Events
Past Events at the East-West Center in Washington, along with event summaries, links to related publications (including Asia Pacific Bulletin) and photos.
June 23 Event: U.S.-Malaysian Relations and Current Developments in Malaysia
June 23– The Honorable James R. Keith, United States Ambassador to Malaysia, discussed U.S.-Malaysian relations and current developments in Malaysia during a public forum at the East-West Center in Washington sponsored by the East-West Center in Washington, the Malaysia-America Society of Washington D.C., and the Asia Society Washington. The Ambassador discussed topics such as economic cooperation between the United States and Malaysia, opportunities for bilateral diplomatic cooperation, and the role of the new administrations in both countries in furthering the U.S.-Malaysian relationship. Read more...
June 23 Event: U.S.-India Relations: The Road Ahead
June 23– Ties between India and the United States have burgeoned in the past decade. The two countries now interact through increased trade and investment activities and engage in more active discussions on regional and international security strategies. What challenges and opportunities will India and the United States face in the future? In an East-West Center in Washington and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Asia Pacific Political Economy Seminar, The Honorable Meera Shankar, Indian Ambassador to the United States, discussed common diplomatic and security issues as well as the challenges that lie ahead for bilateral and regional relations. Mr. Harsh Pati Singhania, President, and Dr. Amit Mitra, Secretary General, of FICCI detailed the developing economic ties between India and the United States and the opportunities for further cooperation. Read more...
June 18: Emerging Environmental Leaders from the Asia Pacific Region Visit the East-West Center in Washington to Study the U.S. Environmental Movement
June 18– A group of twenty young scholars from Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea met with Satu Limaye of the East-West Center in Washington as part of a six week environmental leadership program designed to empower emerging leaders with the knowledge, skills, and relationships to successfully develop solutions to global environmental issues. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Read more...
May 28 Event: EWCW Hosts Recipients of the U.S.-South Pacific & U.S.-Timor-Leste Scholarship Programs
May 28– The East-West Center in Washington hosted a reception for the student recipients of the U.S.-South Pacific (USSP) and the U.S.-Timor-Leste (USTL) Scholarship Programs, which are funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and administered by the East-West Center (EWC) in Honolulu, Hawaii. Read more...
May 28– China will be the first economy to recover from the global financial crisis and may become a more important partner to the United States in the future. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Political Economy Seminar, Dr. William H. Overholt of Harvard University’s Kennedy School discussed the impact of the global financial crisis on the major economies in Asia and the implications for future U.S. foreign policy in the region. Read more...
May 7– Since the end of the Cold War, Russia and China have seen a shift in their power and influence in East Asia and the world, with China’s star rising and Russia’s declining but still remaining influential. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia-Pacific Security Seminar co-sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, Professor Yoshifumi Nakai of Gakushuin University in Tokyo and Mr. Shinji Hyodo of the National Institute for Defense Studies in Tokyo described the changing strategies of Russia and China in Asia. Read more...
May 6 Event: International Justice in Cambodia: Prospects and Challenges for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal
May 6– Thirty years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, the United Nations-assisted Cambodian Extraordinary Chambers has finally begun prosecuting senior leaders and those most responsible for the atrocities committed between 1975 and 1979. The United States played a pivotal role in establishing the structure of the tribunal to ensure it would comply with international fair trial standards, yet recent allegations of corruption could undermine the Court as a flagship international justice institution within Asia, as well as threaten its ability to secure a legitimate place in Cambodia’s history. Professor David Cohen and Ms. Michelle Staggs Kelsall discussed the prospects and challenges for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, drawing on their combined experience in monitoring trials and documenting abuses in East Timor, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and Cambodia. They described recent programs targeting Cambodia’s victims through grass roots community outreach, and placed the trials within the broader context of engagement with Cambodia and international justice developments. Read more...
April 29 Event: Pacific Alliance: Reviving U.S.-Japan Relations
April 29– The U.S.-Japan Alliance must revitalize itself to remain relevant in a world that is very different from the one that existed when it was created. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar, Dr. Kent Calder, Director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Service, discussed his new book Pacific Alliance: Reviving U.S.-Japan Relations, detailing the changing regional and domestic environments that the alliance must navigate and his suggestions to strengthen this very important Pacific relationship. Read more...
April 22– Proposals to create dams on the Mekong River in Southeast Asia will cause irreparable damage to the river ecosystem and destroy the livelihoods of the tens of thousands of people who depend on the river. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar, Dr. Richard Cronin discussed the impact that dam-building projects on the Mekong River will have on the people, the ecosystem, and regional stability. To view a video of this seminar or to read more, click here.
