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RSIS Commentaries are intended to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy relevant background and analysis of contemporary developments. The views of the author/s are their own and do not represent the official position of the S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced electronically or in print with prior permission from RSIS. Due recognition must be given to the author or author/s and the RSIS. Please email: RSISPublication@ntu.edu.sg or call 6790 6982 to speak to the Editor of RSIS Commentaries.

The RSIS Commentaries series serves as a platform for commentators on Asia who seek a global audience for opinions on issues that impact societies and states in the region and the world.

STRATEGIC CURRENTS: Marking the Transition to the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies,
Yang Razali Kassim (ed.), 2006

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	Latest Commentaries
	2009 November
	Obama’s America: Why it is likely to endure in Asia by Deepak Nair RSIS Commentary No. 115 Click here to download Commentary
	Counter Ideology: Role of Media Relations by Muhammad Haniff Hassan & Nur Azlin Mohamed Yasin RSIS Commentary No. 114 Click here to download Commentary
	Welcome to the Lion City, Mr. President:Perspective of two American Students in Singapore by Eric Sayers and Clint Lorimore RSIS Commentary No. 113 Click here to download Commentary
	Submarine Accidents in Asia: Preparing for the Worst by Kelvin Wong RSIS Commentary No. 112 Click here to download Commentary
	APEC at 20: Old Promises, New Challenges by Barry Desker RSIS Commentary No. 111 Click here to download Commentary
	The Armed Forces of Southeast Asia in 2020 by Bernard Loo RSIS Commentary No. 110 Click here to download Commentary
	Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia: Timor-Leste as a Staging Point by Loro Horta RSIS Commentary No. 109 Click here to download Commentary
	Future Soldier Systems: Promise or Hubris of the Network-centric Infantryman by Ong Weichong RSIS Commentary No. 108 Click here to download Commentary
	After Noordin Top: What Next for Indonesia? by V. Arianti RSIS Commentary No. 107 Click here to download Commentary
	UMNO General Assembly 2009: Najib in Charge by Raja Segaran Arumugam RSIS Commentary No. 106 Click here to download Commentary
	October
	The Rush for Survival: New Catharsis in Malaysian Politics? by Yang Razali Kassim RSIS Commentary No. 105 Click here to download Commentary
	The Fatal Allure of Extremist Logic: Syaifudin Zuhri and the July 17 Suicide Bombers by Sulastri Osman RSIS Commentary No. 104 Click here to download Commentary
	Free Trade and Globalisation: Boon or Bane for the Emerging World? by Wang Di and Ron Matthews RSIS Commentary No. 103 Click here to download Commentary
	The US and Myanmar: Moving into a New Phase by Alistair D. B. Cook RSIS Commentary No. 102 Click here to download Commentary
	The Inter-National Serviceman of the SAF: Citizen Soldiers in Overseas Missions by Ong Weichong RSIS Commentary No. 101 Click here to download Commentary
	Increased Risks at Sea? Global Shipping Downturn and Maritime Security by Sam Bateman RSIS Commentary No. 100 Click here to download Commentary
	Human Security: A Response to the Climate Security Debates by Lorraine Elliott RSIS Commentary No. 99 Click here to download Commentary
	Ketsana and its Aftermath: Lessons on Social Resilience by Kevin Punzalan RSIS Commentary No. 98 Click here to download Commentary
	September
	TYPHOON KESTANA: ASIA’S KATRINA by Mely Caballero-Anthony, Irene A. Kuntjoro & Sofiah Jamil RSIS Commentary No. 97 Click here to download Commentary
	China’s 60th Anniversary: Celebrating Beijing’s Peaceful Rise by Wang Di and Ron Matthews RSIS Commentary No. 96 Click here to download Commentary
	Singapore's Defence Policy: Deterrence, Diplomacy and the Soldier-Diplomat by Ho Shu Huang RSIS Commentary No. 95 Click here to download Commentary
	Australia's Security Challenges: Lessons for Others? by Nicholas Floyd RSIS Commentary No. 94 Click here to download Commentary
	Imagining the future:The world in 2020 by Barry Desker RSIS Commentary No. 93 Click here to download Commentary
	Counter-Ideological Work:The Need for Intellectual Rigour by Mohamed Redzuan Salleh & Muhammad Haniff Hassan RSIS Commentary No. 92 Click here to download Commentary
