Launch of the Asia Security Initiative
Asia:NZ's research director, Dr Andrew Butcher, reports on the launch of the Asia Security Initiative (ASI). Involving 27 institutions across the Asia-Pacific, the ASI aims to develop new ideas for fostering peace and security and nurturing a new generation of leaders who will cooperate to overcome the security challenges of tomorrow.
While in Singapore recently I was invited to attend the launch of the US$68-million-dollar seven-year Asia Security Initiative funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. A network of 27 institutions from around the Asia-Pacific, the ASI is led by three principal bodies: the Centre for International and Strategic Studies at Peking University, China; the East Asia Institute, South Korea; and the S. Rajaratanam School of International Studies, Singapore. Each of these has responsibility for three major research areas: regional security cooperation; Northeast Asia; and internal challenges.
The ASI has two principal aims: it will help Asian policy research institutions to strengthen their capacity in working with their counterparts across the globe to develop new ideas for fostering peace and security. It will also support a new mid-career fellowship program, the Asia Security Emerging Leaders Program, which will begin in 2010, to nurture a new generation of leaders who will cooperate to overcome the security challenges of tomorrow.
Partner institutions will look at specific issues according to their expertise, develop their research capability and recommend policies on the most pressing security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region. No New Zealand institutions are involved, though New Zealanders based at the Australian National Unviersity (ANU) are involved, as is Dr David Capie, from Victoria University of Wellington, in collaboration with RSIS. The Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney is the only other Australian institution involved.
The Initiative also has a blog www.asiasecurity.macfound.org/blog as well as a regularly updated news feed www.asiasecurity.macfound.org/news
