Panel Events – Page 2 – Sigur Center for Asian Studies

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5/12/23 | Taiwan Roundtable | Cross-Strait Relations and U.S. Strategy at a Crossroad?

April 21, 2023May 26, 2023Archives & Recordings, Taiwan RoundtablesLeave a Comment

Friday, May 12, 2023

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM ET Lunch

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM ET Event

Lindner Family Commons

Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E Street NW Washington, D.C. 20052

How is the intensification of Chinese pressure in the Taiwan Strait affecting cross strait politics and U.S. strategy? What options are open to the U.S. and Taiwan to safeguard their interests and what are the implications?

Join the Sigur Center for Asian Studies for a luncheon discussion with top political and strategic experts.

Topics

Military Scenarios in the Taiwan Strait and U.S. Deterrence Strategy, Joel Wuthnow, Senior Research Fellow, National Defense University

How are Identity and Ideology in Taiwan Shaping Cross-Strait Perceptions?, Rosalie Chen, Assistant Professor of Psychology, The Dominican University of California

Cross-Strait Politics and Evolving U.S.-Taiwan Relations, John Dotson, Deputy Director, The Global Taiwan Institute

Speakers

Dr. Joel Wuthnow is a senior research fellow in the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs within the Institute for National Strategic Studies at NDU. His research areas include Chinese foreign and security policy, Chinese military affairs, U.S.-China relations, and strategic developments in East Asia. In addition to his duties in INSS, he also serves as an adjunct professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

His recent books and monographs, all from NDU Press, include Gray Dragons: Assessing China’s Senior Military Leadership (2022), Crossing the Strait: China’s Military Prepares for War with Taiwan (2022, lead editor), The PLA Beyond Borders: Chinese Military Operations in Regional and Global Context (2021, lead editor), System Overload: Can China’s Military Be Distracted in a War over Taiwan? (2020), and Chairman Xi Remakes the PLA: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms (2019, co-editor). His research and commentary has also appeared in outlets such as Asia Policy, Asian Security, China Leadership Monitor, The China Quarterly, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Joint Force Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary China, Journal of Strategic Studies, Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, Naval War College Review, and in edited volumes.

Prior to joining NDU, Dr. Wuthnow was a China analyst at CNA, a postdoctoral fellow in the China and the World Program at Princeton University, and a pre-doctoral fellow at The Brookings Institution. His degrees are from Princeton University (A.B., summa cum laude, in Public and International Affairs), Oxford University (M.Phil. in Modern Chinese Studies), and Columbia University (Ph.D. in Political Science). He is proficient in Mandarin.

Rosalie Chen is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Dominican University of California. Her research interests are interdisciplinary in nature and lie at the intersection of social psychology, political science, and culture. Rosalie studies ideology in the East Asian cultural context, the national identity issue in cross-strait relations, and the role of culture-specific emotions at the group level in motivating international conflict. She is particularly interested in exploring international relations from the angles of political psychology and culture. Previously, she taught at Colgate University before joining DUC. Rosalie received her B.S. from Truman State University, M.A. from George Washington University, and Ph.D. from National Taiwan University.

John Dotson is the deputy director at the Global Taiwan Institute. John has performed extensive writing and research on a range of political and national security issues related to U.S. policy in East Asia, to include Chinese propaganda and influence efforts, military-civil fusion efforts within the People’s Liberation Army, and patterns in military coercion efforts directed against Taiwan. He is a proficient Mandarin linguist, who has performed extensive original research in indigenous Chinese language sources.

John holds an M.A. in National Security Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and a Master of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins-SAIS.

Moderator

Deepa Ollapally, pictured in professional attire

Deepa Ollapally is a political scientist specializing in Indian foreign policy, India-China relations, and Asian regional and maritime security. She is Research Professor of International Affairs and the Associate Director of the Sigur Center. She also directs the Rising Powers Initiative, a major research program that tracks and analyzes foreign policy debates in aspiring powers of Asia and Eurasia.

Dr. Ollapally is currently working on a funded book, Big Power Competition for Influence in the Indian Ocean Region, which assesses the shifting patterns of geopolitical influence by major powers in the region since 2005 and the drivers of these changes. She is the author of five books including Worldviews of Aspiring Powers (Oxford, 2012) and The Politics of Extremism in South Asia (Cambridge, 2008). Her most recent books are two edited volumes, Energy Security in Asia and Eurasia (Routledge, 2017), and Nuclear Debates in Asia: The Role of Geopolitics and Domestic Processes (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016).

