ASEAN-Russia: Foundations and Future Prospects

About the Contributors

xiii ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS Ambassador K. Kesavapany is Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. Ambassador Kesavapany has been ISEAS Director since 1 November 2002. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Kesavapany was Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia. In his thirty-year career in the Foreign Service, he served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva (December 1991–March 1997) and held key staff appointments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. Ambassador Kesavapany was an active participant in the final phase of the Uruguay Round negotiations and was the first Chairman of the WTO’s General Council in 1995. Email: kesavapany@iseas.edu.sg Dr Victor Sumsky is Director of the ASEAN Centre at MGIMO-University, Moscow, Russia. He speaks English and Indonesian, holds a Doctorate in history, has published three monographs and many articles. Among his writings in English are publications in such periodicals as Alternatives (New York), Japanese Journal of American Studies (Tokyo), Philippine Studies (Quezon City) and Global Asia (Seoul). In the past he worked for the Soviet Foreign Ministry, Institute of Oriental Studies and Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) in Moscow. His overseas working experience includes the University of the Philippines, London School of Economics, and the University of Washington. From 2004 to 2010 Dr Sumsky represented Russia on the Board of the European Association of Southeast Asian Studies (EuroSEAS). Professionally he concentrates on political development of Southeast Asian nations, as well as international relations in East Asia and its security problems. In 2006–07 he contributed to three books, co-published by IMEMO and ISEAS. At the Institute of Asian and African Studies of the Moscow State University where he lectures since the early 2000s his latest courses are “Southeast Asia and 21st Century xi About the Contributors Challenges” and “Classics of Modern Philippine Literature: Nick Joaquin and Francisco Sionil Jose”. Email: victor.sumsky@gmail.com His Excellency Sayakane Sisouvong is the ASEAN Deputy SecretaryGeneral , ASEAN Political Security Community. H.E. has been in his current position since February 2009. Prior to his appointment he was Ambassadorat -Large and Laos’ ASEAN SOM Leader (Senior Official for ASEAN Political Affairs), Ministry of Foreign Affairs. H.E. has held various positions within the Laos Ministry of Foreign Affairs including Director-General, ASEAN Department, and Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to the United Nations. H.E. has a Masters degree in International Relations from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia and a Masters degree (Linguistic) from the Universidad Central de Las Villas, Cuba. Email: sayakane.sisouvong@asean.org; sayakanesisouvong@gmail.com His Excellency Andrey N. Rozhkov is the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Singapore and holds the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. H.E. has been the Ambassador to Singapore since 25 June 2005 and speaks Chinese and English languages. H.E. joined the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1968 having graduated in the same year from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. Email: mail@russia.org.sg Dr Vyacheslav Nikonov has been the President of the “Polity” Foundation since May 1993. He has a MA in History (1978) and a Ph.D. in History (1982) from Moscow State University. From 1988 to 1991, he was speechwriter to then Head of the CPSU Central Committee, before joining the Office of the President of the USSR as a member of staff, then as assistant to the Chief of Staff (1991–92). In 1992, he was a professor of Political Science at the California Institute of Technology (USA). He returned to Russia in 1992, where he was Senior Fellow in the “Reforma” Foundation until 1994. Between 1994 and 1996 he was a member of the State Duma and Chairman of the Subcommittee for International Security and Arms Control. In 1996 he became Deputy Chairman of the All-Russian Public Movement to Support then President Yeltsin’s re-election committee. From 1997 to 2001 he was a member of the Presidential Political Consultancy Council, Presidential Human Rights Commission and member of the expert council with the About the Contributors x Presidential Commission on countering political extremism. In 2006–09 he was a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. Dr Nikonov is also the CEO of the “Russkiy Mir” Foundation, Dean of the School of Public Administration...