RSIS

More than 100 students, staff and alumni came together last Saturday for the 2026 Student-Staff-Alumni Mixer 🎉   It was an evening of meaningful conversations, shared experiences and new connections… a true reflection of the strong, supportive RSIS community across generations.   This year’s programme featured a special career panel, “Security, Intelligence and Risk Management”, where RSIS alumni Sheldon, Siti and Rochelle shared their career journeys and insights into the present job market. Alumni from overseas were also able to join in this year!   Thank you to everyone who joined us! Your energy and participation made the night truly memorable!

From high-level conferences and insightful panel discussions to lively workshops, lectures and seminars, 2025 has been a year of rich exchanges convened by RSIS. Here’s a look back at some of the moments that filled the year, and shaped discussions. Come join us next time, if you didn’t this year. Best wishes for the year ahead! #RSIS #HappyNewYear #SeasonGreetings

We are mid-way through Academic Year 2025/2026. 2025 has given us much to smile about – good moments and good energy all year long. Here’s to another good year of learning, working and playing together! Check out some highlights of 2025, featuring our graduate students – see how they are engaged in the classroom and beyond! Interested in our MSc programmes? Applications are still open! Find out more here: https://rsis.edu.sg/gpo/admissions/how-to-apply/

RSIS congratulates Dr Wendy He, who received the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society (IUS) Graduate Student Paper Award! The award recognises an outstanding graduate paper that advances research on civil–military relations, security, and related fields. It is selected by a committee and presented at the annual IUS conference. Wendy’s paper “The Confidence Trap: Civil–Military Decision-Making and the Formulation of (In)Credible Threats” asks why do some threats, backed by overwhelming power, fail to convince while others, issued by materially weaker actors, succeed? It argues that before credibility is judged by others, it is constructed—and often lost—inside leader–advisor debates. Wendy developed the Confidence Trap Theory (CTT) to show how confidence shapes which advice leaders absorb and how forcefully advisors communicate it. Ultimately, credibility is not only in the eye of the beholder; it is also won or lost in the internal deliberations that shape threats in the first place.

The dramatic rise of China and the raging Sino–US strategic rivalry are driving a profound transformation of the Asia-Pacific security landscape. The future of regional strategic outlook hinges to a large extent on the evolution of Sino-US relations. In this lecture, Professor Wu Xinbo shared that a conflict between China and the United States would result in a binary and antagonistic mode, while a Sino-US grand bargain would lead to a scenario characterised by the interplay among multiple actors with a blend of cooperation, hedging and competition. Watch the lecture here: https://youtu.be/O-r1jSHKWa4 #RSIS #DPL #DistinguishedPublicLecture

RSIS Academic Award winners tell us more about their experience at RSIS. Here, we have Tanwar Yashika, winner of the Tay Seow Huah Book Prize, which is awarded to the graduating MSc student, regardless of programme, who has written the best dissertation Interested in our MSc programmes? Applications open 1 November! Find out more here: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/gpo/

In July this year, the 17th Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC) was held. Since 2008, TATC has been the RSIS’ International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research’s annual flagship capacity-building programme, providing the latest insights and analyses on the global terrorism threat landscape. Hear from this year's speakers and participants about their key takeaways and reflections. #RSIS #TATC2025

RSIS Academic Award winners tell us more about their experience at RSIS. Here, we have Adam Hansen, recipient of the Liow Keng Teck and Dorothy Liow Gold Medal, reflecting on the experience he had at RSIS. Interested in our MSc programmes? Applications open 1 November! Find out more here: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/gpo/   The Gold Medal supports exceptional RSIS Master’s candidates undertaking the MSc (International Relations) programme.