	The US Defence Industry under Obama:Are the Good Times Over? by Richard A. Bitzinger RSIS Commentary No. 91 Click here to download Commentary
	The Dragon and the Anaconda:China, Brazil and the power balance in the Americas by Loro Horta RSIS Commentary No. 90 Click here to download Commentary
	After 17 July: Who is Prince of Jihad? by Nur Azlin Mohamed Yasin RSIS Commentary No. 89 Click here to download Commentary
	Peace Mission 2009: Securing Xinjiang and Central Asia by Nadine Godehard and Wang Pengxin RSIS Commentary No. 88 Click here to download Commentary
	The Terrible Allure of Nuclear Weapons by Bernard Loo RSIS Commentary No. 87 Click here to download Commentary
	August
	Surge in the Red Tide: Rise of Maoist Militancy in India by Sujoyini Mandal, Akanksha Mehta &. Kunal Kirpalani RSIS Commentary No. 86 Click here to download Commentary
	Talibanisation of Pakistan: End of the Road? by Khuram Iqbal RSIS Commentary No. 85 Click here to download Commentary
	The South China Sea Declaration: A China Perspective by Zhai Kun and Wendy Wang RSIS Commentary No. 84 Click here to download Commentary
	Australian Home-Grown Terror by Sam Mullins and Adam Dolnik RSIS Commentary No. 83 Click here to download Commentary
	Migrant Workers and the Right to Labour by Nur Azha Putra RSIS Commentary No. 82 Click here to download Commentary
	AUSTRALIA’S FORCE 2030: PREPARING FOR THE POSSIBLITY OF WORLD WAR by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentary No. 81 Click here to download Commentary
	Coming to the Rescue of the Oceans: The Climate Change Imperative by Sam Bateman and Mary Ann Palma RSIS Commentary No. 80 Click here to download Commentary
	Aung San Suu Kyi’s Verdict: Implications for ASEAN by Alistair D. B. Cook and Mely Caballero-Anthony RSIS Commentary No. 79 Click here to download Commentary
	Clinton’s Coup in Pyongyang: North Korean Denuclearisation Next? by Koh Swee Lean Collin RSIS Commentary No. 78 Click here to download Commentary
	THE FORGOTTEN ROLE OF GOVERNMENT by Bill Durodié RSIS Commentary No. 77 Click here to download Commentary
	July
	ASEAN’S Next Challenge:PREVENTING INCIDENTS AT SEA by Kwa Chong Guan RSIS Commentary No. 76 Click here to download Commentary
	Sarkozy and the Burqa:A New Policy or Provocation? by Tuty Raihanah Mostarom and Eric Frecon RSIS Commentary No. 75 Click here to download Commentary
	Oil Pipeline from Myanmar to China: Competing Perspectives by Zha Daojiong RSIS Commentary No. 74 Click here to download Commentary
	Post-Elections Aceh: An Outlook for Peace and Security by Andini Gelar Ardani and Tuty Raihanah Mostarom RSIS Commentary No. 73 Click here to download Commentary
	Xinjiang Unrest:Catalyst for New Grand Vision for China? by Li Mingjiang RSIS Commentary No. 72 Click here to download Commentary
	Bombs After the Presidential Election:SLOWING INDONESIA'S RISE? by Yang Razali Kassim RSIS Commentary No. 71 Click here to download Commentary
	After the Presidential Election:INDONESIA RISING? by Yang Razali Kassim RSIS Commentary No. 70 Click here to download Commentary
	AFGHANISTAN:When the War is Unwinnable by Greg Mills RSIS Commentary No. 69 Click here to download Commentary
	Ethnic Violence in China: Time for a Change in Beijing’s Approach? by Rohan Gunaratna RSIS Commentary No. 68 Click here to download Commentary
	Reflections on the 40th SAF Day and Beyond by Ong Wei Chong RSIS Commentary No. 67 Click here to download Commentary
	ANTI-PIRACY IN SOMALIA: Models for Maritime Security Institutions by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentary No. 66 Click here to download Commentary
	Outer Shelf Claims in the South China Sea:New Dimension to Old Disputes by Sam Bateman and Clive Schofield RSIS Commentary No. 65 Click here to download Commentary
	June
	Pandemics and International Norms:China's handling of the H1N1 flu by Zha Daojiong RSIS Commentary No. 64 Click here to download Commentary
	Hard Choices in Hard Times: Taiwan-Russia Defence Cooperation by Curie Maharani and Collin Koh RSIS Commentary No. 63 Click here to download Commentary
	Air-Independent Powered Submarines in the Asia- Pacific: Proliferation and Repercussions by Richard A. Bitzinger RSIS Commentary No. 62 Click here to download Commentary
	THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE (NSR): A NEW TRANSIT PASSAGE BETWEEN EUROPE AND ASIA? by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentary No. 61 Click here to download Commentary
	PAS Beyond the 2009 Party Elections:Islamism or Post-Islamism? by Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman RSIS Commentary No. 60 Click here to download Commentary
	Love-Hate Relationship:Australia,Timor and a Rising China by Loro Horta RSIS Commentary No. 59 Click here to download Commentary
	Responding to Non-Traditional Security Challenges in Asia by Mely Caballero-Anthony RSIS Commentary No. 58 Click here to download Commentary
	NATO Supply Lines in Afghanistan:The Search for Alternative Routes by Ryan Clarke and Khuram Iqbal RSIS Commentary No. 57 Click here to download Commentary
	AN ABOUT-FACE TO THE FUTURE:The SAF's New Career Schemes by Ho Shu Huang RSIS Commentary No. 56 Click here to download Commentary
	PAS AND NEW POLITICS:WHEN THE ULAMA REASSERT LEADERSHIP by Yang Razali Kassim RSIS Commentary No. 55 Click here to download Commentary
	Ending the LTTE: Recipe for counter-terrorism? by Arabinda Acharya RSIS Commentary No. 54 Click here to download Commentary
	The Arrest of Mas Selamat Kastari: Why the Silence? by Nur Azlin Mohamed Yasin RSIS Commentary No. 53 Click here to download Commentary
	China’s Re-emergence as an Arms Dealer by Richard A. Bitzinger RSIS Commentary No. 52 Click here to download Commentary
	Root Causes of Piracy in Somalia by Bruno Mpondo-Epo RSIS Commentary No. 51 Click here to download Commentary
	May
	Military Defeat of the Tamil Tigers:From Velvet Glove to Iron Fist by Ong Weichong RSIS Commentary No. 50 Click here to download Commentary
	The “Asia-Pacific Community” Idea: What Next? by Tan See Seng RSIS Commentary No. 49 Click here to download Commentary
	Recession: Impact on Security and Cohesion by Bill Durodié RSIS Commentary No. 48 Click here to download Commentary
	F-15SG: The Last Manned Fighter for the RSAF? by Bernard Loo RSIS Commentary No. 47 Click here to download Commentary
	IS MAS SELAMAT RAMBO? by Barry Desker RSIS Commentary No. 46 Click here to download Commentary
	Australian Defence White Paper:What Price Maritime Security? by Sam Bateman RSIS Commentary No. 45 Click here to download Commentary
	Weapons acquisition in the US: Streamlining the Process by Adrian W. J. Kuah RSIS Commentary No. 44 Click here to download Commentary
	Declining support for Islamist Parties: Exploring the Indonesian ‘Paradox’ by Tuty Raihanah Mostarom and V. Arianti RSIS Commentary No. 43 Click here to download Commentary
	April
	The Swine Flu Alert: Keeping Asia Safe by Mely Caballero-Anthony, Julie Balen and Belinda Chng RSIS Commentary No. 42 Click here to download Commentary
	THE MUMBAI ATTACKS Does Amir Kasab deserve a free and fair trial? by Akanksha Mehta and Arabinda Acharya RSIS Commentary No. 41 Click here to download Commentary
	The Great Australian Defence Debate: Is China a Threat? by Sam Bateman RSIS Commentary No. 40 Click here to download Commentary
	Polluting the Seas:The Risks of Human Error by Sam Bateman RSIS Commentary No. 39 Click here to download Commentary
	NUCLEAR ENERGY: Addressing the Not-in-my-Backyard Syndrome by Alvin Chew and Jor-Shan Choi RSIS Commentary No. 38 Click here to download Commentary
	EEZs: US Must Unclench its Fist First by B.A.Hamzah RSIS Commentary No. 37 Click here to download Commentary
	Post-Kyoto Protocol:Changing a Climate of Denial? by Sofiah Jamil RSIS Commentary No. 36 Click here to download Commentary
	Aircraft Carriers:China's Emerging Maritime Ambitions by Richard A Bitzinger RSIS Commentary No. 35 Click here to download Commentary
	Avoiding Unnecessary Radicalization in Bangladesh: Learning from Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Experiences in FATA by Ryan Clarke and Clint Lorimore RSIS Commentary No. 34 Click here to download Commentary
	March
	ICC’s Verdict on Darfur: Whose Responsibility? by Mely Caballero-Anthony, Belinda Chng and Roderick Chia RSIS Commentary No. 33 Click here to download Commentary
	NAJIB’S UMNO: ENTER A NEW ERA by Yang Razali Kassim RSIS Commentary No. 32 Click here to download Commentary
	In Defence of High Seas Freedoms by Patrick J. Neher, Raul A. Pedrozo & J. Ashley Roach RSIS Commentary No. 31 Click here to download Commentary
