International Relations in the Asia-Pacific Region: The Role of the EU and the Us

Experts discuss security policies of the EU and the US in the Asia-Pacific region

KAS Vietnam and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities today (Sep. 29th) successfully organized the workshop entitled “International Relations in the Asia-Pacific Region: the role of the EU and the US”. Speakers at the workshop were Deputy Head and First Counsellor of the EU Delegation - Mrs. Axelle Nicaise, German Ambassador to Vietnam - Dr. Guido Hildner, the USA Embassy’s Political Counselor - Mr. Noah Zaring, Head of Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ European Department - Mr. Dinh Toan Thang and Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam’s Strategic Institute - Dr. Le Dinh Tinh.

ASEAN And The Rules Based Regional Order In The Making

Rules-based [international] order is defined as the notion that all are bound by a global set of rules, an international law above power. After the Second World War the United States sought to create a more rules-based international order and drove the creation of new institutions, chiefly the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization. Order is necessary to reduce chaos. But whether the international order is just, fair, depends on the type of international order it is. Many “realists” argue that the rules-based order is a fiction and that international relations are still determined by power. Truth is somewhere in the middle. International relations are not defined exclusively by either power or rules, and the distinction between the two is not always clear cut The idea of a “Rules-Based Global Order”, and the need for it, has risen to prominence in recent years. Various ideas of a “rules-based global order” have been promoted by various countries and organizations. However, the concept of a “rules-based global order” is still ambiguous. At the regional level, a big concern today is that multiple “orders” start to emerge. However, it is necessary to explore a possible existence of consensus on a rules-based regional order. ASEAN countries are among top affected when set rules lose cohesion and abidance. ASEAN is severely tested, adrift and divided. It is imperative for ASEAN to finds constructive solutions to maintain its relevance and centrality in regional processes. A big question for ASEAN now is to explore the possible existence of consensus on RBO, what rules are to be followed, what visions actors have about the institutions that must be used to establish the rules, what their mechanisms would be, and how decisions are reached within them? Today’s topic is very on time and useful for ASEAN and Vietnam itself, especially in its years as chairmanship of ASEAN. Policy recommendation is expected as follow-up of this workshop. KAS and DAV hope this conference provided a good platform for exchanging ideas among scholars in ASEAN and ASEAN’s partners on the reshaping of a new regional rules-based order and ASEAN’s role in the process.

Innovation for Networked Security Policy - A Competition for Undergraduate Students

The competition to find out solution for food insecurity and climate change

The competition “Innovation for Networked Security Policy -Coping with Food Insecurity and Climate Change", co-organised by KAS and University of Social Sciences and Humanities attrated

The 15th China Talk

Understanding China’s Role in Contemporary Southeast Asia

In the Southeast Asian region, China, on the one hand, is the largest trading partner for most Asean countries. However, on the other hand, China is considered as the biggest challenge for ASEAN countries in relation to security, including but not limited to the South China Sea’s disputes, Mekong water’s sources, etc… China’s assertiveness affected not only ASEAN countries, but also peace and stability in the entire region. This Covid time again proves the dependence of the world to China, from foods, medicines to Chinese tourists, raw materials, etc… Southeast Asian countries are among top affected since China is their biggest export market as well as the raw material importing. In other words, Southeast Asian countries are in the horns of a dilemma: they want to have bigger voice against China in security related issues but while still rely too much on China economically. The topic made by Prof. Hiebert was captured from his latest book published in August 2020 - Under Beijing's Shadow: Southeast Asia's China Challenge – which provides a snapshot of ten countries in Southeast Asia by exploring their diverse experiences with China and how this impacts their perceptions of Beijing’s actions and its long-term political, economic, military, and “soft power” goals in the region. Commentators from the talk also shared the view by determining that it is impossible to have a general theoretical framework [in relation with China] that apply for all ASEAN countries since they are very diverse. Loving and hating are in parallel and that national interest of each country will drive their strategy toward China./.

UNSC Simulation Game: A co-organised activity between KAS Vietnam, DAV and CRISP Berlin

Currently, both Vietnam and German are non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Councils. That is why the Diplomatic Academy and KAS chose the setting of the UNSC as this year’s topic for the simulation game The simulation was designed to help students to understand how UNSC works and how members interact with each other. 32 key players represented 15 countries (2 players per team) who are permanent and non-permanent members of UNSC plus two rapporteurs. Over several days, including preparation with training, in the simulation game they discussed and drafted a resolution for the operation of the UN mission MINUSMA in Mali. This activity was designed to introduce a simulation as educational tools for students to enhance their analytical and practical skills. It was aimed to put students in a choreographed scenario with concrete roles to play and specific purposes to complete. The students were expected to study and analyze the scenario by given materials and additional readings. Later on, they were pushed to play assigned roles and behave accordingly. The game provided a safe space, in which the participants could experience the dynamics of conflictual situations and experiment with different types of behavior. As the participants were stepping into roles which might be very different from their own, they also could develop their empathy and understanding of other positions and perspectives Overall, the project was seen as a pilot step to introduce simulation as a means to develop students' skills, expertise and relational abilities into the DAV curriculum. Another outcome of the activity was to provide a tool for students to test whether concepts, models and theories learned by textbooks and during classes would have concrete utility and help explain the realities. The simulation was designed to help students to understand how the UNSC works and how members interact with each other. This is the second time KAS Vietnam supported DAV to organize a simulation game with the participation of students. In 2019, the ASEAN Simulation Game, also with support and material from CRISP Berlin, received great appreciation of both students and DAV lecturers. This co-initiated and co-organised activity by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, KAS Vietnam and CRISP represented a joint effort to innovate teaching methods in Vietnam.

