S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Name	S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Established	1996
Type	Graduate school
Parent	Nanyang Technological University
City	Singapore
Country	Singapore

Contents

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies is a postgraduate policy research and teaching institute in Singapore affiliated with Nanyang Technological University, named after S. Rajaratnam. It focuses on strategic studies, international relations, and regional security, engaging with actors such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations, United Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, European Union, and ASEAN Regional Forum to inform policymaking across India, China, United States, Japan, and Australia. The school links scholars and practitioners from institutions including Chatham House, Council on Foreign Relations, Brookings Institution, Lowy Institute, and International Crisis Group.

History

Founded in 1996, the institute was established in the context of post‑Cold War shifts following events like the Gulf War, the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and the expansion of European Union security debates. Early milestones include collaborations with the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies and engagements with policymakers from Singapore Armed Forces, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, RSIS International partners, and academics from Harvard University, Stanford University, Oxford University, and Cambridge University. Over time it adapted to new challenges posed by the War on Terror, the Iraq War, the South China Sea arbitration, the rise of Xi Jinping, and shifting alignments such as the Quad and the Belt and Road Initiative.

The school offers postgraduate degrees and executive education linked to curricula in strategic studies, international political economy, and security studies, attracting students who have worked at Ministry of Defence (Singapore), Civil Service College (Singapore), Temasek Holdings, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and United Nations Development Programme. Programs draw on theoretical frameworks developed by scholars at Johns Hopkins University, London School of Economics, Princeton University, Yale University, and Columbia University while addressing regional case studies such as Myanmar crisis, Thai political crisis, Philippine maritime disputes, Taiwan Strait, and Kashmir conflict. Courses integrate simulation exercises referencing scenarios from the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting, US Indo-Pacific Command, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and multilateral negotiations like the Paris Agreement.

The school houses specialized centres examining issues in maritime security, terrorism, cybersecurity, and ethnic conflict, interfacing with organizations such as International Maritime Organization, Interpol, NATO, United States Cyber Command, and ReCAAP. Its publications include working papers, policy briefs, and peer‑reviewed articles responding to crises such as the Rohingya crisis, the Iran nuclear deal, the North Korea nuclear programme, and cyber incidents like the WannaCry attack. Research outputs cite comparative studies from RAND Corporation, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Asia Society and contribute to journals including International Security, Journal of Strategic Studies, Foreign Affairs, Security Studies, and Asian Survey.

Faculty comprise scholars and former practitioners drawn from appointments at United States Naval War College, Royal United Services Institute, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, King's College London, and Peking University. Leadership has included directors with backgrounds in diplomacy and defence linked to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore), Singapore Armed Forces, United Nations Security Council deliberations, and bilateral dialogues with delegations from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, and Vietnam. Faculty research profiles engage with theories advanced by Kenneth Waltz, Alexander Wendt, John Mearsheimer, Robert Keohane, and Samuel Huntington while maintaining practitioner networks with figures from ASEAN Secretariat, US Department of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom).

The school maintains formal partnerships and memorandum agreements with universities and think tanks such as Stanford University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Peking University, Tsinghua University, National University of Singapore, Harvard Kennedy School, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Jakarta), and Japan Institute of International Affairs. Outreach activities include conferences and roundtables connected to the Shangri‑La Dialogue, the Asia Security Summit, track‑two dialogues with delegations from China, India, United States, Japan, and South Korea, and capacity‑building workshops for institutions like ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus and Asian Development Bank. Public engagement extends to media commentaries citing incidents such as the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappearance and regional developments like the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.

Located within Nanyang Technological University campus in Jurong, the school shares facilities with academic units including School of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and research centres collaborating with Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and Nanyang Business School. Campus amenities support simulation labs, conference halls used for events like the IISS Shangri‑La Dialogue fringe panels, libraries holding collections on cases such as the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and archives relating to ASEAN founding documents, and residential facilities for visiting fellows from Fulbright Program, Chevening, Rhodes Trust, and Monbukagakusho scholars.

Category:Research institutes in Singapore