A graphic for Semiconductor Supply Chains

3/22/23 | Taiwan Roundtable | Semiconductor Supply Chains in the Indo-Pacific: The Role of Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan

February 24, 2023April 25, 2023Archives & Recordings, Taiwan RoundtablesLeave a Comment

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM ET Lunch

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM ET Event

Lindner Family Commons

Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E Street NW Washington, D.C. 20052

The resiliency of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific now poses a central challenge for the U.S. and its partners in the Indo-Pacific. Taiwan’s unparalleled dominance in the global semiconductor industry places it at the forefront of any strategy on semiconductor supply chains. Taiwan, together with South Korea and Japan account for over 90 percent of the world’s semiconductor production.

How well are Taiwan, South Korea and Japan positioned to deal with the ongoing supply chain stresses and what are the economic and security implications to watch for? Join the Sigur Center for Asian Studies for a discussion bringing together perspectives on these three key players.

Taiwan: Navigating Its Central Role and the Spinoffs

South Korea: Rising Role and Choices

Japan: Japan’s Chip Challenge: Getting Back to the Future

Speakers

Lotta Danielsson is the Vice President of the US-Taiwan Business Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing the trade and commercial relationship between the United States and Taiwan.

Ms. Danielsson is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Council. Her work includes membership retention and development, research on current Taiwan policy issues, and research to identify the needs of U.S. businesses in Taiwan. She oversees all member products and services, and manages the development of new value-added membership services. She also oversees all events and conferences, and she has planned the annual U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference – which serves as an important platform for bilateral dialogue on Taiwan’s national security and defense needs – since its inception in 2002. In addition, Ms. Danielsson supervises responses to member requests, prepares press releases, manages websites and social media, and acts as the Council editor. She has served as Vice President since 2003, when she was promoted from Director of Corporate Affairs, a position she had held since joining the Council in 2000.

As a student in the three-year International MBA program (Chinese Track) at the University of South Carolina, Ms. Danielsson spent 19 months studying Mandarin Chinese in Taipei, Taiwan and in Beijing, China. She was a consultant and marketer for the Beijing Sun-King Paper Company, where she worked with the management team to develop new marketing and administrative strategies and to launch a new paper brand into the Beijing market. Prior to entering the MBA program, she was Laboratory Director at New South Associates in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Ms. Danielsson also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Georgia State University. She has lived, studied, and worked in Asia, Europe, and North America, and is a native level speaker of Swedish and English.

Daniel Aum is an Associate at the Institute for Corean-American Studies and a former Harold W. Rosenthal Fellow both with the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. He was the Senior Director for Public Affairs and Washington D.C. Director at the National Bureau of Asian Research. He served as a fellow with the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. He also worked on an international strategic litigation team at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

Mr. Aum has published in political science journals, such as Defence and Peace Economics and North Korean Review, as well as in foreign policy outlets, including The National Interest, The Diplomat, East Asia Forum, South China Morning Post, The National Bureau of Asian Research, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Mr. Aum is currently a PhD candidate in international affairs, science, and technology at Georgia Tech. He received his JD from the George Washington University Law School, a Masters in Asian Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and a BA in philosophy from Baylor University.

Jeffrey D. Bean is Program Manager for Technology Policy and Editor at Observer Research Foundation America. He manages research on critical and emerging technologies, particularly semiconductors and 5G, and implements the activities of the Global Cyber Policy Dialogues. Concurrently, as editor, he reviews all research reports and papers ahead of publication for the organization.

Prior to joining ORF America, Mr. Bean was a Visiting Fellow at East-West Center and Tama University, where he conducted research on U.S.-Japan relations and emerging technology supply chain disruption with a focus on semiconductors.

Previously, Mr. Bean was editor of the Asia Policy Blog, CogitAsia, for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he oversaw publications and produced podcasts for the CSIS Asia Programs. In this role, Mr. Bean was responsible for tracking political, trade, technology, and security developments throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Bean worked as a research assistant with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS, where he managed projects that focused on Asian regional cooperation and U.S.-China relations. He is the author of over two dozen articles and reports as well as the producer of nearly one hundred CSIS podcasts on policy issues in Asia.