The 12th General Conference of The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP)

The 12th General Conference of The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) was held in Hanoi. More than 200 participants including but not limited to global think-tanks, scholars, diplomats and officials from regional countries were gathered for two-day conference, from 5th to 6th December, to discuss the emerging security issues the region is facing. "The 12th CSCAP General Conference is not only important but also very timely as and when international relations in the region have become more fast-changing, complicated, and unstable. We witness the efforts at transforming the regional security landscape from the Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific. The region has now become the world’s most dynamic region and is home to many of the biggest economies. At the same time, nowhere else in the world can we witness a greater level of major powers’ presence and engagements than in our region. The current competitive nature of major powers’ relations gives rise to many security implications that, I think, have not been fully fathomed" said by H.E Vice Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam. The two day conference went well over six topical sessions which received high attention. Most of the participants showed their high appreciation and sincere thank to the hosting country, Vietnam, for very good arrangements and the successful organisation of this important event. KAS Vietnam was proud of being the co-organiser in collaboration with its partner - the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

Visit from Dr. Fischer-Bollin from KAS Headquarters Berlin

During the last week, we had the pleasure to receive a visitor from our KAS headquarters in Berlin. Dr. Fischer-Bollin, Deputy Head of KAS Department for European and International Cooperation met several representatives of our partner organisations and got further insights into the work of our office in Vietnam. For instance, our delegation had appointments at the Central Economic Commission, the Ministry of Justice, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the National Assembly. Within the meetings, we discussed current developments and challenges in politics as well as opportunities for cooperation in the future. Thank you for your visit!

Launching Seminar of Research on Social Market Economy & Lessons for Vietnam

On November, 21st KAS Vietnam co-hosted the launching seminar of a VEPR study on German Social Market Economy and the lessons for Vietnam. The Social Market Economy has been implemented in the late 1940s under the former chancellor Konrad Adenauer and is seen as one of the causes that lead to the so-called "Wirtschaftswunder" (=German Economic Miracle) after the second world war in Germany. The researchers Assoc. Prof Nguyen Duc Thanh and MA. Nguyen Thi Hoa presented the study's results and gave insights into similarities and differences between the German and Vietnamese systems. Further, the report was commented on by high-ranking scholars. Special focus was placed on the aspects education and environmental implications. The final part of the event consisted of a Q&A session with the distinguished experts. "This research discusses opportunities for Vietnam to learn from the German experiences with Social Market Economy. One has to be very careful: to transfer or copy policies from one context or country to another rarely works. BUT: there might be elements that could suit the Vietnamese economy more than others. This is what the study is looking at in its recommendations.", Peter Girke commented. Thank you for the successful collaboration in 2019 to VEPR! We are looking forward to the upcoming projects in the next year.

14th China Talk in Cooperation with the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

Indo-Pacific's Geopolitical Chessboard: China’s Changing Relationship with the U.S. and Its Larger Implications

On November 13th, we co-hosted the 14th China Talk on "Indo-Pacific's Geopolitical Chessboard: China’s Changing Relationship with the U.S. and Its Larger Implications" together with our partner DAV. The event consisted of a presentation by Professor Brahma Chellaney from the Centre for Policy Research in India as well as comments by Ambassador Nguyen Duy Hung and Dr. Do Thanh Hai followed by an open discussion on the introduced issues. During the event, the policies and strategies by China and the U.S. in this area and the impacts of the U.S.-China competition over regional politics have been addressed. Also, the discussion aimed to understand geopolitical change in the region. "The United States have shown a higher level of activism in the Indo-Pacific. Responding to China’s expanding geopolitical as well as geo-economic influence, the U.S. is adopting the Indo-Pacific concept, working out a strategy to contain and counter China’s maneuvering in the region. The competition between the U.S. and China will clearly be the most important factor shaping regional security environment in the years to come.", said Mr. Peter Girke at the event. The event was well attended by more than 60 participants who are scholars and diplomats of both Vietnam and foreign countries such as Norway, Russia, the U.S., Spain, Germany...

Final Session of Diplomatic Game at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

On last Sunday, the final session of the Diplomacy Game took place at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV). The participants shared their strategies and views on their allies and enemies within the game retrospectively. The Diplomacy Game is a strategic simulation of international politics in Europe playing in the early 20th century for DAV students. The students worked on their tactical positioning as European power for almost three months. This simulation is not only aimed at building up knowledge on international relations but also to strengthen their competencies in team work, strategical thinking and diplomatic skills. Apart from the winning teams, the best strategist, best negotiator and the best media reporter have been awarded. Congratulations to the winners of the game and thank you to all participants!