Edcel John A. Ibarra

Edcel John A. Ibarra is an assistant professor of political science at the Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines Diliman. He previously taught at the University of the Philippines Manila (2022) and worked as a Foreign Affairs Research Specialist (2016 to 2022) and officer-in-charge of the Strategic, Territorial, and Maritime Issues Section (2021 to 2022) at the Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Foreign Service Institute—the in-house foreign policy think tank of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. He has written policy inputs, general audience articles, and academic articles on Philippine territorial and maritime concerns, including the South China Sea disputes. In 2021, he became Young Leader and US-Philippines Alliance Next-Generation Leader at the Pacific Forum in Honolulu, Hawaii. His research interests include Philippine foreign policy, territorial and maritime disputes, maritime security and ocean governance, and regional security. He obtained his master’s degree in international studies and bachelor’s degree in political science (magna cum laude) from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Education

• Master in International Studies, University of the Philippines Diliman, 2022
• Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), magna cum laude, University of the Philippines Diliman, 2015

Research Interests

Philippine foreign policy; territorial and maritime disputes; South China Sea; maritime security and ocean governance; regional security

Courses Taught

• Political Science 121: Society and Politics
• Political Science 181: Philippine Foreign Policy
• Social Science 2: Social, Economic and Political Thought

Recent Publications

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2022). Advancing the Philippines-US alliance for conflict resolution in the South China Sea: Policy options from an issues approach. Issues & Insights, 22(SR1), 38–44. https://pacforum.org/publication/issues-insights-vol-22-sr1-resilient-alliance-moving-the-u-s-philippines-security-relations-forward

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2022). Issue-based cooperation on conflict resolution in the South China Sea: Exploring roles for ASEAN beyond the code of conduct. Journal of Territorial and Maritime Studies, 9(1), 97–115. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48684181

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2022). The controversy surrounding Sandy Cay: Examining the public evidence. FSI Insights, 7(2). https://fsi.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FSI-Insights-November-2021.pdf

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2021, July 1). For democracy’s sake, Biden must continue engaging with Duterte. Philippine Strategic Forum. https://www.stratforumph.com/post/for-democracy-s-sake-biden-must-continue-engaging-with-duterte

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2021). Revisiting the need for a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea. CIRSS Commentaries, 6(2). https://fsi.gov.ph/revisiting-the-need-for-a-legally-binding-code-of-conduct-in-the-south-china-sea-chasing-a-moving-target/

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2020, December 20). Toward peaceful settlement of the South China Sea disputes. Philippine Strategic Forum. https://www.stratforumph.com/post/toward-peaceful-settlement-of-the-south-china-sea-disputes

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2020, November 10). The Philippine Supreme Court under Duterte: Reshaped, unwilling to annul, and unable to restrain. Items: Insights from the Social Sciences. https://items.ssrc.org/democracy-papers/democratic-erosion/the-philippine-supreme-court-under-duterte-reshaped-unwilling-to-annul-and-unable-to-restrain/

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2018). Considerations on the legal approach to dispute settlement: The Philippine experience with the South China Sea arbitration. CIRSS Commentaries, 5(5). https://fsi.gov.ph/considerations-on-the-legal-approach-to-dispute-settlement-the-philippine-experience-with-the-south-china-sea-arbitration/

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2017). Probing the (Im)possibility of China’s compliance with the South China Sea arbitration award. FSI Insights, 4(2). https://fsi.gov.ph/probing-the-impossibility-of-chinas-compliance-with-the-south-china-sea-arbitration-award/

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2017). Lessons of functionalism for functional cooperation in the South China Sea. CIRSS Horizons, 1(1), 12–13. https://www.think-asia.org/bitstream/handle/11540/7971/CIRSS-HORIZONS-Jan-June2017.pdf

Ibarra, E. J. A. (2017). The Philippines’ “pivot” to China: A review of perspectives. CIRSS Commentaries, 4(9). https://fsi.gov.ph/the-philippines-pivot-to-china-a-review-of-perspectives/

Coauthor
Estrada, D. V., & Ibarra, E. J. A. (2021). Don’t get the wrong impression: Revisiting the Philippines-China relationship of comprehensive strategic cooperation. FSI Insights, 7(1). https://fsi.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FSI-Insights-March-2021.pdf

Amador, J. S., III, & Ibarra, E. J. A. (2016). Deliberate, not desperate: The Philippines’ national security strategy on the West Philippine Sea. CIRSS Commentaries, 3(9). https://fsi.gov.ph/deliberate-not-desperate-the-philippines-national-security-strategy-on-the-west-philippine-sea/

Contributor
Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies. (2017). The Philippine Rise: Fast facts. Foreign Service Institute. http://www.philchm.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/The-Philippine-Rise-Fast-Facts.pdf

Department of Foreign Affairs. (2017). Seminar on the implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea: Papers and proceedings. Foreign Service Institute.

Foreign Service Institute. (2017). The South China Sea reader: Papers and proceedings of the 2016 Manila Conference on the South China Sea: Managing tensions, revisiting regional efforts, and fostering cooperation.