Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 03/2012

MacArthur Asia Security Initiative Dissemination Meeting on Non-Traditional Security

November 2011

Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies

Abstract

Over the last three years, the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) coordinated cluster three of the MacArthur Asia Security Initiative, which focused on internal challenges in Asia. The Centre developed an active research agenda that drew on its own resources as well as that of its network partners around the region to deliver policy-relevant outputs. The research addressed many of the most pressing challenges faced by Asia’s policymaking communities, from climate change, natural disasters, and energy, to internal and cross-border conflict. The Centre’s research identified a broader and more inclusive understanding of security that sought to open up policymaking to different perspectives. However, there has been a re-emergence of interest in traditional security issues in recent years, even though NTS issues are increasingly prevalent in the Asia-Pacific. This shift illustrates the necessity of continuing to further evidence-based and policy-relevant research to ensure that policy gaps in responding to NTS challenges are effectively addressed.