The election of Donald Trump as US president has upended much of the global economic and political order as states seek to grapple with Trump's economic and foreign policy. Specifically, US-China relations remain fraught with tensions notwithstanding attempts by both countries to find a new modus vivendi in their political ties. In this lecture, Professor Xiang Lanxin argued that under Trump, the US has been less ideologically minded and is now using "common sense" to respond to the China's challenge. Pragmatism, not ideology, now characterises US relations with the rest of the world. Watch the lecture here: https://youtu.be/TzuMHVmeykA? #RSIS #DistinguishedPublicLecture

New Podcast Alert 🚨🎙 Geopolitical competition and conflicts have added a layer of complexity in the world’s efforts to lower carbon emissions. In this first episode of NTS Perspectives, we speak with Major General Muniruzzaman, President and CEO, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), to unpack climate security amid geopolitical shifts, the impacts of climate change, and what states can do to realistically fulfil their climate goals. Listen to the inaugural episode of NTS Perspectives here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7juqjk1arCIXX4GcajxBKR?si=ce487df0ed0449a7 Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDvpdQ1Ox2E

RSIS Academic Award winners tell us more about their experience at RSIS. Here, we have Liang Jiexin, recipient of the Rajabali Jumabhoy Foundation Gold Medal, reflecting on the experience she had at RSIS. Interested in our MSc programmes? Applications open 1 November! Find out more here: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/gpo/ The Rajabali Jumabhoy Foundation Gold Medal was donated by the Rajabali Jumabhoy Foundation Ltd in 2008. It was awarded to the most outstanding student for the degree of Master of Science (Asian Studies).

RSIS congratulates Eveline, Taufeeq, Parag, and Joel – otherwise known as Team Spice Pacific – for finishing as runners-up in the International Trade and Food Security Policy Hackathon, co-organised by the World Trade Organization (WTO), Geneva Trade Platform, and CropLife International, placing second globally among 58 team submissions!   The team was honoured to be selected among the top three finalists and to present their proposal virtually before an expert jury of WTO Ambassadors  from Chile, Djibouti, the Philippines, South Africa, and Switzerland, with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala opening the event.   Watch the hackathon here: https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/reser_e/trdia_1609202514_e/trdia_1609202514_e.htm

In an era of globalisation, international communication constantly takes place across borders, defying sovereign control as it influences opinion. While diplomacy between states is the visible face of international relations, this “informal diplomacy” is usually less visible but no less powerful. Information politics can be found in propaganda, Internet politics, educational exchanges, tourism, and even popular film. In this video, Senior Fellow Dr Alan Chong explains what the book covers as well as informational dimension of international politics, investigating how information is generated, conveyed through channels, and directed specifically at audiences. More details about the book: https://rsis.edu.sg/staff-publication/the-international-politics-of-communication-representing-community-in-a-globalizing-world/ #RSIS #RSISBookIntroduction

The Indo-Pacific is the world’s most exposed region to natural hazards, and climate change is highly likely to impact the frequency and severity of these events, threatening people’s lives and livelihoods. This book “Climate Security in the Indo-Pacific” explores the intersection of climate change and security in the Indo-Pacific. From the South China Sea disputes, to national and regional security practices in India, Japan, and Southeast Asia, highlighting the vulnerability of countries facing extreme weather, sea-level rise, and geopolitical tensions. In this video, Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony and Dr Alistair D. B. Cook, co-editors of the book, explain what the book covers as well as how countries in the region face both climate challenges and strategic competition. More details about the book: https://rsis.edu.sg/.../climate-security-in-the-indo.../ #RSIS #RSISBookIntroduction

RSIS celebrates the achievement of our Academic Award winners. Here we have Hajek Tadeas, recipient of the United Overseas Bank Gold Medal, reflecting on the experience he had at RSIS. Interested in our Master’s programmes? Applications open 1 November 2025! Find out more here: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/gpo/ The United Overseas Bank Gold Medal was donated by the Overseas Union Bank (renamed as UOB Ltd) in 1999. It was awarded to the most outstanding student for the degree of Master of Science (Strategic Studies). No award will be made unless there is a candidate of sufficient merit.