Navigating the South China Sea: Southeast Asia's Strategic Choices
The Counterpoint Southeast Asia Student Competition is an initiative by the Centre on Asia and Globalisation (CAG) aimed at providing LKYSPP Master and PhD students with the opportunity to explore a wider range of challenging questions beyond the school curriculum. It offers students the chance to showcase their knowledge and writing skills to a wider audience.
Essay Question
"How should Southeast Asian states respond to the evolving challenges in the South China Sea?"
The South China Sea remains a focal point of regional and global security, touching nearly every dimension of contemporary international relations. With overlapping territorial claims, intensifying great power competition, vital trade routes, rich natural resources, and increasing environmental pressures, the South China Sea presents Southeast Asian states with multifaceted challenges that demand innovative policy responses.
Possible Essay Themes
Traditional Security:
• Maritime security and defense strategies for ASEAN states
• Great power rivalry: balancing between US and China interests
• Institutional and legal responses through UNCLOS and regional frameworks
• ASEAN centrality in dispute management
• Confidence-building measures and conflict prevention
Non-Traditional Security:
• Climate change impacts and maritime climate adaptation
• Sustainable fisheries management and marine biodiversity protection
• Disaster relief coordination and maritime safety cooperation
• Energy security and offshore resource development
• Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing
• Transnational crime and maritime law enforcement
Governance and Innovation:
• Polycentric governance approaches beyond traditional frameworks
• Economic cooperation models in disputed waters
• Digital technology and maritime domain awareness
• Track II diplomacy and civil society engagement
• Regional institution-building and ASEAN mechanisms
Competition Details
- Eligibility: Open to all current students of LKYSPP’s Master in Public Policy, Master in International Affairs, Master in Public Administration and Doctor of Philosophy programmes. Students in Double Degree programmes are also eligible.
- Essay Length: 1,000-1,500 words (with hyperlinks instead of references)
- Co-authorship: Essays may be co-authored by two students. Co-authored entries will split the prize money, and only one co-author will present.
- Essay Submission Deadline: February 11, 2026
- Results Announced By: End of February
- Panel Discussion: March 11, 2026
The three winning essays will be published by CAG in the 18th special issue of Counterpoint Southeast Asia. The three authors will also present their essays at a public panel discussion on March 11, 2026, followed by a dinner reception.
• 1st Prize: SGD 1,000 cash
• 2nd Prize: SGD 600 cash
• 3rd Prize: SGD 400 cash
• Must be an original work, written in a clear, succinct, and non-technical style
• References can be included via hyperlinks
• Present a clear, original and evidence-based argument
• Suggest policy recommendations for Southeast Asia
Please submit your essay to decb64_YmFyYm9yYXZAbnVzLmVkdS5zZw==_decb64 by February 11, 2026. The subject line should include "SCS Essay Competition 2026." Please also Include your name and contact information.