🇵🇭 MANILA TO HOST THE 15TH CSCAP GENERAL CONFERENCE IN DECEMBER CSCAP Philippines has been selected by its fellow member committees to host the 15th General Conference of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP), bringing a major regional Track 2 security gathering to Manila on December 1-3, 2026. The WPS Foundation, which serves as CSCAP Philippines co-chair, will lead preparations for the conference. Manila will welcome leading scholars, policy experts, former officials, and security practitioners from across the Indo-Pacific for substantive discussions on the region’s most pressing political, economic and security challenges. 🌏🤝 About CSCAP Established in 1993, CSCAP provides a track II platform for candid dialogue on issues that are often difficult or politically sensitive. Through its study groups, conferences, and policy memoranda, CSCAP develops practical recommendations, builds trust among regional stakeholders, and supports cooperation even when official diplomatic channels face constraints. CSCAP’s work also contributes to the wider regional security architecture. Its research and recommendations complement official processes such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, helping connect independent expert analysis with government deliberations and policymaking. CSCAP’s member committees represent: 🇦🇺 Australia · 🇧🇳 Brunei Darussalam · 🇰🇭 Cambodia · 🇨🇦 Canada · 🇨🇳 China · 🇰🇵 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea · 🇪🇺 European Union · 🇮🇳 India · 🇮🇩 Indonesia · 🇯🇵 Japan · 🇱🇦 Lao PDR · 🇲🇾 Malaysia · 🇲🇳 Mongolia · 🇲🇲 Myanmar · 🇳🇿 New Zealand · 🇵🇭 The Philippines · 🇰🇷 The Republic of Korea · 🇷🇺 Russian Federation · 🇸🇬 Singapore · 🇹🇭 Thailand · 🇺🇸 United States of America · 🇻🇳 Vietnam. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat serves as an associate member. Learn more through the official CSCAP website: cscap.org #CSCAP #RegionalSecurity #TrackTwoDiplomacy @jaytaryela @JeffreyOrdaniel @DonMcLainGill95 @ISIS_MY @fsiphilippines @DavidSantoro1 @BradGinTokyo – at Manila City, National Capital Region

[WPS Dispatch] “Asymmetric warriors love to exploit vulnerabilities. They know that democratic institutions are usually siloed and are bound by good governance principles. Malign actors see this as a “weak system” that can be abused.  Moreover, malign actors see victory beyond the traditional battlefield. They strongly believe that the new battlespace exists in cyberspace and the cognitive domain.” Sherwin Ona explores the evolving nature of warfare and how the Philippines can develop a resilient defense posture in this new WPS Dispatch piece, “Addressing asymmetric and hybrid threats against the Philippines.” dispatch.wps-ph.org/addressi…

[WPS Dispatch] “For China’s maritime neighbors, maintaining friendly relations with Beijing does not necessarily mean escaping its coercive pressure. The methods remain remarkably consistent, even as the intensity varies.” Read the latest on WPS Dispatch, “Friend or foe, China’s maritime coercion and the problem with accommodation,” by Marvin Hamor Bernardo, a doctoral candidate in the International Doctoral Program in Asia-Pacific Studies at the National Chengchi University in Taiwan. dispatch.wps-ph.org/friend-o…

[WPS Dispatch] “Pressure intended to consolidate Chinese claims and reduce foreign influence encourages neighboring countries to rearm, manage their differences, cooperate more closely and develop stronger external partnerships, potentially creating precisely the regional alignment Beijing seeks to prevent. China’s greatest strategic vulnerability may consequently no longer be a lack of power, but its difficulty in translating unprecedented power into reassurance—either for itself or for its neighbors.” Read “China’s strategic anxiety: The paradox of an insecure superpower” by Benjamin Blandin, Research Fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, published in WPS Dispatch. dispatch.wps-ph.org/chinas-s…

[WPS Dispatch] “The solution then is for those in the West Philippine Sea advocacy, whether in or out of government, to remain assertive in advancing their interests and positions especially if the opposition from other government entities becomes unreasonably accommodating to Beijing. Only then will Philippine national interests be protected and not subjected to the weakness of those who still stubbornly pursue appeasement with China in the West Philippine Sea.” Read this new Dispatch piece, "Speaking with one voice in the West Philippine Sea,” by military historian and security analyst Jose Antonio Custodio. dispatch.wps-ph.org/speaking…

[WPS Dispatch] “Europe’s strategic relevance in the South China Sea will be measured less by the number of European warships passing through its waters than by its ability to strengthen the resilience, capabilities and strategic agency of the coastal states.” Read this new Dispatch piece, "Distant waters, shared tides: A European perspective on the South China Sea,” by Arnaud Leveau (PhD), President of Asia Centre and Founder of Alta Strategies. dispatch.wps-ph.org/distant-…