The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) is an autonomous

graduate school Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...

Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1981, it is also the second oldest autonomous university in the country. The university is organised across numerous colleges and schools, includi ...

(NTU) and a defence and security-oriented

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. Founded in 1996 as the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), RSIS offers graduate education in international affairs and

strategic studies Strategic studies is an interdisciplinary academic field centered on the study of peace and conflict strategies, often devoting special attention to the relationship between military history, international politics, geostrategy, international ...

, taught by an array of international faculty. The school is named in honour of

S. Rajaratnam Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (; 25 February 1915 – 22 February 2006), better known as S. Rajaratnam, was a Singaporean statesman, journalist and diplomat who served as the first Minister for Foreign Affairs between 1965 and 1980, and 2nd De ...

, Singapore's former

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

who had also been its longest-serving

Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

. It is regarded as one of the best graduate schools for international studies in Asia. RSIS'

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...

and networking objectives are aimed at assisting policymakers to develop comprehensive approaches to strategic thinking in areas related to Singapore's interests.

Overview

The RSIS started off as the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), an autonomous

research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...

within the

. Its stated objectives are to conduct research and provide general and

graduate education Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelo ...

in the area of

national security National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of ...

military technology Military technology is the application of technology for use in warfare. It comprises the kinds of technology that are distinctly military in nature and not civilian in application, usually because they lack useful or legal civilian application ...

and

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

. It also promotes joint and exchange programmes with similar regional and international institutions; and organises seminars and conferences on these topics. When RSIS was established on 1 January 2007, the IDSS continued to remain as a security-research-focused institute within the school, and teaching functions were taken over by the school. Constituents of the school include * Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), * International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), * Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), * Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre), * Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS). * Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme (SRP) * National Security Studies Programme (NSSP) * Future Issues and Technology (FIT) * Social Cohesion Research Programme (SCRP) The school's Master of Science degree programmes are distinguished by their focus on the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

, the professional practice of international affairs, strategic analysis and the cultivation of academic depth. In 2010, a Double Masters Programme with Warwick University was launched, with students required to spend the first year at Warwick and the second year at RSIS. A select Doctor of Philosophy programme caters to advanced students who are supervised by the senior faculty members with matching interests.

Research

Research at RSIS covers a wide spectrum of security and strategic issues, organised into four interlinking areas: * Asia-Pacific Security *Conflict and Non-traditional Security *

International Political Economy International political economy (IPE) is the study of how politics shapes the global economy and how the global economy shapes politics. A key focus in IPE is on the power of different actors such as nation states, international organizations and ...

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and

Area Studies Area studies, also known as regional studies, is an interdisciplinary field of research and scholarship pertaining to particular geographical, national/ federal, or cultural regions. The term exists primarily as a general description for what a ...

RSIS shares its research findings with the strategic studies and defence policy communities through workshops, conferences, articles in refereed journals and frequent analyses of contemporary events through the ''RSIS Commentary'' series. The S. Rajaratnam Professorship in Strategic Studies (named after Singapore's first

foreign minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

) brings distinguished

scholars A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a terminal ...

to participate in the work of the institute. Previous holders of the chairmanship include Professors

Stephen Walt Stephen Martin Walt (born July 2, 1955) is an American political scientist serving as the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of international relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. A member of the realist school of international relations, Walt ...

(Harvard University), Jack Snyder (

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

), Wang Jisi (

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) is a Chinese state research institute and think tank. It is a ministry-level institution under the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The CASS is the highest academic institution and c ...

), Alastair Iain Johnston (Harvard University) and

John Mearsheimer John Joseph Mearsheimer (; born December 14, 1947) is an American political scientist and international relations scholar. He is R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in the University of Chicago. Mearsheimer is best known for dev ...

(

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

). A visiting research fellow Programme enables overseas scholars to carry out related research in the school.

Teaching

The RSIS Master of Science programme offers advanced education to professionals from both the private and public sectors in Singapore and overseas in four specializations:

Strategic Studies Strategic studies is an interdisciplinary academic field centered on the study of peace and conflict strategies, often devoting special attention to the relationship between military history, international politics, geostrategy, international ...

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

, and

Asian Studies Asian studies is the term used usually in North America and Australia for what in Europe is known as Oriental studies. The field is concerned with the Asian people, their cultures, languages, history and politics. Within the Asian sphere, Asian ...

. The school also offers double-degree programmes in collaboration with the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

and the Nanyang Business School at NTU. The RSIS Doctoral programme was established in 2006 and awards the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

for research in the areas of study of the institute. In addition to these graduate programmes, the school teaches a variety of modules in courses conducted by the SAFTI Military Institute, the SAFWOS Leadership School, the Civil Defence Academy, and the Defence and

Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a Ministry (government department), government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law e ...

Ministries.

Networking

RSIS convenes workshops, seminars and colloquia on aspects of international relations and security development that are of contemporary and historical significance. The school's activities include public lectures, the Colloquium on Strategic Trends in the 21st Century, the annual Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO), the Asia Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO), the biennial Asia Pacific Security Conference and the Singapore Global Dialogue. RSIS staff regularly participate in Track II Security Dialogues and scholarly conferences in the Asia-Pacific. The school has participated in research projects funded by the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. It also serves as the secretariat for the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP), Singapore.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the school include Agus Yudhoyono and Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, sons of former Indonesian president

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born 9 September 1949), commonly referred to as SBY, is an Indonesian politician and retired Indonesian Army, army general who served as the sixth president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014 and the second president of Ind ...

who currently serve as Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development and

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

congressman, respectively; Loro Horta, son of former Timor Leste President

José Ramos-Horta José Manuel Ramos-Horta GCL GColIH (; born 26 December 1949) is an East Timorese politician. He has been the president of East Timor since 2022, having previously also held the position from 20 May 2007 to 20 May 2012. Previously he was Mini ...

; Hekmat Karzai, cousin of former Afghan president

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan politician who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, including as the first president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2004 to 2014. He previously served a ...

; and Tito Karnavian, Indonesian

Minister of Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Political and economic think tanks based in Singapore Counterterrorism in Singapore Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in Singapore Educational institutions established in 2007 Nanyang Technological University 2007 establishments in Singapore Schools of international relations