Mr. Bean holds an M.A. in security policy studies from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs where he was a highest honors fellow and a B.A. in international affairs and political science from James Madison University.

Moderator

Dr. Ollapally is currently working on a funded book, Big Power Competition for Influence in the Indian Ocean Region, which assesses the shifting patterns of geopolitical influence by major powers in the region since 2005 and the drivers of these changes. She is the author of five books including Worldviews of Aspiring Powers (Oxford, 2012) and The Politics of Extremism in South Asia (Cambridge, 2008). Her most recent books are two edited volumes, Energy Security in Asia and Eurasia (Routledge, 2017), and Nuclear Debates in Asia: The Role of Geopolitics and Domestic Processes (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016).

Dr. Ollapally has received grants from the Carnegie Corporation, MacArthur Foundation, Smith Richardson Foundation, Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Asia Foundation for projects related to India and Asia. Previously, she was Associate Professor at Swarthmore College and has been a Visiting Professor at Kings College, London and at Columbia University. Dr. Ollapally also held senior positions in the policy world including the US Institute of Peace, Washington DC and the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India. She is a frequent commentator in the media, including appearances on CNN, BBC, CBS, Diane Rehm Show and Reuters TV. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

11/15/22 | Taiwan and Post-Crisis Economics: New Pathways for U.S.-Taiwan 21st Century Trade

October 28, 2022February 16, 2023Archives & Recordings, Taiwan Conference Series, Taiwan RoundtablesLeave a Comment

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT

Lindner Family Commons, Room 602

Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E ST NW, Washington, DC 20052

In August, Taiwan and the U.S. began formal negotiations for the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade with an ambitious roadmap. This is expected to lay the groundwork for growth in trade as well as other new areas for collaboration. In this post-crisis period since August, how are economic relations between the US and its eighth largest trading partner set to take off?

Join a group of leading experts at the Sigur Center’s Taiwan Roundtable Luncheon on Tuesday November 15 as they look at the political economy drivers of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and how Taiwan’s economic position may be safeguarded in a more uncertain current global economic environment.

Registration is free and open to the public. This event is IN-PERSON only. Lunch will be held from 12:00-12:30 pm and the event will be held from 12:30 – 2:00 pm.

This event will be recorded and will be available on the Sigur Center YouTube channel after the event.

Agenda

12:00pm – 12:30pm | Lunch

12:30pm – 2:00pm | Taiwan and Post-Crisis Economics: New Pathways for U.S.-Taiwan 21st Century Trade

Ambassador Kurt Tong, Managing Partner, Executive Committee at The Asia Group, “Balancing the Politics and Economics of U.S.-Taiwan Trade”
Riley Walters, Deputy Director of the Hudson Institute Japan Chair, “Boosting U.S.-Taiwan Trade Ties”
Vincent Wang, Dean College of Arts and Sciences, Adelphi University, “Explaining Taiwan’s Economic Agenda”
Moderator: Deepa Ollapally, Sigur Center for Asian Studies, George Washington University

Speakers

Ambassador Kurt Tong is Managing Partner and member of the Executive Committee at The Asia Group, where he leads consulting teams focused on Japan, China and Hong Kong, and on East Asia regional policy matters. He also leads the firm’s innovative thought leadership programs. A leading expert in diplomacy and economic affairs in East Asia, Ambassador Tong brings thirty years of experience in the Department of State as a career Foreign Service Officer and member of the Senior Foreign Service.

Prior to joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Tong served as Consul General and Chief of Mission in Hong Kong and Macau, leading U.S. political and economic engagement with that important free trade hub. Prior to that role, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department from 2014 to 2016, guiding the Department’s institutional strengthening efforts as its most senior career diplomat handling economic affairs. He also served as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo from 2011 to 2014, where he played a key role in setting the stage for Japan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership and supporting Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Riley Walters is deputy director of the Hudson Institute Japan Chair. His research objectives include expanding economic ties and promoting closer scientific and technological collaboration between the United States and Japan. Mr. Riley is also a senior non-resident fellow with the Global Taiwan Institute. Prior to joining Hudson, he was a senior policy analyst and economist in the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation. Previously, he was a Penn Kemble fellow with the National Endowment for Democracy, a George C. Marshall fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a national security fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Kim Koo fellow with the Korea Society. Mr. Riley has appeared on national television and radio extensively. He has written for a variety of publications, including The Hill, Japan Times, Global Taiwan Brief, ACCJ Journal, The Diplomat, the Washington Times, the National Interest, Fox Business, Geopolitical Intelligence Services, and others. Mr. Riley has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from George Mason University. He has previously lived in Japan, including one year with strawberry farmers in Kumamoto prefecture and one year while studying at Sophia University in Tokyo. He is fluent in Japanese.

