The Singapore Lecture series was inaugurated in 1980 by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) with a founding endowment from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and augmented by a generous donation in 1983 from ExxonMobil Asia Pacific. The Singapore Lecture is one of the intellectual highlights of Singapore. It provides an opportunity for distinguished statesmen and leaders to reach a wider audience in Singapore. The presence of such eminent personalities will allow members of the civil service, business community, diplomatic corps, academic community, media, and other interested parties, the opportunity to hear from leading world figures speak on topics of international and regional interest. The 45th Singapore Lecture was delivered by His Excellency José Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, on 8 December 2022, under the distinguished Chairmanship of Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Singapore.

The Singapore Lecture series was inaugurated in 1980 by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) with a founding endowment from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and augmented by a generous donation in 1983 from ExxonMobil Asia Pacific. The Singapore Lecture is designed to provide an opportunity for distinguished statesmen and leaders of thought and knowledge to reach a wider audience in Singapore. The presence of such eminent personalities allows Singaporeans, especially younger executives and decision-makers in both the public and private sectors, the benefit of exposure to leading world figures who address topics of international and regional interest. The 42nd Singapore Lecture was delivered by His Excellency Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea, on 13 July 2018 under the distinguished Chairmanship of Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Singapore.

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, as it was then called, was established in 1968 by then Deputy Prime Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee in order to enable the newly independent city-state better understand the region and its complexities. Since its establishment, ISEAS has dedicated itself to researching the political, economic and socio-cultural dynamics and trends in Southeast Asia for policymakers, scholars, and other relevant stakeholders. On 12 August 2015, the Institute was officially renamed ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, in honour of Singapore’s first President. This book presents three public lectures given to commemorate the Institute’s Golden Anniversary. Professor Leonard Y. Andaya delivered the first lecture entitled “Developments in the Scholarship of Southeast Asian Studies” on 21 February 2018. The second public lecture was delivered by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 13 March 2018. Professor Wang Gungwu delivered the final public lecture entitled “Before Southeast Asia: Passages and Terrains” on 3 October 2018. Collectively, these three public lectures exhort ISEAS to continuously reflect on its research agenda, the region, as well as the contemporary landscape and challenges it has to operate in.

Comparative analysis of case studies across East Asia provides new insights into the relationship between state building, stateness, and democracy.

The Singapore Lecture series was inaugurated in 1980 by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) with a founding endowment from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and augmented by a generous donation in 1983 from ExxonMobil Asia Pacific. The Singapore Lecture is one of the intellectual highlights of Singapore. It provides an opportunity for distinguished statesmen and leaders to reach a wider audience in Singapore. The presence of such eminent personalities will allow members of the civil service, business community, diplomatic corps, academic community, media, and other interested parties, the opportunity to hear from leading world figures speak on topics of international and regional interest. The 46th Singapore Lecture was delivered by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on 24 May 2024, under the distinguished Chairmanship of Mr Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Singapore.

Indonesia suffered an explosion of religious violence, ethnic violence, separatist violence, terrorism, and violence by criminal gangs, the security forces and militias in the late 1990s and early 2000s. By 2002 Indonesia had the worst terrorism problem of any nation. All these forms of violence have now fallen dramatically. How was this accomplished? What drove the rise and the fall of violence? Anomie theory is deployed to explain these developments. Sudden institutional change at the time of the Asian financial crisis and the fall of President Suharto meant the rules of the game were up for grabs. Valerie Braithwaite's motivational postures theory is used to explain the gaming of the rules and the disengagement from authority that occurred in that era. Ultimately resistance to Suharto laid a foundation for commitment to a revised, more democratic, institutional order. The peacebuilding that occurred was not based on the high-integrity truth-seeking and reconciliation that was the normative preference of these authors. Rather it was based on non-truth, sometimes lies, and yet substantial reconciliation. This poses a challenge to restorative justice theories of peacebuilding.

The 2011 WDR on Conflict, Security and Development underlines the devastating impact of persistent conflict on a country or region's development prospects - noting that the 1.5 billion people living in conflict-affected areas are twice as likely to be in poverty. Its goal is to contribute concrete, practical suggestions on conflict and fragility.