Archived Features
2009
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...
May 4 APB: Modifying U.S. Burma Policy
During her February tour of Asia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the new U.S. administration would review its policy toward Burma because neither Western sanctions nor Asian engagement seemed to move the stubborn military regime toward political reform. Quite predictably, her statement ignited a flurry of speculation that it signaled the end of the U.S. sanctions regime against Burma. Priscilla Clapp discusses U.S. Burma policy and the prospects for change. 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...
April 6 APB: North Korean Missile Test: Remedial Action
North Korea's long awaited April 5 rocket launch continued a string of provocative actions by the reclusive nation. Marcus Noland describes the ineffectiveness of prior attempts to curtail North Korean missile and nuclear development and discusses the implications of this rocket launch. 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 26 APB: Rebuilding the U.S.-Indonesian Security Relationship
Although little noticed outside the Asia Pacific, the United States is measurably improving security cooperation with Indonesia. However, full normalization of the relationship is constrained by continuing U.S. congressional restrictions protesting human rights abuses committed in East Timor and elsewhere. John B. Haseman and Eduardo Lachica discuss the advances made in U.S.-Indonesian relations and ways for both countries to address mutual national security interests. 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 20 APB: An Indian Perception of the Tibetan Situation
In this 50th anniversary year of the Tibetan uprising and the Dalai Lama's political asylum in India, Tibet remains a crucial sticking point in India's relationship with China. India's position towards Tibet has not changed fundamentally despite last year's violent uprising in Tibet. However, the crisis in Tibet reignited the prickly internal debate within India about its China (and Tibet) policy. Phunchok Stobdan describes Indian perceptions of the Tibetan situation and India's relationship with China. 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– 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 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 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...
March 4 APB: Thaksin's Time Atop Thailand's Politics May Be Over
Thailand has experienced great political upheaval since the rise of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2001. Many Thais hope that the new prime minister can end more than three years of sharp polarization and instability in the country's politics, but the possibility of instability and conflict remains. Danny Unger describes recent conflicts in Thai politics and the prospects for the future. 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.
February 18 APB: Calming the Waters in Maritime Southeast Asia
As the world's navies struggle to stem the rising tide of piracy off the coast of Somalia, the maritime security situation in Southeast Asia continues to meliorate. This laudable state of affairs comes more than five years after a furor erupted in the region over how best to provide for security in the Malacca Strait, the vital artery of world trade that links Northeast Asia with the Indian Ocean and through which a significant proportion of global commerce and energy supplies passes. Ian Storey describes the evolution of maritime security in Southeast Asia and the challenges that remain. Read more...
- Click here to view a video of this seminar.
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...
2/10 APB: Japan-North Korea Relations: The Forgotten Agenda
The abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s has dominated Japan-North Korea relations, freezing broader bilateral relations. Tessa Morris-Suzuki argues that there is a need and opportunity to broaden the agenda of discussion and revive relations by revising diplomatic issues that have been overlooked in recent years. Read more...
2/5 APB: The North Korean Food Situation: Too Early to Break Out the Champagne
North Korea has suffered chronic hunger problems for two decades. A famine in the 1990s killed up to one million people and shortages have remained endemic. Most observers believe that the recent harvest is the best in years, but even under optimistic scenarios, food-related distress is likely to continue. Read more...
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...
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...
2008
Event: A Japanese Perspective on Cross-Strait Relations
December 16 - Though Japan’s engagement with cross-strait disputes is limited compared to the United States, Japan’s presence in the region causes it to observe the relations between China and Taiwan very closely. In an East-West Center Asia-Pacific Security Seminar, Dr. Yasuhiro Matsuda of the University of Tokyo described recent developments in cross-strait relations, the attempts of the Japanese government to balance its relationship with both Taiwan and China, and current Japanese perceptions of the precarious peace across the Taiwan Strait. Read more...
APB: China and the Global Financial Crisis
The impacts of the global financial crisis are now rippling across the globe, diminishing the demand for a broad range of goods and services and therefore raising the prospect of hard landings in emerging economies dependent on exports. The case of China is illustrative of how the broader economic downturn created by the global financial crisis is reverberating in Asia. Read more...
December 11– Though relations between South and North Korea have soured in recent months, new policies being pursued by the new South Korean government of President Lee Myung-bak may build a framework towards a more harmonious Korean Peninsula. In an East-West Center in Washington Democracy & Human Rights Seminar, Ambassador Jhe Seong-Ho, the Republic of Korea’s ambassador at large for human rights, described the shortcomings in South Korea’s past policies towards North Korea and described the measures being taken by South Korea’s new president to attempt to improve relations between the two countries. Read more...
Please note that the audio link on this page features the entire event, including Korean remarks and English translation. If you wish to listen to only the English discussion from this event, please proceed to the event page here.
Event: Beyond Militant Resistance: The Non-Armed Members of Ethno-National Groups in Burma/Myanmar
December 5 - Though most analyses of minority groups in Burma/Myanmar concentrate on violent resistance movements, there is a segment of the minority population that is trying to pursue its private and collective interests in non-violent ways within the boundaries set by the state. In this East-West Center in Washington seminar, Dr. Ardeth Thawnghmung, an East-West Center in Washington visiting fellow funded by the Luce Foundation, detailed the activities of non-violent members of the ethno-national minority groups Karen, Shan, Mon, and Kachin, and described how their activities are affecting their communities, their co-ethnic members in the armed movement, and the Burmese military state. Read more...
December 2 - Despite a history of violence and instability, the small island nation of Timor-Leste has experienced a promising ten months of stability. In an East-West Center in Washington event, U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste Hans G. Klemm described the current state of Timor-Leste’s national development and discussed the future prospects of this poorest nation in Asia. He explained that though there are many challenges to overcome, the recent period of peace provides an opportunity for the nation to concentrate on its long-term development. Read more...
Launch: New Website Offers Graphical Data on U.S.-Asia Connections
Nov. 10 – It’s well known that Asia has key relationships with the United States, but less widely understood is the importance these relationships hold for individual U.S. states and even congressional districts. Now this information is readily available in user-friendly graphic formats at AsiaMattersforAmerica.org, a new, interactive website that provides an online hub for viewers to explore the importance of Asia to specific U.S. areas. Read more...
Event: U.S. Engagement in the Asia Pacific: The Decision to Join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership
October 30 - The Asia Pacific region is one of growing economic importance to the United States. Recent trade and economic developments in the region have created new opportunities and challenges for the United States as it seeks to deepen its engagement with this commercially and strategically significant area of the world. In an East-West Center event, Barbara Weisel, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, focused on these developments and the decision by the United States to launch negotiations to join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement with Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, and Chile. Read more...
October 28 – Focusing excessively on Chinese nationalism as an explanation for China’s domestic or foreign policy behavior may distort the actual condition of identity politics in China. At an East-West Center event, Dr. Allen Carlson of Cornell University argued that few proponents of the view that Chinese nationalism is increasing can support their claims with empirical evidence and that by focusing on only the loudest voices in the discussion of Chinese identity, analysts overlook the diversity in the debate over what it means to be Chinese. Read more...
Event: Vietnam Between China and the United States: The Dialectic of Power and Identity
October 24 – Vietnam is not holding itself hostage to the fluctuations in Sino-American regional interest but actively seeking to define its position in Southeast Asia as well as its interactions with world powers. In a seminar at the East-West Center in Washington, Nam Duong Nguyen described the triangular relationship between Vietnam, the United States, and China, and painted a picture of the strategies used by Vietnam to engage with the two countries. Read more...
Event: Challenges and Opportunities in U.S.-Asia Relations: The View from the McCain Camp
October 7 – Regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential elections on November 4, 2008, Asia will present the new American president with on-going and new challenges and opportunities. At a seminar here, Michael Green, adviser to the McCain campaign and former Senior Director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), explained how a McCain administration will address the challenges and opportunities to the United States posed by an increasingly important Asia region. Read more...
September 22 – How will China's political economy be influenced by the country's ascent as an international power? At a seminar at the East-West Center in Washington, Christopher McNally posited that China is generating Sino-capitalism – a global capitalist system that differs from Anglo-American capitalism.
Event: Parliaments with an Antipathy to Political Parties: Three Southeast Asian Cases
September 19 – The efforts of three Southeast Asian nations to create alternatives to political parties to address specific systemic issues not only have failed to rectify the problems, but also have greatly compromised the function of democracy in those nations, according to Roland Rich of the United Nations Democracy Fund, in comments made at a luncheon seminar on September 19, 2008, at the East-West Center in Washington. Read more...
Event: President Bush and East Asia: A Foreign Policy Success Story
September 18 – Recent articles in major US publications have given President Bush credit for having a foreign policy strategy in East Asia that has improved our relations with all of the Asian powers--China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia--simultaneously for the first time in American diplomatic history. Dennis Wilder, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for East Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, offered his views on American policy in East Asia and lessons learned during the past eight years at a seminar at the East-West Center in Washington. Read more...
Event: Australian Perspectives on China and Northeast Asian Security
Audio available. July 18 - As a key stakeholder in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia’s future is inextricably linked with its neighbors’. With China becoming a more dominant force in the region, Australia must identify the trends, challenges and goals behind China’s rise. Dr. Richard Rigby, Director of the China Institute at the Australian National University (ANU), led a seminar discussion at the East-West Center in Washington on the current and future direction of China’s rise and its implications for Australia. Providing additional perspectives were Dr. David Finkelstein, Center of Naval Analyses, Dr. Katherine Morton, ANU, and Prof. Germie Barmé, ANU. Read more...
Event: Emerging Asian Regionalism
July 9 – In a rapidly changing global economic landscape, Asia is moving towards a multi-faceted economic network to maintain healthy relations with other nations. Complex economic development, however, creates a growing need to find common ground to collaborate with neighboring countries. Dr. Jong-Wha Lee, Asian Development Bank, keynoted a seminar co-sponsored by the ADB and U.S. Chamber of Commerce launching ADB’s new study on emerging Asian regionalism. Dr. Giovanni Capannelli, ADB, and Dr. Peter Petri, Brandeis International Business School (IBS) and The East-West Center, provided additional perspectives. Read more...
Event: The East-West Center Hosts a Meeting with the Better Hong Kong Foundation
June 20 - The East-West Center welcomed the Better Hong Kong Foundation’s 2008 Delegation to the United States—led by Mr. Daniel R. Fung, a member of the EWC’s International Board of Governors, and Mr. James E. Thompson—during their stay in the nation’s capitol. The delegation, comprised of influential business and community leaders from the Foundation’s council, visited New York and Washington, DC, from June 15-21 to meet various American opinion-leaders and interest groups and discuss Hong Kong’s economic and diplomatic role in Sino-U.S. relations. Read more...
Event: EWC Senior Journalists Reception
June 17 - The East-West Center in Washington hosted a reception to welcome the Senior Journalism Fellows from South and Southeast Asia, a group whose 20-day program includes tours through Washington, DC; Colorado; New York; Hawai’i; India; and Malaysia. The program is designed to promote understanding between the United States and the Muslim world by providing opportunities for Asian and American journalists to meet and discuss issues that appear to have caused deterioration in their countries’ relationships, especially since 9/11. Read more...
Event: EWC Pacific Islands Reception
The East-West Center’s U.S. South Pacific and Timor-Leste Scholars enjoyed a welcoming reception at the East-West Center in Washington to kick-off their month-long internship program in the nation’s capital.
The eight scholars currently in DC—who hail from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and East Timor—were greeted by dignitaries from a number of Pacific Island embassies, and were also joined by Ambassador G. Joseph Rees, the U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste from 2002-2006. Their internship placements in Washington include positions at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Democratic Institute, and the Academy for Educational Development, among others. Read more...
Event: After the Storm: Rethinking International Engagement in Post-Cyclone Burma
Following the tragic effects of Cyclone Nargis, the Burmese people have been attempting a return to normal everyday life. However, the process of doing so has been fraught with challenges, as citizens find themselves working against their own government, a military-backed regime that has sought to maintain total political control amidst the chaos. During this luncheon seminar, discussants Ambassador (ret.) Priscilla Clapp, independent scholar Dr. Kyi May Kaung, and Professor David Steinberg of Georgetown University spoke about the effects cyclone Nargis has had on Burmese society, as well as the future of international engagement with this country. Read more...
Event: The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage
April 23 – Over the past decade, China has dominated the global manufacturing sector, defying conventional economic wisdom by posting staggering annual export growth figures while retaining a comparative advantage on everything from basic consumer goods to high-tech products. But while cheap Chinese goods save international consumers billions of dollars each year, they may also be exacting unseen costs on Chinese laborers and the environment. Alexandra Harney, a former correspondent and editor for the Financial Times, calls this forgotten toll the “China Price,” and elaborated on what she deems “the true cost of Chinese competitive advantage” in a book discussion roundtable seminar at the East-West Center in Washington. Read more...
Event: Collective Labor Rights and Labor Market Flexibility in East Asia
Mar. 19 – What is the state of collective labor rights and labor market flexibility in Asia today? Although new labor laws have provided stronger guarantees for the collective rights of workers in some countries in the region, labor regulations in most countries fall far short of international labor standards. Dr. Teri L. Caraway, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota, discussed the state of labor market flexibility in Asia during a Democracy and Human Rights seminar at the East-West Center in Washington, explaining how labor law reforms in the region, contrary to world trends, have seldom introduced greater market flexibility—and in many cases have actually perpetuated inflexibility. Read more...
Event: Asia's New Regionalism
Feb. 26 – Asian integration has acquired new momentum. Asian governments are forging closer links and building new regional architecture, while globalization is fueling the spontaneous (re)integration of Asia’s maritime regions. What does all this mean for the United States? In a seminar at the East-West Center in Washington, Ellen Frost, Visiting Fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics and Adjunct Research Fellow at the National Defense University, discussed the nature of this regional resurgence and its implications for the U.S. Read more...
APB: Pakistan: Between Rocks and Hard Places as Elections Approach
No election in Pakistan’s history has been followed so closely worldwide as that scheduled for February 18, 2008. There are three main reasons for this: the strategic role of Pakistan in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban; concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of extremist Islamist groups; and the recent assassination of former Prime Minister and Leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto. Dr. Toufiq Siddiqi highlights some of the challenges facing U.S.-Pakistan relations in light of the upcoming elections and suggests that whoever emerges victorious after the 18th will be forced to address a litany of critical domestic issues that will dictate the survival of the new government. Read more...
Event: Seoul Shift: What to Expect from South Korea's New President
Feb. 21 – As the February 25, 2008, inauguration date for ROK President-elect Lee Myung-bak approaches, questions abound as to what directions the new conservative administration will take. Constitutional reform, economic management, the Six-Party talks, and the future of the ROK-U.S. alliance were among the topics discussed by J.J. Suh, Director of the Korea Studies Program at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center in Washington, and Peter Beck, Executive Director of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, during a seminar on “What to Expect from South Korea’s New President” at the East-West Center in Washington on Feb. 21. Read more...
USAPC Event: The New Geography of Innovation: Asia's Role in Global Innovation Networks
Feb. 14 – Over the past decade, the rise of Asia as an important location for “innovation offshoring” has begun to challenge the notion that policies which encourage strong investment in research and development (R&D) and innovation are the critical ingredients for economic growth and competitiveness. Increasingly, Asian governments and firms are playing an active role as promoters and new sources of innovation. Dr. Dieter Ernst, Senior Fellow at the East-West Center, discussed the implications of what he has termed the “new geography of innovation” in a seminar at the East-West Center in Washington. Read more...
