IKMAS Seminar Series No. 3/2018

SMALL POWER-BIG POWER BARGAINING ON NON-TRADITIONAL SECURITY COOPERATION:

THE CASE OF ASEAN STATES AND THE GREAT POWERS

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MR OLLI SUORSA
PHD CANDIDATE
CITY UNIVERSITY HONG KONG

18 April 2018 | 10.00 am-12.00pm
Bilik Mesyuarat LESTARI 2, LESTARI BUILDING, UKM

ABSTRACT

This seminar looks at Southeast Asian small powers’ cooperation with big powers on the non-traditional security domains, with particular attention on maritime security, disaster relief and counter-terrorism. The speaker dicusses how Southeast Asian small and medium powers’ security actors (especially the armed forces), on the one hand, and regional efforts (especially but not exclusively under the ASEAN auspices), on the other, bargain and leverage on the capacity-building assistance from regional and extra-regional partners and allies, with an eye to enhance national and regional resilience in addressing the myriad non-traditional security challenges. He highlights the contribution of the complex network of national, bilateral, regional and extra-regional security sector cooperation and defence diplomacy, thereby allowing the small states in the ASEAN region keep the region free of outright outside (great power) interference in its security matters.

BIODATA

Olli Suorsa is final year Ph.D candidate at the City University of Hong Kong. He received his Masters’ degree from SOAS, London, UK, (MSc on Asian Politics) and Bachelors from TTU, Tallinn, Estonia (BA on International Relations). Before embarking on academic studies, and after his military service, he studied aircraft engineering and worked in defence and aerospace industry in Finland. His doctoral dissertation focuses on security construction in Southeast Asia and ASEAN, small power strategic relations with great powers and the role of other secondary and tertiary powers.