Are the security landscape and dynamics in Asia significantly different compared to those in other world regions? Is there anything ‘special’ about Asian security that necessitates alterations or additions to the theories, concepts or methods of standard international relations or security studies research? This webinar explores two themes that could make Asia’s security order and practices distinctive: the centrality of economics in regional security and the rise of multilateral institutions.

In the 1940s, E.H. Carr argued that the economic and security dimensions of policy making ought to be studied in a more integrated way, and yet a persistent and artificial divide remains, both in scholarship and policy practice. One fruitful way to straddle the economic-security divide is through the lens of development.

To celebrate our third anniversary in 2018, three GRADNAS partners at the Australian National University, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and the University of Southern California (USA), launched a pilot international exchange and workshop programme for pre- and post-graduate students and early career researchers for research exchange and career development.

Analysts and observers of China’s role in world and regional politics have been preoccupied with determining whether its behaviour could be deemed ‘responsible’ when measured against a range of dominant global norms. As one consequence of China’s resurgence globally and regionally, that approach no longer seems appropriate.

Palm oil, a major global agricultural commodity, has long been condemned for driving deforestation, carbon emissions and social conflict, especially in its principal producers of Indonesia and Malaysia. Here, economic development priorities and the patronage-based palm oil political economy have contributed to these problems. Yet, voluntary private sustainability standards developed by NGOs and global corporations to reduce these ills from palm oil production have become normative benchmarks.

Human protection is an area of international concern that has largely been advanced normatively in the period since the late 1990s – that is, in the period of China’s growing material power and increasingly active role in global governance. It is an area of policy that embodies a more expansive definition of security that prioritizes the security of the individual.

Over the past decade, Japan's "security renaissance" has enabled Japan's military to become more involved in the Asian region and global security. Moreover, Japan is the key US ally in Asia, in a new presidential era when the role of allies is being called into question. As the third largest economy in the world and one of the world’s largest military spenders, what role will Japan play in regional affairs and in US Asia policy?

The conventional wisdom holds that China’s rise is disrupting the global balance of power in unpredictable ways. In contrast, Power, Restraint, and China’s Rise tackles the puzzle: how and why does China constrain its power even as its military capabilities are increasing at unprecedented rates? It reasons that if rising powers care about their acceptance within the international community, they can be motivated to act beyond zero–sum considerations.

This launch and seminar showcases research conducted within SDSC’s Asia-Pacific Security research cluster. Professor Evelyn Goh and Dr Amy King will launch their books which shed important new light on critical puzzles surrounding China's resurgence and Asian security

This special Research Roundtable will feature international expert scholars specializing in key aspects of Asian security. It will introduce postgraduate students and early career researchers to alternative approaches, concepts and methods for analyzing Asian security issues.

The study marks the culmination of a two-year project, Emerging US Security Partnerships in Southeast Asia. Click on this link to access the report and for details on the July 2016 launch by project investigators Dr Bates Gill, Dr Evelyn Goh and Dr Chin-Hao Huang at ANU.

This Public Forum provides a unique opportunity for dialogue with China’s leading experts on strategy and foreign affairs — Professors Wang Jisi, Yan Xuetong and Jia Qingguo — with ANU Chancellor Gareth Evans as Discussant, and Prof. Evelyn Goh as Chair.

This Research Seminar provides a unique opportunity to engage with two of China’s leading scholars to explore the major challenges of studying contemporary Chinese international relations. The discussion will address questions about research methodology and output.

This class critically reviewed some of the best PhD projects on Asia-Pacific security. It analysed, using examples and alternatives, the effectiveness of posing central questions in different ways; and took students through the key methodological steps for setting up a project related to regional security.

This seminar addressed the challenges of finding the balance between empirical integrity and theoretical rigour in the type of research that falls in the ‘grey areas’ between Political Science and Area Studies. Professor Khong discussed strategies for publishing in the leading international outlets, and developing international research networks and sources of funding.

This lecture employs the idea of the tributary system—most often associated with China’s international relations from antiquity—to interpret how America relates to the rest of the world. Professor Khong argues that the United States has instituted the most successful tributary system the world has ever seen.

A research workshop convened by Dr. Amy King and Prof. Evelyn Goh at the ANU on 1 October 2015, which brought together a group of scholars engaged in innovative research on the nexus between economics and security in Asia. Drawing from a range of disciplines including history, political science, economics, development studies, area studies and law, the participants discussed key concepts, questions, and methodologies driving their projects.

The Graduate Research and Development Network on Asian Security (GRADNAS) was launched at a one-day conference on ‘Southeast Asian Strategies Towards the Great Powers’, hosted by the Australian National University on Monday 7th September 2015. The event was held in the Great Hall at University House and brought together leading scholars and advanced PhD students undertaking cutting-edge research on strategic and security issues in Asia.