Panel Events – Page 12 – Sigur Center for Asian Studies

6/19/18: NBR-Sigur Center Roundtable: Implications of DPRK Diplomacy for Taiwan

June 13, 2018July 20, 2021Archives & Recordings, Taiwan RoundtablesLeave a Comment

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Tuesday, June 19, 2018
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

The Elliott School of International Affairs
State Room – 7th Floor
1957 E St., NW Washington, DC 20052

This event is co-sponsored by The National Bureau of Asian Research and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies

The National Bureau of Asian Research and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies cordially invite you to a panel discussion with experts examining the implications of recent North Korean diplomatic developments for Taiwan, cross-Strait relations, and U.S.-Taiwan relations.

Light lunch will be available.

Agenda:

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM: Registration and Lunch
12:30 PM – 12:45 PM: Welcome Remarks and Introduction
12:45 PM – 2:00 PM: Panel Discussion and Q&A

Panelists:

Patrick Cronin, Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program, Center for a New American Security

Robert Sutter, Professor of Practice of International Affairs; Director, B.A. Program in International Affairs, The George Washington University

Followed by discussant remarks by Tiffany Ma, Senior Director, BowerGroup Asia and Nonresident Fellow, The National Bureau of Asian Research

Moderator: Alison Szalwinski, Director for Political and Security Affairs, The National Bureau of Asian Research

**Final speaker list to be confirmed**

About the Panelists:

Patrick M. Cronin is a Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Previously, he was the Senior Director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) at the National Defense University, where he simultaneously oversaw the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs. Prior to leading INSS, Dr. Cronin served as the Director of Studies at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). At the IISS, he also served as Editor of the Adelphi Papers and as the Executive Director of the Armed Conflict Database. Before joining IISS, Dr. Cronin was Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Tiffany Ma is a senior director at BowerGroupAsia, where she manages BGA’s client relationships and engagements. She directs analysis and activities designed to advise Fortune 500 companies on public policy issues, regional geopolitics and stakeholder management. Prior to joining BGA, Tiffany was the senior director for political and security affairs at NBR in Washington, D.C., where she led major initiatives on geopolitical and international security affairs in the Asia-Pacific that regularly convened senior government officials and specialists from across the region. She began her career as a research associate at the Project 2049 Institute, an Asia security think tank based in Arlington, Virginia, and has also worked at the International Crisis Group in Beijing, the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, and the Lowy Institute in Sydney.

Robert Sutter is Professor of Practice of International Affairs at the Elliott School of George Washington University beginning in 2011. He also serves as the school’s Director, Program of Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs. A Ph.D. graduate in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University, he has published 20 books, over 200 articles and several hundred government reports dealing with contemporary East Asian and Pacific countries and their relations with the United States. Sutter’s government career (1968-2001) involved work on Asian and Pacific affairs and US foreign policy for the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of State, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Additional information forthcoming. We look forward to seeing you at the discussion!

Taiwan military parade rehearsal with soldiers lined up

04/05/18: Taiwan Conference: How Does Taiwan’s Defense and Security Status Stack Up?

March 28, 2018July 20, 2021Archives & Recordings, Taiwan Conference SeriesLeave a Comment

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Thursday, April 5, 2018
3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
The Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street, NW, State Room (7th Floor)
Washington, DC 20052

Experts will assess the strengths and weaknesses of Taiwan’s defense capacity vis-a-vis China, and how the political and security relationship with the United States factors into Taiwan’s security calculus.

This event is on the record and open to the media.

Agenda:

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM:
Registration and Welcoming Remarks

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM:
PANEL I: The US-Taiwan Security Relationship and the US Factor in Taiwan’s Defense

“US Policy Priorities in the Region and Role in Taiwan’s Security”
Bonnie Glaser, Senior Adviser for Asia; Director, China Power Project, CSIS
“Rise of Revisionist Powers and Strategic Challenges for US and Taiwan”
Lt. Gen. Wallace “Chip” Gregson, Jr. (Ret.), Senior Director, China and the Pacific, Center for the National Interest
“Taiwan’s Future Threat Environment and Need for US Policy Adjustments”
Richard Fisher, Senior Fellow, International Assessment and Strategy Center

5:00 PM – 5:30 PM:
Break for High Tea and Refreshments

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM:
PANEL II: Taiwan’s Strategic and Defense Capacities: Strengths and Weaknesses

“Taiwan’s Strong but Stifled Foundations of National Power”
David Gitter, Director, Party Watch Initiative
“Reconstructing Taiwan’s Military Strategy: Achieving Forward Defense through Multi-Domain Deterrence”
David An, Senior Research Fellow, Global Taiwan Institute
“The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan’s Defense and American Strategy in Asia”
Ian Easton, Research Fellow, Project 2049 Institute

