On November 3, 2020, JUMP and the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS) hosted our fourteenth YCAPS-JUMP webinar at 9 AM JST. This was part of an ongoing series exploring interesting and contemporary topics relevant to our base communities and beyond. Our guest speaker was Dr. Olli Suorsa of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Dr. Suorsa discussed the decisions that smaller powers make when approaching multilateral naval exercises. He argued that participation in the exercises is inherently a political question. Specifically, he discussed smaller powers’ considerations (with special reference to Southeast Asia) in taking part in naval exercises involving various sets of actors and the participation’s significance for conveying strategic signals. Nearly 30 people joined the webinar.
Dr. Olli Pekka Suorsa is a Research Fellow in the Maritime Security Programme of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). Before joining RSIS, he lectured at the Department of Asian and International Studies in the City University of Hong Kong. Dr. Suorsa holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the City University of Hong Kong and a Master’s degree in Asian Politics from SOAS, University of London, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia. Dr. Suorsa has also work experience in the defense industry of Finland.
Thank you to everyone who attended! Please stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for details on future events.
2023 The Japan U.S. Military Program (JUMP)
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