14 October
“‘Peaceful Rise / Development’ and Sino-ASEAN Relations”
Mr. TOK Sow Keat, PhD. Candidate, Political and International Studies, University of Warwick

21 October
“Modernity and Its Exceptions: Sovereignty and Law/Force Indistinction in the Post-1986 Philippines”
Prof. Wong Pak-nung, Research Assistant Professor, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies

28 October
“The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and its Role in the Integrations of China into the Central Asia Region”
Mr. Shih Chien-yu, PhD. Candidate, London School of Economic and Political Science

4 November
“Scandinavian Expatriates in Hong Kong – An Ethnographic Approach”
Mr. David Guttormsen, Postgraduate Research Student, Centre of International Business, University of Leeds

11 November
“The Political Impact of the U.S. Presidential Election on its Foreign Policy”
U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong

25 November
“The Politics of Private Equity in Asia”
Dr. Justin Robertson, Assistant Professor, Department of Asian and International Studies, City University of Hong Kong

For details of the seminar, please visit our website www.cuhk.edu.hk.hkiaps/irrp for further updates

On 25 September, IRRP has a meeting with the President of the Association of Russian Universities and four representatives from leading Russian universities in various fields. During the meeting, we have exchanged our views on further collaboration between Russian universities and the IRRP, on fostering exchanges of academic views in the Asia-Pacific region. Through the meeting, the IRRP is establishing the connection between the leading Russian universities in International Relations and looking forward fruitful cooperation opportunities in international relations research.

International Relations Luncheon Seminar Series – 002

‘Modernity and Its Exceptions: Sovereignty and Law/Force Indistinction in Post-1986 Philippines
by Prof. Wong Bryan Pak-nung
Research Assistant Professor, HKIAPS 

Organized by: The International Relations Research Programme and Univesity Service Centre for China Studies, CUHK
Date / Time: Tuesday, 21 Octoberl 2008 / 12:00 p.m.
Venue: Conference Room, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, 5/F Esther Lee Building, CUHK, Shatin
Lunch Fee: Free Participation; HKD$20 for Lunch

Abstract:
Modernity has many faces. Perhaps a repeating facet is the ‘state of exception’, manifested in two forms of rule, ‘commissariat dictatorship’ and ‘sovereign dictatorship’ (Schmitt and Agamben). The former refers to a state of affairs where the state delegates temporarily suspend the laws while installing a new constitution. The latter refers to a strategy used to re-create the same condition so that the state delegates can continuously act outside the juridical realm. ‘Exceptional’ situations such as martial law, secessionism and state of emergency emerge when the state adopts law/force indistinction. Weber and Bourdieu argued that a state is defined by the monopolization of physical force and symbolic violence. This paper argues that the two monopolizing measures inform two different yet intertwined governance techniques – discursive and non-discursive strategies (Foucault). To substantiate, it will provide an ethnographic anatomy of a secessionist mutiny when Governor Lieutenant Colonel Rodolfo Aguinaldo stormed Tuguegarao City Mayor Delfin Ting’s Hotel Delfino on March 4^th 1990. Against the backdrop of the post-Marcos democratization, it historically traces the mutiny to three arenas of law/force indistinction in northeastern Philippines: anti-illegal-gambling campaign, counterinsurgency, and the assassinations of Governor Aguinaldo and affiliated gambling lord in 2001 and 2002. To comprehend modernity, the rule of law is not possible without using legitimate force..

For details or reservations, please contact Wilson Chan at wilson_chan@cuhk.edu.hk or 2696-1353. Please visit http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/hkiaps/irrp/activities/seminar.html for forthcoming activities.

What is Global Elites?

Introduction 
As an annual key program of Roundtable Community, Global Elites serves to bring innovative perspectives to local high school students on globalization and its effects on various aspects such as international relations, culture, religion, media development, etc. The program includes a series of seminars and workshops as well as an overnight camp. Ultimately, Global Elites aims to groom the young generation of Hong Kong to gain stronger grasp and better articulation on the above-mentioned issues.

Objectives  

1. Through a series of seminars and workshops, participants will develop a better understanding of macroscopic field of views, and discover the challenges and opportunities of Hong Kong as part of the global village.
2. Participants in the program will be introduced to international relations, culture, religion, media development. Various speakers bring different insight to related issues which will enhance participants’ multi-dimensional thinking ability. 
3. To encourage inter-disciplinary learning of students by leading them to integrate their knowledge of different academic disciplines and generate more thorough insights into different social issues. 
4. There will also be opportunities for participants in the program to develop their critical thinking, interpersonal skills, leadership skills and problem-solving skills through the overnight camp.

The global elites 2008 has come to an end in mid-July and we would like to express our sincere thanks to all speakers and participants. But the spirit of Global Elites never dies and stay tunes for our post-camp gatherings and activities. See you in Global Elites 2009!

If you have any opinion and comment on Global Elites 2008, feel free to email Wilson Chan at wilsonchan@irra.org.hk