Vincent Wei-Cheng Wang is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Political Science at Adelphi University. Wang formerly served as Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Ithaca College. He was formerly a Professor of Political Science and Chairman of the Department at the University of Richmond, specializing in international political economy and Asian studies. He has been a Visiting Professor or Fellow at National Chengchi University (Taipei), National Sun-Yat-sen University (Kaohsiung, Taiwan), El Colegio de Mexico, and Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University (Seoul, South Korea). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He is a first-generation college student and received his BA from National Taiwan University and MA from Johns Hopkins University.

Moderator

Deepa M. Ollapally is a political scientist specializing in Indian foreign policy, India-China relations, and Asian regional and maritime security. She is a Research Professor of International Affairs and the Associate Director of the Sigur Center. She also directs the Rising Powers Initiative, a major research program that tracks and analyzes foreign policy debates in aspiring powers of Asia and Eurasia.

11/04/2022 | The CCP 20th Party Congress and China’s Road Ahead

October 21, 2022March 17, 2023Archives & Recordings, High Profile EventsLeave a Comment

Friday, November 4, 2022

12:30 – 5:45 PM ET

Lindner Family Commons, Room 602

Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E ST NW, Washington, DC 20052

Critical questions about China’s future have swirled around the CCP’s 20th Party Congress: What will Xi Jinping’s third term mean for Chinese domestic politics? What are China’s intentions for Taiwan? How will the party manage slowing economic growth along with mounting demographic and environmental problems? The Sigur Center for Asian Studies will host a half-day congress where leading experts from GW’s distinguished China faculty and top scholars from other institutions seek to address these questions. The event will be in person only and open to the general public. Brief presentations will be followed by extended opportunities for Q&A with the audience.

Registration is free and open to the public. This event is IN-PERSON only.

This event will be recorded and will be available on the Sigur Center YouTube channel after the event.

Speakers

Panel 1: Domestic Politics

Bruce Dickson

Professor Dickson received his B.A. in political science and English literature, his M.A. in Chinese Studies, and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty of The George Washington University and the Elliott School in 1993.

Professor Dickson’s research and teaching focus on political dynamics in China, especially the adaptability of the Chinese Communist Party and the regime it governs. In addition to courses on China, he also teaches on comparative politics and authoritarianism.

His current research examines the political consequences of economic reform in China, the Chinese Communist Party’s evolving strategy for survival, and the changing relationship between state and society. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the US Institute of Peace, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Iza Ding

Professor Iza Ding is an Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Pittsburgh, with a courtesy appointment in Public Policy at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. In 2019-2020, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor in Political Science and a Visiting Associate at the International Institute at the University of Michigan.

Professor Ding’s research explores the paradoxes and pushbacks attending economic, political, and cultural modernization, such as creative resistance against institutional rigidities, lingering moral traditions against legal development, enduring historical memories against rapid socioeconomic transformations, and humans’ simultaneous degradation of nature and attachment to nature. Her book The Performative State: Public Scrutiny and Environmental Governance in China has been recently released by Cornell University Press.

Professor Ding received her Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University, and her B.A. in Political Science and Russian and Eastern European Studies from the University of Michigan.

Jeffrey Ding

Professor Jeffrey Ding is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, sponsored by Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.

Professor Ding’s research agenda centers on technological change and international politics. His dissertation investigates how past technological revolutions influenced the rise and fall of great powers, with implications for U.S.-China competition in emerging technologies like AI. Other research projects tackle how states should identify strategic technologies, assessments of national scientific and technological capabilities, and interstate cooperation on nuclear safety and security technologies. His work has been published in Foreign Affairs, Security Studies, The Washington Post, and other outlets.

Professor Ding received his Ph.D. in 2021 from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Previously, Profesor Ding worked as a researcher for Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology and Oxford’s Centre for the Governance of AI at the University of Oxford. Growing up in Iowa City, he became a lifelong Hawkeye fan and attended the University of Iowa for his undergraduate studies.

