Message from the Dean
Dear Readers,
The Year in Review series has been gaining in readership since the first issue was published in 2009. Each year, we strive to improve the Year in Review, to make it even more relevant and informative for you. Our aim is to provide an overview of issues through a non-traditional security (NTS) lens and with a focus on the Asia-Pacific.
States today confront challenges on multiple fronts – climate, energy, food, health and water, among others. These issues often cut across boundaries, thus increasing their complexity and also the difficulty of addressing them. Importantly for the Asia-Pacific, such issues have wide-ranging impacts on communities and individuals, which in turn have implications for political stability and both human and economic development. There is thus a pressing need for greater understanding of what the key challenges are; the nature of these challenges, including the connections between and among them; and where agenda priorities should lie.
With the scale of NTS challenges continuing to rise, it is more important than ever for the conversation on NTS to reach a wider range of stakeholders. It is only through highlighting the pertinent issues, raising the level of discussion and supporting dialogue at all levels that countries and regions can come to broader consensus on the urgency of concerted action on the NTS threats facing them today.
This Year in Review aims to contribute to such efforts by providing an overview of the key developments of the year. In particular, the various sections highlight questions relating to institutions and governance, noting their salience to international and regional initiatives to tackle NTS challenges. It is my hope that you will find this Year in Review useful.
Ambassador Barry Desker
Dean
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)