Abstract
The influence of think tanks has greatly increased in Asia. As a leading research and graduate teaching institution in strategic and international affairs, the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) works in both track one, official channels, and track two, unofficial channels. This chapter presents two concrete policy debates where RSIS was able to assist track-one diplomacy and influence the process of policy-making in Asia. The case studies focus on the preventive diplomacy agenda in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the policy debates around the future of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) beyond 2015. They illustrate the depth and breadth of research conducted at RSIS, ranging from traditional security to economic multilateralism. The discussion examines how RSIS succeeded in achieving policy influence in these two specific cases and analyzes how its own attributes and practices may have contributed in the process.
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Notes
- 1.
Peter M. Haas, “Introduction: Epistemic Communities and International Policy Coordination,” International Organization 46, no. 1 (Winter 1992): 1–35.
- 2.
The term “track two” was coined in 1981 by Joseph Montville, who was a US diplomat. He used the term in contrast to track-one diplomacy, which referred to diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts through the official channels of government. See James Notter and John McDonald, “Track Two Diplomacy: Nongovernmental Strategies for Peace,” USIA Electronic Journals 1, no. 19 (1996): 32–36.
- 3.
Haas, “Epistemic Communities.”
- 4.
Karthik Nachiappan, Enrique Mendizabal and Ajoy Datta, “Think Tanks in East and Southeast Asia: Bringing Politics Back into the Picture,” ODI Research and Policy in Development Paper (2010): 22.
- 5.
Established in 1967, the current members of ASEAN are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Current participants in the ARF include the ten ASEAN members, as well as Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and United States.
- 6.
ASEAN, “ARF Concept and Principles of Preventive Diplomacy,” ASEAN, May 17–18, 2001, http://www.asean.org/archive/arf/8ARF/SOM-Vietnam/Doc-6.pdf.
- 7.
ASEAN, “Joint Media Statement of the 20th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Retreat,” ASEAN, February 26–27, 2014, http://www.news.gov.sg/public/sgpc/en/media_releases/agencies/mti/press_release/P-20140227-1/AttachmentPar/0/file/MTI_pressrelease.pdf.
- 8.
Nay Pyi Taw, “Chairman’s Statement of the 24th ASEAN Summit: Moving Forward in Unity to a Peaceful and Prosperous Community,” ASEAN, May 11, 2014, http://www.asean.org/images/documents/24thASEANSummit/24th%20ASEAN%20Summit%20Chairman’s%20Statement.pdf.
- 9.
These think tanks were Institute of Policy Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia Development Research Institute; Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Indonesia); National Economic Research Institute (Lao PDR); Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; National ASEAN Free Trade Unit, Myanmar Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development (representative’s former affiliation, now retired); Philippine Institute for Development Studies; Singapore Institute of International Affairs; Thailand Development Research Institute; and Institute for East Sea Studies, The Development Academy of Vietnam.
- 10.
Sheldon W. Simon, “Evaluating Track II Approaches to Security Diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific: The CSCAP Experience,” The Pacific Review 15, no. 2 (2002): 167–200. In listing the four criteria, Simon cites Edward C. Luck, “Blue Ribbon Power: Independent Commissions and UN Reform,” International Studies Perspectives 1, no. 1 (2000): 89–104.
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Caballero-Anthony, M., Emmers, R., Robles, T., Teo, S. (2019). The Role of Think Tanks in Shaping Policy Debates in Asia: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. In: McGann, J.G. (eds) Think Tanks, Foreign Policy and the Emerging Powers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60312-4_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60312-4_14
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