Panel 2: International Relations

David Shambaugh

David Shambaugh is an internationally recognized authority and award-winning author on contemporary China and the international relations of Asia. He is the Gaston Sigur Professor of Asian Studies, Political Science & International Affairs, and the founding Director of the China Policy Program in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. He previously served in the Department of State and on the National Security Council staff during the Carter administration (1977-1979). From 1996-2016 he was also a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at The Brookings Institution. Professor Shambaugh was previously Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Reader in Chinese Politics at the University of London’s School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), 1987-1996, where he also served as Editor of The China Quarterly. He has served on the Board of Directors of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Advisory Board of the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), East-West Center Fellowship Board, is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and member of its Board of Studies, is a participant in the Aspen Strategy Group, and other public policy and scholarly organizations. An active public intellectual and frequent commentator in the international media, he also serves on numerous editorial boards, and has been a consultant to governments, research institutions, foundations, universities, corporations, banks, and investment funds.

He has been selected for numerous awards and grants, including as a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a Senior Scholar by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, and a Senior Fulbright Scholar (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences). He has received research grants from the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Smith Richardson Foundation, German Marshall Fund, Hinrich Foundation, the British Academy, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and has been a visiting scholar or professor at universities in Australia, China, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, and he has lectured all over the world.

As an author, Professor Shambaugh has published more than 30 books, including most recently International Relations of Asia (third edition, 2022); China’s Leaders: From Mao to Now (2021); Where Great Powers Meet: America & China in Southeast Asia (2021); and China & the World (2020). Other books include The China Reader: Rising Power (2016); Tangled Titans: The United States and China (2012); China’s Communist Party: Atrophy & Adaptation (2008); Power Shift: China & Asia’s New Dynamics (2005); and Modernizing China’s Military (2002); Making China Policy (2001); The Modern Chinese State (2000); Chinese Foreign Policy: Theory & Practice (1994); American Studies of Contemporary China (1993); and Beautiful Imperialist (1991). He has also authored numerous reports, scholarly articles and chapters, newspaper op-eds, and book reviews. He is reasonably fluent in Chinese, and has some French, German, and Spanish.

Patricia M. Kim

Patricia M. Kim is a David M. Rubenstein Fellow at Brookings and holds a joint appointment to the John L. Thornton China Center and the Center for East Asia Policy Studies. She is an expert on Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China relations, and U.S. alliance management and regional security dynamics in East Asia.

Previously, Kim served as a China specialist at the U.S. Institute of Peace, where she focused on China’s impact on conflict dynamics around the world and directed major projects on U.S.-China strategic stability and China’s growing presence in the Red Sea region. She was also a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, International Security Program Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and postdoctoral fellow at the Princeton-Harvard China and the World Program at Princeton University.

Kim’s writing and research has been featured widely in outlets such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The South China Morning Post. She frequently briefs U.S. government officials in her areas of expertise and has testified before the House Intelligence Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

Kim received her doctoral degree from the Department of Politics at Princeton University and her bachelor’s degree with highest distinction in political science and Asian studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Korean, and proficient in Japanese. Kim is also a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Robert Sutter, pictured in professional attire

Robert G. Sutter

Robert Sutter is Professor of Practice of International Affairs at the Elliott School of George Washington University (2011-Present ). He also served as Director of the School’s main undergraduate program involving over 2,000 students from 2013-2019. His earlier full-time position was Visiting Professor of Asian Studies at Georgetown University (2001-2011).

A Ph.D. graduate in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University, Sutter has published 22 books (four with multiple editions), over 300 articles and several hundred government reports dealing with contemporary East Asian and Pacific countries and their relations with the United States. His most recent book is Chinese Foreign Relations: Power and Policy of an Emerging Global Force, Fifth Edition (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021).

Sutter’s government career (1968-2001) saw service as senior specialist and director of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division of the Congressional Research Service, the National Intelligence Officer for East Asia and the Pacific at the US Government’s National Intelligence Council, the China division director at the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research and professional staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Panel 3: Economic Policy

Maggie Chen

Maggie Xiaoyang Chen is a professor of economics and international affairs at George Washington University. Professor Chen’s areas of research expertise includes multinational firms, international trade, and regional trade agreements and her work as been published extensively in leading academic journals.

