Student Stories
IS students advocate for eastern alliances at Canadian student security conference
This March, International Studies students Phone Min Thant and Summer Chan attended the fourth annual Canadian Undergraduate Security Conference (CUSC), which took place at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. They were one of three teams from universities outside the East Coast who presented on this year鈥檚 highly pertinent theme, 鈥淩eshuffling the Global Order: The Transformation of Power Paradigms鈥�. This year, students submitted conference papers on the topic of international security, economic security, national sovereignty versus global governance, and cyber security. Phone and Summer took the time to share their CUSC experience with us.
What global security challenge inspired your research? What areas should Canada prioritize to solidify its position in the shifting world order?
Summer: Our paper, 鈥淭rue North Looks East: Canada and International Security in the South China Sea鈥�, is the product of months of research and examines why the South China Sea is an increasingly important security issue for Canada.
Phone: Against the backdrop of U.S. disengagement from the Indo-Pacific, we argued that Canada can contribute positively to its own security by creating conditions for a stable and peaceful global maritime order and present itself as a more committed and reliable partner to regional states by taking a more active role in the South China Sea (and by extension, in Southeast Asia).
Summer: We recommended that, as a middle power in this conflict, Canada should strengthen its partnerships with key ASEAN states by reconsidering the one-dimensional framing of the 鈥淚ndo-Pacific.鈥� Canada should also leverage its technological strengths in dark vessel detection and cybersecurity to support regional partners, promote maritime stability, and enhance its influence in international security affairs by 鈥渓ooking east.鈥�
Was there a moment at the conference when you realized, 鈥淚t was worth it鈥�?
Phone: We were told that our paper was one of the most concise and clear ones submitted to the conference. We also received some commendation for being one of the first to connect the South China Sea dispute to that of Canada鈥檚 recent security commitments in Southeast Asia, as well as its technological and defence niches, particularly with the very recent launch of the country鈥檚 Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS). The feedback and the encouragement we received from the conference inspired us to continue expanding this paper beyond the one we submitted to CUSC, and to find an avenue for further research and publication. We also received some interest in future co-authorship opportunities.聽
Summer: Unbeknownst to us beforehand, a shared theme connecting all presentations on our panel was a focus on security issues involving China. The panel followed a structured progression鈥攆rom a focus on a single Asian country (China), to multiple Asian countries, and finally to the broader region鈥攚hich I found both intriguing and intellectually satisfying. Interestingly, while most of the presentations were delivered in English, R茅mi鈥檚 (another panelist) presentation allowed me to test my French-language skills by listening to鈥攁nd, to my surprise, understanding for the most part鈥攖he rapid pace of a native francophone speaker.聽
What did you enjoy most about attending CUSC and presenting alongside students from across Canada?
Phone: The conference gave us numerous opportunities to explore key themes and concepts that are familiar to students of International Studies, albeit through a diverse analytical and practical lens. For me personally, two presentations and their concepts stood out: (1) the Praetorianism Plus (Praetorianism combined with other factors encouraging military coups) seen in repeated military coups in West Africa in recent years, and (2) the politics of gentrification in international politics and armed conflict. As one of my personal research interests is civil-military relations in Southeast Asia, the concept of Praetorianism Plus may well be used in a future research project.
Summer: There were many opportunities to engage with other participants鈥� research. The range of topics was extensive, spanning analyses of the factors behind the recent coups in Africa, examinations of proxy warfare in Yemen, and discussions of U.S. maritime strikes and narco-terrorism. Experiencing such diversity in subjects reinforced the interdisciplinary and dynamic nature of International Studies鈥攖he very qualities that first drew me to this field.
What鈥檚 one thing you'll take with you from this experience?
Summer: As my first academic conference, this experience was undoubtedly unforgettable. Despite the many challenges along the way鈥攊ncluding very little sleep, flight delays, and a ten-minute layover鈥攖he stress of travel, which may have even brought a tear or two, was ultimately replaced by feelings of gratitude, joy, and deep appreciation. After eighteen years of studying French, attending this conference in Quebec felt like a full-circle moment, yet also the beginning of a new chapter. This experience has left such a positive impression that it only motivates me to remain in the field of academia and to extend this paper further with Phone.
Phone: I recall what one of the conference organizers, Dr. Martin-Brule, said at the opening address that as undergraduate students do not usually get opportunities for research (and in fact, have been unduly underestimated), conferences like this matter for us to give us inspiration to do research, build a community of academics, and in this case, promote democratic civil-military relations. In this uncertain world order, which all IS students are very familiar with, opportunities like this remind us that we, as undergraduate students and as young people, do care about changing the world for the better, but also have the capability and the community to do so.