【Report】To Securitize or Not? Comparing Securitization of Undersea Cables in Southeast Asia

I Gusti Bagus Dharma Agastia

On May 21, 2026, Dr. I Gusti Bagus Dharma Agastia, a postdoctoral fellow at Kinugasa Research Organization at Ritsumeikan University, gave a presentation on his ongoing research project on undersea cables at Ritsumeikan University.

Dr. Agastia began his presentation by explaining the importance of undersea cables. Undersea cables are an essential component of our daily lives as they comprise 98 percent of all internet connections in the world.

The Ritsumeikan University researcher explained that while the need to securitize undersea cables is well recognized in European countries, the United States, Japan, and South Korea, it is not in Southeast Asia. This is puzzling, given that the region is rife with various risks to undersea cables. He explained that his research examines why political efforts to securitize undersea cables are largely weak or absent among Southeast Asian countries.

Then, Dr. Agastia explained his theory of Politicization, Riskification, and Securitization (PRS). Politicization is the process by which a particular issue is raised as requiring political discussion. Riskification is the process by which the issue becomes widely recognized as containing risks that can cause harm. In turn, securization is the process by which the issue becomes widely seen as an existential threat that requires urgent and extraordinary measures. From the perspective of the PRS framework, once an issue is politicized, it can become riskified or securitized.

Next, Dr. Agastia explained his preliminary findings on how Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines approach undersea cables. In all countries, the general tendency is that they lean towards broad riskification rather than securitization. That said, he stressed that there is no uniform approach to riskification; it is shaped by local domestic politics.

During the Q&A, the audience members asked many questions, such as those regarding the RRS theoretical framework, securitization theory, and the role of material power in affecting the dynamics of securitization.