About the Speakers:

Bonnie Glaser is a senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at CSIS, where she works on issues related to Asia-Pacific security with a focus on Chinese foreign and security policy. Ms. Glaser has worked for more than three decades at the intersection of Asia-Pacific geopolitics and U.S. policy. Prior to joining CSIS, she served as a consultant for various U.S. government offices, including the Departments of Defense and State. Ms. Glaser received her B.A. in political science from Boston University and her M.A. with concentrations in international economics and Chinese studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Lt. Gen. Wallace “Chip” Gregson, Jr. (ret.) most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer for the United States Olympic Committee, then as an independent consultant before entering Government in 2009. LtGen. Gregson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; the U.S. Naval Institute; and the Marine Corps Association. He is a Trustee of the Marine Corps University Foundation. His civilian education includes a Bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, and Master’s degrees in Strategic Planning from the Naval War College, and International Relations from Salve Regina College.

Richard Fisher is a Senior Fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center. He has previously worked with the Center for Security Policy, Jamestown Foundation China Brief, U.S. House of Representatives Republican Policy Committee, and The Heritage Foundation. He is the author of China’s Military Modernization, Building forRegional and Global Reach (Praeger, 2008, Stanford University Press, 2010, Taiwan Ministry ofNational Defense translation, 2012). His articles have been published in Far Eastern Economic Review, Asian Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, The Sankei Shimbun, World Airpower Review and Air Forces Monthly. He received a B.A. (Honors) in 1981 from Eisenhower College.

David Gitter is the Director of the Party Watch Initiative, a Project 2049 Institute program that tracks the latest activities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and specializes in analysis of authoritative open source Chinese language materials. Prior to joining the Institute, he has worked in various analytical capacities at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (OUSDP), Project 2049 Institute, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) focusing on Chinese foreign policy and broader Asian security issues. Gitter received his MA in Asian Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

David An is currently the Senior Research Fellow at Global Taiwan Institute. Prior to joining GTI, David was a political-military affairs officer covering the East Asia region at the U.S. State Department from 2009 to 2014, and initiated the first Taiwan interagency political-military visit to the U.S., which have continued to occur annually. Prior to joining the State Department, he was a Fulbright scholar researching democracy in Taiwan and village elections in China. He received his M.A. from UCSD Graduate School of Global Policy and Strategy and his B.A. from UC Berkeley. He publishes and speaks widely on East Asian political and security matters.

Ian Easton is a research fellow at the Project 2049 Institute, where he conducts research on defense and security issues in Asia. Previously, Ian worked as a China analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) for two years. Prior to that, he lived in Taipei from 2005 to 2010. During his time in Taiwan, he worked as a translator for Island Technologies Inc. and the Foundation for Asia-Pacific Peace Studies. While in Taiwan, he also conducted research with the Asia Bureau Chief of Defense News. Ian holds an M.A. in China Studies from National Chengchi University in Taiwan and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

group of Burmese children looking forlornly at the camera

03/27/18: Film Screening and Discussion of Left for Dead: Myanmar’s Muslim Minority

March 21, 2018July 21, 2021Archives & RecordingsLeave a Comment

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Tuesday, March 27, 2018
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

The George Washington University
Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street NW
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602
Washington, DC 20052

Gallery 102 is proud to present “As The World Watches.” This exhibition presents a select collection of responses to the humanitarian crisis affecting communities in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Like many other countries in our modern era, Myanmar is experiencing an increasingly fractured society and a growing radical movement within their politics. In keeping with some of history’s worst examples of conflict, the rapidly escalating violence in Myanmar is centered around religious and ethnic divisions. Recent riots have caused massive upheaval in the country, bringing long past due attention to the host of human rights issues affecting the Rohingya people. In the wake of this flood, the world has begun to turn its focus on the true cost and scope of a modern genocide. The aim of As The World Watches is to raise awareness of Myanmar’s long history of displaced peoples, and examine how the concept of “Other” has led to the systematic and ongoing annihilation of entire communities. Change can only begin with knowledge.

As part of this series, Gallery 102 and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies will present a film screening of “Left for Dead: Myanmar’s Muslim Minority.” The film shows what VICE News uncovered about its investigation into the violence and discrimination faced by the country’s Muslim minority. Following the screening will be a panel discussion on the film and the broader social, political, and historical context of the situation.