April 15 Event: China’s Approach to East Asian Regionalism
April 15– The development of regional cooperation architecture in Asia has been complicated by the region’s diverse cultures, levels of development, political systems, and historic distrust between nations. Despite these constraints, several regional groupings focusing on activities ranging from confidence-building and conflict prevention to economic cooperation have been created with a range of outcomes. As China’s economic, diplomatic, and military influence in Asia grows, it has become more involved with existing regional institutions, and its views about the future of such efforts are of greater consequence. Dr. Paul Heer of the National Intelligence Council discussed emerging Chinese attitudes towards East Asian regionalism and regional organizations. Read more...
April 14 Event: Democracy, Diplomacy, and Transformation in Indonesia
April 14– Indonesia’s recent elections marked the third democratic transfer of power in the Southeast Asia nation and its continued democratic consolidation. In an East-West Center Democracy & Human Rights Seminar, Dr. Azyumardi Azra, professor at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta; Mr. Umar Hadi, director for Public Diplomacy in the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia; and Dr. Rizal Sukma, executive director at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, described the most recent elections, the effect that democratic change has had on Indonesia’s foreign policies, and the efforts of Indonesia to promote democratization in Asia. Read more...
April 13 Event: China's Rise and the Two Koreas
April 13– China’s growing economic interdependence with North and South Korea prompted many to expect a shift in political relationships in the region. However, despite its best efforts, China has not yet successfully leveraged its economic power into greater political or diplomatic influence on the Korean peninsula. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar, Mr. Scott Snyder of The Asia Foundation discussed his new book China's Rise and the Two Koreas: Politics, Economics, Security, in which he examines the changing relationships between China and the two Koreas as well as the implications of this change for U.S. influence in the region. Read more...
March 27 Event: Change, Continuity or Crisis? Malaysia at a Crossroads
March 27– On March 26, Malaysia’s United Malays National Organization (UMNO) elected Najib Tun Razak as president, ushering in a new era of Malaysian politics. In an East-West Center in Washington Democracy & Human Rights Seminar, Dr. Pek Koon Heng of American University and Dr. Bridget Welsh of Johns Hopkins University examined the political dynamics in Malaysia and addressed ongoing governance, constitutional, and human rights concerns. Read more...
March 20 Event: Island World: A History of Hawai‘i and the United States
March 20– Traditional interpretations of the relationship between the islands of Hawai‘i and the American mainland describe the overwhelming influence of the mainland on Hawai‘i but neglect the role that Hawai‘i has played in shaping the world around it. In an East-West Center in Washington Public Forum, Dr. Gary Y. Okihiro, professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, discussed his book Island World: A History of Hawai‘i and the United States and showed how Hawai‘i has influenced the culture of the United States and the world. Read more...
March 18: Indian Business Leaders Visit EWCW
Members of the CII India Business Forum, a grouping of leading Indian companies operating in the United States, visited the East-West Center in Washington on March 18, 2009. Discussions centered around the activities of the East-West Center, including those with India. Also discussed was the new East-West Center initiative Asia Matters for America which illustrates U.S.-Asia interactions in exports, employment, ethnicity and students, initially by state and congressional district.
March 12 Event: Indonesian Military and Defense: Democratization and Challenges
March 12– Indonesia’s government and military has experienced great change in the past decade as Indonesia attempts to transform itself into a globalized democracy with regional influence. In order for Indonesia to secure itself from external and internal threats, however, it must make significant investments in its military and police forces. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar, Ms. Connie Rahakundini Bakrie, executive director, and Mr. Sidratahta Mukhtar, senior researcher, of the Institute of Defense and Security Studies (IODAS) in Indonesia discussed the security threats facing Indonesia and the measures necessary to develop a more secure Indonesia. Read more...
March 9: Mr. Peter Woolcott Speaks at EWC in Washington
Mr. Peter Woolcott, First Assistant Secretary of the Southeast Asia Division of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, spoke at an East-West Center in Washington roundtable on March 9. Mr. Woolcott discussed Australia’s policy priorities, interests, and concerns in Southeast Asia including issues such as the impact of the financial crisis, the status of regional democracy and human rights, and the quest for Asian regionalism.
March 9– The current global financial crisis is damaging economies on both sides of the Pacific. Uncertainty is high: no one can predict when and how this crisis will end even as governments in Asia and Europe struggle to defend their economies from greater damage. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Political Economy seminar, Dr. Michael G. Plummer of the Johns Hopkins University SAIS-Bologna program discussed the impact of the economic crisis on U.S. and Asian economies, the policy responses of regional governments, and recommendations to overcome the present crisis and prevent future dangers. Read more...
March 5 Event: North Korean Shipping: The Potential for WMD Proliferation?
March 5– The development of nuclear weapons by North Korea (DPRK) is of major concern to the international community. International observers worry not only about the potential threat that North Korea’s possession of a nuclear device poses, but also that the cash-strapped nation might attempt to raise money by smuggling nuclear technology to third parties via its maritime fleet. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar, Dr. Hazel Smith of Cranfield University in the United Kingdom discussed her investigation into North Korea’s merchant fleet and the possibility that it might be used to smuggle weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Read more...
February 26 Event: The Attacks in Mumbai: Indian Domestic and Foreign Policy Impacts
February 26– The “26/11” Mumbai attacks have been described by many western commentators as an unprecedented terrorist challenge to India. The attacks, carried out by militants with ties to Pakistan, have caused India to rethink a variety of domestic and regional policies, as well as its relationship with regional governments and the United States. Ms. Polly Nayak, recently returned from a month in India, discussed how evolving Indian perceptions of and reactions to the events of 26/11 will shape the country’s security policies, election politics, communal relations, and counterterrorism cooperation with the United States.
February 25 Event: Between the Eagle and the Dragon: The Philippines’ Balancing Strategy
February 25– One traditional theme in international relations is that strong states can do whatever they want, but weak states can only submit. By this theory, small states, with limited resources, militaries, and power, become mere pawns to the ambitions of larger, more powerful states. However, the histories of some small states, such as the Philippines, demonstrate that they may not be as powerless in international relations as this theory supposed. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar, Dr. Renato Cruz De Castro, professor of international studies at De La Salle University in Manila and U.S. State Department ASEAN Research Fellow, discussed the strategies that the Philippines has employed to balance its relationship with China and the United States. Read more...
February 24– In a speech delivered on June 4, 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd laid out his vision for the creation of an Asia Pacific community by 2020. He argued that if the region was to shape strategic developments rather than merely react to them, dialogue and cooperation were needed in order to build a genuine and comprehensive sense of community. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar, Ambassador Richard Woolcott, Prime Minister Rudd’s special envoy to develop the Asia Pacific community proposal, discussed the concept of the Asia Pacific community, the reactions of regional leaders to this proposal, and the challenges to come. Read more...
February 23: Timor-Leste Foreign Minister Visits the EWC in Washington
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Timor-Leste, H.E. Foreign Minister Zacarias Albano Da Costa, accompanied by Mr. Constancio Pinto, Director General for External Affairs, Mr. Jorge Camoes, Charge d'Affaires at the Embassy of Timor-Leste in Washington DC, and Ms. Maria Jose Da F.M. De Jesus, the Foreign Minister's Chief of Staff, visited the EWC in Washington to discuss the current situation in Timor-Leste, the discussions held by President Ramos-Horta at the United Nations, and ongoing and possible future cooperation between the EWC and Timor-Leste.
- Click here to view a video of this seminar.
February 13 Event: Peacebuilding, State Building, and Nation Building in Timor-Leste: Challenges to International Assistance
February 13 - Despite Timor-Leste’s tumultuous past, recent efforts by the Timorese government, with the assistance of the international community, have increased stability and progress in the developing nation. In a seminar sponsored by the East-West Center in Washington and the International Republican Institute, Dr. Atul Khare, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Timor-Leste (SRSG) and head of United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), described the current status of development efforts in Timor-Leste and detailed the challenges that the international community will face as it continues to assist Timor-Leste. Read more...
January 29 Event: Demographic Trends in Northeast Asia: The Shape of Things to Come
January 29- Northeast Asia will experience large demographic changes in the next twenty years that will have implications for the economics, politics, and culture of regional countries. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar, Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, discussed the demographic challenges facing China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea. Read more...
January 14 Event: Sport and Politics in Asia
January 14 - Though the playing fields of sporting events seem far from the conference rooms of international politics, sport and politics have long been intertwined. In an international community defined by periods of war, peace, and stalemate, sport can facilitate diplomatic breakthroughs and breakdowns, foster change and development, and become a prism through which nations refract their identities. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar, Dr. Victor Cha of Georgetown University discussed his newest book entitled Beyond the Final Score: The Politics of Sport in Asia (Columbia University Press, 2008), in which he detailed the convergence of sport and politics and discussed the political implications of the recent Olympic Games in Beijing. Read more...