	ABDULLAH AZZAM:WOULD HE HAVE ENDORSED 9/11? by Muhammad Haniff Hassan & Mohamed Redzuan Salleh RSIS Commentary No. 30 Click here to download Commentary
	The Politics of Consumption in Thailand:Back to Basics by Antonio L Rappa RSIS Commentary No. 29 Click here to download Commentary
	ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement:Sealed or Leaking? by Chang Youngho and Collin Koh RSIS Commentary No. 28 Click here to download Commentary
	CLASHES AT SEA:When Chinese vessels harass US Ships by Sam Bateman RSIS Commentary No. 27 Click here to download Commentary
	Elizabeth Wong, Karpal Singh and Hudud: Can Pakatan Survive Differences? by Goh Nur Firdaus Firoz RSIS Commentary No. 26 Click here to download Commentary
	Sri Lanka’s Civil War: End of an Era? by Nadeeka Withana RSIS Commentary No. 25 Click here to download Commentary
	Underground Nuclear Power Plant: Why not? by Alvin Chew RSIS Commentary No. 24 Click here to download Commentary
	Global Crisis and Climate Change:Will recession undermine climate change negotiations? by Barry Desker RSIS Commentary No. 23 Click here to download Commentary
	Food Terrorism: How Real? A Historical Survey since 1950 by Gregory Dalziel RSIS Commentary No. 22 Click here to download Commentary
	February
	Obama’s Afghan Arm-Twisting:Weakening Karzai to give him Strength? by Clint Lorimore and Ryan Clarke RSIS Commentary No. 21 Click here to download Commentary
	Singapore’s Gulf Anti-Piracy Operations: A Shift In Strategic Thinking by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentary No. 20 Click here to download Commentary
	Counter-Ideology: Remaining Vigilant During Economic Slump by Muhammad Haniff Hassan & Sharifah Thuraiya S A Alhabshi RSIS Commentary No. 19 Click here to download Commentary
	Piracy in the South China Sea: Maritime Ambushes off the Mangkai Passage by Eric Frécon RSIS Commentary No. 18 Click here to download Commentary
	FACING ECONOMIC ADVERSITY: Between Tactical and Strategic Response by Ngiam Tong Dow RSIS Commentary No. 17 Click here to download Commentary
	25 Years of Total Defence in Singapore: Revisiting the Assumptions by Adrian W. J. Kuah RSIS Commentary No. 16 Click here to download Commentary
	The Gaza Crisis: Impact on Southeast Asia by Nhina Le Thi Minh Huong RSIS Commentary No. 15 Click here to download Commentary
	Al Qaeda's Female Jihadists: The Islamist Ideological View by Tuty Raihanah Mostarom RSIS Commentary No. 14 Click here to download Commentary
	Israel's Propaganda War in Gaza: Losing the Moral High Ground by Ong Wei Chong RSIS Commentary No. 13 Click here to download Commentary
	January
	GAS FEUDS: Russia and the EU's Energy Security by Jesmeen Khan and Chang Youngho RSIS Commentary No. 12 Click here to download Commentary
	Obama’s Challenge:Addressing Muslim Radicalization in Pakistan by Clint Lorimore RSIS Commentary No. 11 Click here to download Commentary
	PRIORITIES FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION by Barry Desker RSIS Commentary No. 10 Click here to download Commentary
	Piracy In The Gulf Of Aden: Lessons From The Malacca Strait by Joshua Ho RSIS Commentary No. 9 Click here to download Commentary
	Afghanistan: From Military to Political Solution by Vinay Kumar Pathak and Syed Adnan Ali Shah RSIS Commentary No. 8 Click here to download Commentary
	Indonesia’s 2009 Legislative Election: The Emerging Danger of Charismatic Politics by Hazelia Margaretha RSIS Commentary No. 7 Click here to download Commentary
	Afghanistan:Avoiding another Iraq by Li Hongyan RSIS Commentary No. 6 Click here to download Commentary
	More than Warfighters: Role of ‘Strategic Corporals’ in the SAF by Ong Weichong RSIS Commentary No. 5 Click here to download Commentary
	China’s Gulf of Aden Expedition:Stepping Stone to East Asia? by Li Mingjiang RSIS Commentary No. 4 Click here to download Commentary
	Commodities, Africa and China by Jeffrey Herbst & Greg Mills RSIS Commentary No. 3 Click here to download Commentary
	The Other ‘Pirates’ of the Horn of Africa by Clive Schofield RSIS Commentary No. 2 Click here to download Commentary
	Singapore’s Arms sale to UK:A Defence Export Breakthrough by Ron Matthews and Curie Maharani RSIS Commentary No. 1 Click here to download Commentary

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