Discussants:

Layla Saad, Gallery 102 Curator & Co-Chair
Dr. Christina Fink, Professor of Practice of International Affairs, GW
Matthew Wells, Senior Crisis Advisor, Amnesty International
Robert Marro, Burma Task Force

About the film:
In recent years, democratic reforms have swept through Myanmar, a country that for decades was ruled by a military junta. As the reforms took hold, however, things were growing progressively worse for the Rohingya, a heavily persecuted ethnic Muslim minority concentrated in the country’s western state of Rakhine.

The 2012 gang rape and murder of a Buddhist woman by three Muslim men ignited violent riots in which hundreds were killed as Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya attacked each other. In the following months, tens of thousands of Rohingya were rounded up and forced to live in squalid camps; Human Rights Watch deemed the attacks crimes against humanity that amounted to ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya. Thousands of Rohingya have since attempted to leave the country, fueling the region’s intricate and brutal human trafficking network.

02/07/18: Taking Stock of Cross Strait Relations: Chinese Postures and Taiwan’s Prospects–A Roundtable Discussion

February 7, 2018July 21, 2021Archives & Recordings, Taiwan RoundtablesLeave a Comment

Audio Recording Part 1

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Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Lunch: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM

Roundtable Discussion: 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
The Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street, NW, Lindner Commons, Room 602 (6th Floor)
Washington, DC 20052

China’s stepped up pressure on Taiwan in recent weeks – from Beijing’s unilateral launch of new air routes, to the row with hotel giant Marriott over its website characterization of Taiwan – is once again bringing cross Strait relations into question. This is occurring in the context of China’s rising military profile and growing assertiveness in East Asia, which continues to raise region-wide concern. This Roundtable will assess key political and strategic dynamics of current cross Strait relations and what the trends portend.

“Chinese Strategic Pressure and Impact on Taiwan”

Mark Stokes, Executive Director of the Project 2049 Institute

“Taiwan’s Southbound Policy and the China Factor”

Dr. Joyce Juo-yu Lin, Professor of the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations, and Director of the ASEAN Studies Center at Tamkang University

“Domestic Politics and Taiwan’s Options on Cross Strait Relations”

Dr. Shelley Rigger, Brown Professor and Assistant Dean for Educational Policy, Political Science Department of Davidson College

Moderator: Edward McCord, Professor of History and International Affairs and Director of the Taiwan Education and Research Program at GW

About the Participants:

Mark Stokes is the Executive Director of the Project 2049 Institute, which seeks to guide decision makers toward a more secure Asia. Prior to his current position, he was the founder and president of Quantum Pacific Enterprises, an international consulting firm, and vice president and Taiwan country manager for Raytheon International. Mr. Stokes has also served as a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and as a member of the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan. A 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran, Mr. Stokes was the team chief and senior country director for the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan and Mongolia in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He holds a B.A. from Texas A&M University and a M.A. from Boston University and the Naval Postgraduate School.

Dr. Joyce Juo-yu Lin is the current Director of the ASEAN Studies Center at Tamkang University and professor of the University’s Department of Diplomacy and International Relations, and is a specialist in Southeast Asian political and economic issues. She has researched and written academic papers focusing on the possibility of a free trade agreement between China and ASEAN, as well as the motivations behind pursuing a free trade agreement, and the possibility of US influence in this area. Prior to her current positions, Dr. Lin was a Southeast Asia correspondent for the China Times, and was a visiting researcher at Georgetown University. She was also the CNAPS visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Dr. Lin holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D from the National Taiwan University.

Dr. Shelley Rigger is the Brown Professor and Assistant Dean for Educational Policy at Davidson College focusing on East Asian politics. She has written two books analyzing Taiwan’s domestic politics, Politics in Taiwan: Voting for Democracy (Routledge 1999) and From Opposition to Power: Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (Lynne Rienner Publishers 2001), and has published articles concentrating on the national identity issue in Taiwan-China relations, and other related topics. Her current research studies include the effects of cross-strait economic interactions on Taiwan people’s perceptions of mainland China. Dr. Rigger earned her bachelor’s degree at Princeton University, and holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Dr. Edward McCord is a Professor of History and International Affairs and Director of the Taiwan Education and Research Program at GW. He lived and studied for five years in Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, and is currently working on a major book-length project that examines militia organizations in Republican China (1911-1949). Professor McCord’s research centers on the history of Chinese military-civil relations in the modern era. Prior to joining GW, he was the Assistant Professor of History at the University of Florida. He has experience teaching Chinese history at the Foreign Service Institute and the Smithsonian Institution’s Campus on the Mall program. Professor McCord has a M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan.