Synopsis:The series of 2015/16 IPS-Nathan Lectures is titled “Dealing with an Ambiguous World”.
The fourth lecture will expose some of the conceptual complexities and complications of the ideas of human rights and democracy and examine their evolving role in international relations. Simplistic views of the concepts and their imprudent application have added to post-Cold War uncertainties.
Speaker:Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan is currently Ambassador-at-Large in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Singapore. From 2001 to May 2013, he was the Second Permanent Secretary and subsequently the Permanent Secretary of MFA. He retired in June 2013 after 33 years in the public sector.
Ambassador Kausikan held a variety of appointments in the MFA, such as Director for Southeast Asia, Director for East Asia and the Pacific and Deputy Secretary for Southeast Asia. He was the Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 1995 to 1998 and Ambassador to the Russian Federation from 1994 to 1995.
He has been awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold) and the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Meritorious Service Medal) by the Singapore government. He was also awarded the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins with the rank of Gran Cruz by the President of the Republic of Chile and the Oman Civil Merit Order by the Sultan of Oman.
Ambassador Kausikan was educated at Raffles Institution, the University of Singapore and Columbia University in New York.
Downloads:•
Mr Bilahari Kausikan’s speech• Media Coverage of Lecture IV- The Myth of Universality: The Geopolitics of Human Rights (29 Apr 2016)
• Report on Lecture IV- The Myth of Universality: The Geopolitics of Human Rights
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2015/16 IPS-Nathan Lecture Series: Lecture IV by Mr Bilahari KausikanVideo: