serving as a centre that provides a congenial and organization in 1968.