Programme

Maritime challenges and tensions are increasingly being shaped by different perspectives of security – political, legal, and intellectual. These conceptual divergences have at times hampered any tangible progress on outstanding disputes. How do states define “maritime security” and to what extent does it shape conflict? Are international maritime laws and norms at risk as countries prioritise their national interests at the expense of the global commons? How can Track 2 actors encourage greater collaboration and cohesion on shared security issues like maritime safety, economy and ecology amid contested environments?

Minilateralism has shifted from being a response to stagnant multilateralism to a proactive strategy driven by like-minded states. While it can be an agile tool for power projection and shaping the regional and global order, critics contend that it perpetuates a less inclusive form of collaboration. Is minilateralism an effective tool for geopolitics or does it simply perpetuate exclusion and antagonism? Could minilateralism strengthen nuanced and targeted cooperation, paving the way for effective multilateralism or will it render the latter obsolete? Can one exist without the other?