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CALL FOR PAPERS
The Seacsn Conference 2004
“ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FOR PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA”
INTRODUCTION
Prospects for peace in Southeast Asia remain elusive.
Despite the early promise of stability and prosperity
amid the euphoria of the end of the cold war as well
as economic development of the early to mid nineties,
the situation in the late 1990s and early 21st century
has in fact deteriorated. There has been a marked increase
in the numbers of cases of all types of conflicts and
insurgency activities and this, despite efforts to reduce
the intensity of “hot spots” in the area. This
situation has been exacerbated by the “war on terrorism” led
by the United States since the September 11 incident.
Among the implications of this policy is the intensification
of activities against groups classified as “terrorists”,
as well as the strengthening of regimes in their battles
against these groups. This has resulted in many observers
concluding that the many hot spots in the region will
become hotter.
Different countries have tried to address the situation
differently according to the needs and demands they faced
from within, as well as international pressures. Mechanisms,
both internal and regional, have been introduced to tackle
and resolve these conflict situations. However, over
the years, new challenges have arisen that have called
into question these mechanisms and approaches and tested
their effectiveness. Among the changes that have been
witnessed by the region include:
- the changing of the structure of global power
balance
- the move from bilateralism to unilateralism
- the “end of history” to the “clash
of civilisations” to the “war against terrorism”
- the euphoria of the expansion of ASEAN replaced
by the reality of propping up poorer and weaker countries
- leadership changes within each country and the “new” way
of thinking of these new leaders, subscribing less
to the old school of thoughts of those leaders that
grew up and matured in the sixties to the nineties
- conflicts created and then avoided, contained,
or settled, but rarely resolved
- some conflicts lingering on while others escalated
- economic recession including the economic crises
that forced countries to focus on their own interests
and survival as nation-states instead of enhancing
co-operation and collaboration with each other.
This conference intends to look at the issues of peace
and conflict resolution in Southeast Asia in the light
of these current regional and global challenges. There
is also a need to reconsider and rethink again the resolution
and management procedures and mechanisms. This is given
the changing focus of security threats facing the region
with non-traditional security issues becoming as important,
if not more so than the traditional ones.
THEMES AND OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE
The activities of the SEACSN during the first phase of
its existence (2001 to 2003) will culminate with this
conference on “Issues and Challenges for Conflict
Resolution in Southeast Asia” to be held at the Shangri-La
Hotel, Penang, Malaysia, 12 – 15 January 2004. The
conference will focus on the following themes:
- Ethnic and Religious Conflicts in Southeast Asia
- Culture in Conflict and Conflict Resolution
- Public Policy Disputes
- Inter-state Conflicts
- Environmental Issues
- Reconciliation, Peace Building and Post-War Reconstruction
- Democracy and Civil Society
- Gender Issues
The objectives of the conference are:
To discuss current trends of peace and conflict at both
the regional and global levels and their implications
for Southeast Asia
- To identify types and causes of conflicts in Southeast
Asia
- To identify conflict management and resolution
mechanisms, strategies and approaches used to tackle
these conflicts.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of these mechanisms,
strategies and approaches.
- To stimulate discussion about lessons to be learned
from trends and patterns of conflict resolution in
the region
- To discuss current trends of peace and conflict
at both the regional and global levels and their
implications for Southeast Asia
- To provide a platform for the presentation of
findings from the SEACSN Conflict Mapping Project
- To promote networking among members of the Network
and those involved in peace and conflict resolution
related activities
- To discuss the future of the SEACSN as a network
for peace and conflict resolution in Southeast Asia
We would like to invite proposals for individual or joint
paper presentations for this conference. The proposal
should include: (a) paper title, (b) name/s, (c) brief
abstract (200-300 words), (d) affiliation, and (e) contact
details. Please send the paper to the Programme Committee
via email to rep@usm.my or
fax (604) 657 7070. The deadline for submission of all
proposals is 31 October 2003. The notification of acceptance
or rejection of paper proposals will be sent via email
by 30 November 2003.
The registration fee for the Conference is USD 100 for
individuals, USD 50 for students. The fee includes the
conference materials, daily lunch, two tea breaks per
day, and one reception. The registration fee must be
made in the form of an International Bank Draft in US
dollars payable to “The Research and Education for
Peace Unit”. Cash payment in Ringgit Malaysia is
available at the start of the Conference itself. There
are a limited number of support grants for paper presenters
from Southeast Asian countries. Please indicate in your
proposal if you need financial support to attend this
conference. Your request will be reviewed by the Conference
Organising Committee and you will be notified by the
end of November, 2003.
For enquiries, submission of papers and confirmation
of participation, please contact the SEACSN Regional
Secretariat at the following address:
Research and Education for Peace, School of Social Sciences,
Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: (604) 653 2658/653 2123 Fax: (604) 657 7070
E-mails: rep@usm.my or zam@usm.my
URL : www.seacsn.net
Responsible Officers: Dr. Kamarulzaman Askandar and Ms.
Chai Lee Choo
THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN CONFLICT STUDIES NETWORK
The Southeast Asian Conflict Studies Network (SEACSN)
has been working, albeit quietly, to transform the situation
in Southeast Asia. It has among its goals the promotion
of peaceful values and a more objective and localised
way of looking at and analyzing conflicts in the region.
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