December 16, 2008
A Japanese Perspective on Cross-Strait Relations
Dr. Yasuhiro Matsuda, University of Tokyo
December 11, 2008
President Lee Myung-bak’s North Korea Policy: The Way Forward
Ambassador Jhe Seong-Ho, Republic of Korea’s Ambassador at Large for Human Rights
December 5, 2008
Beyond Militant Resistance: The Non-Armed Members of Ethno-National Groups in Burma/Myanmar
Dr. Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung, East-West Center in Washington Visiting Fellow
Dr. David Steinberg, Professor, Georgetown University
December 2, 2008
Can We Achieve Stability in Timor-Leste?
Ambassador Hans G. Klemm, U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste
October 30, 2008
U.S Engagement in the Asia-Pacific: The Decision to Join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Partnership
Ms. Barbara Weisel, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific
Dr. Jeffrey Schott, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
October 28, 2008
A Flawed Perspective: The Limitations Inherent in the Study of Chinese Nationalism
Dr. Allen Carlson, Associate Professor, Cornell University
October 24, 2008
Vietnam Between China and the United States: The Dialectic of Power and Identity
Nam Duong Nguyen, East-West Center in Washington Visiting Fellow
Dr. Frederick Z. Brown, Research Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute, SAIS
October 7, 2008
Challenges and Opportunities in U.S.-Asia Relations: The View from the McCain Camp
Dr. Michael Green, Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic and International Studies
September 22, 2008
Sino-Capitalism: China’s Emergent Political Economy
Dr. Christopher McNally, Research Fellow, East-West Center in Washington
September 19, 2008
Parliaments with an Antipathy to Political Parties: Three Southeast Asian Cases
Mr. Roland Rich, Executive Head of the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF)
September 18, 2008
President Bush and East Asia: A Foreign Policy Success Story
Mr. Dennis Wilder, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for East Asian Affairs at the National Security Council
July 18, 2008
Australian Perspectives on China and Northeast Asian Security
Richard Rigby, David M. Finkelstein, Geremie Barmé, Katherine Morton and Jane Golley
July 9, 2008
ADB Report: Emerging Asian Regionalism
Dr. Jong-Wha Lee, Dr. Giovanni Capannelli, and Dr. Peter Petri
June 20, 2008
EWC in Washington Meeting with the Better Hong Kong Foundation
Daniel R. Fung, James E. Thompson and the BHKF U.S. delegation
June 19, 2008
U.S.- India Relations: What's Next?
Dr. Evan Feigenbaum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State South and Central Asian Affairs.
June 17, 2008
EWC in Washington Senior Journalists Seminar and Reception
The East-West Center's Senior Journalism Fellows from South and Southeast Asia.
June 12, 2008
After the Storm: Rethinking International Engagement in Post-Cyclone Burma
Amb. Priscilla Clapp, independent scholar Dr. Kyi May Kaung, and David Steinberg, Professor at Georgetown University.
June 9, 2008
Takeaways from Shangri-La: Developing Effective U.S. Defense and Security Policies in the Asia-Pacific
RADM. Mike McDevitt, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Center for Naval Analyses.
June 6, 2008
EWC in Washington Pacific Islands Reception
The East-West Center’s U.S. South Pacific and Timor-Leste scholars.
May 30, 2008
Managing Sino-U.S.-Japan Relations: Recalibrating the Triangle
Ming Wan, of the George Mason University, Yoshihisa Komori, of The Sankei Shimbun and Robert Sutter, of Georgetown University.
May 19, 2008
Normalizing Japan: Politics, Identity, and the Evolution of Security Practice
Andrew Oros, Associate Professor of Political science and International Studies at Washington College
April 29, 2008
U.S. Policy Towards Asia: An Asian Leader’s Advice for the Next American President
Kishore Mahbubani, Dean and Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, and former Singaporean Ambassador to the United Nations
Co-sponsored with the Asia Society
April 24, 2008
Asia's Energy Future
Fereidun Fesharaki, Senior Fellow at the East-West Center
Kang Wu, Senior Fellow at the East-West Center
Co-sponsored with the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)
April 23, 2008
The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage
Alex Harney, author
Kimberly Elliott, Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics
March 19, 2008, Democracy and Human Rights Seminar
Collective Labor Rights and Labor Market Flexibility in East Asia
Dr. Teri L. Caraway, University of Minnesota
February 25, 2008, Special Asian Security Forum
Asia's New Regionalism
Ellen Frost, Peterson Institute of International Economics & National Defense University
John Miller, Foreign Service Institute
Jeffrey Schott, Peterson Institute
February 21, 2008, Asian Security Forum
Seoul Shift: What to Expect From South Korea’s New President
J.J. Suh, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
Peter M. Beck, U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