She has worked as an economist in the research department of the World Bank, a consultant for various regional divisions of the World Bank and the International Finance Cooperation since 2003, a contributor to the World Development Report and World Bank’s Latin America and Caribbean Flagship Report, and a trade policy consultant for the U.S. Congressional Budget Office. Professor Chen is also a co-editor of the Economic Inquiry. Professor Chen received her Ph.D and M.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her B.A. in Economics from Beijing Normal University.

David Dollar

David Dollar is a senior fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution and host of the Brookings trade podcast, Dollar&Sense. He is a leading expert on China’s economy and U.S.-China economic relations. From 2009 to 2013, Dollar was the U.S. Treasury’s economic and financial emissary to China, based in Beijing, facilitating the macroeconomic and financial policy dialogue between the United States and China. Prior to joining Treasury, Dollar worked 20 years for the World Bank, serving as country director for China and Mongolia, based in Beijing (2004-2009). His other World Bank assignments focused on Asian economies, including South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh, and India. Dollar also worked in the World Bank’s research department. His publications focus on economic reform in China, globalization, and economic growth. He also taught economics at University of California Los Angeles, during which time he spent a semester in Beijing at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 1986. He has a doctorate in economics from New York University and a bachelor’s in Chinese history and language from Dartmouth College.

portrait of Stephen Kaplan smiling at the camera

Stephen B. Kaplan

Stephen B. Kaplan is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; and a faculty affiliate of the Institute for International Economic Policy. He is also a current global fellow at the Wilson Center. Professor Kaplan joined the GWU faculty in the fall of 2010 after completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University. While completing his doctorate at Yale University, Kaplan also worked as a researcher for former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo at the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization. Prior to his doctoral studies, Professor Kaplan worked as a senior economic researcher at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, writing extensively on developing country economics, global financial market developments, and emerging market crises for more than a half-decade.

9/30/2022 | What Will Be the Legacy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe?

September 12, 2022January 6, 2023Archives & Recordings, Sigur Center Lecture SeriesLeave a Comment

Friday, September 30, 2022

12:00 – 1:30 PM EDT

Harry Harding Auditorium, Room 213

Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E ST NW, Washington, DC 20052

Join us as we invite experts to take a look at the life, record, and legacy of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Two months after Shinzo Abe’s assassination, Japan continues to grapple with the death of its longtime leader and controversies swirl around plans to hold a state funeral. Despite the polarization Abe brought to domestic politics, his efforts to connect Japan with its allies and neighbors in Asia and beyond will shape Japanese foreign policy for many years to come. What are Abe’s legacies? How did he shape Japan’s domestic and foreign policy? How should he be remembered? This panel discussion will examine the political, social, and economic impacts of Abe’s premiership on domestic and regional affairs through various perspectives.

Registration is free and open to the public. This event is IN-PERSON only.

This event will be recorded and will be available on the Sigur Center YouTube channel after the event.

Speakers

S. Nathan Park is a versatile litigator who has handled every type of complex financial litigation, including cross-border matters involving securities and derivatives. He often represents Korea-based clients in connection with regulatory investigations involving U.S. and local authorities. He also has experience with international judgment enforcement and international arbitration.

Mr. Park writes extensively on Asia’s economy and politics and his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy and The Atlantic.

Before joining Kobre & Kim, Mr. Park practiced at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he represented clients in government enforcement defense, internal investigation, complex commercial litigation, securities litigation, international arbitration and international civil litigation.

photo of kumiko ashizawa at a talk event

Kuniko Ashizawa teaches international relations and serves as Japan Coordinator of Asian Studies Research Council at the School of International Service, American University. From 2005 until 2012, she was a senior lecturer in international relations at Oxford Brookes University in the U.K. Her research interests include Japan’s foreign, security and development assistance policy, U.S.-Japan-China relations, regional institution-building in Asia, and the role of the concept of state identity in foreign policymaking, for which she has published a number of academic journal articles and book chapters, including in International Studies Review, Pacific Affairs, the Pacific Review, and Journal of Peacebuilding and Development. Her book, Japan, the U.S. and Regional Institution-Building in the New Asia: When Identity Matters (Palgrave McMillan, 2013), received the 2015 Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize. Ashizawa was a visiting fellow at various research institutions, including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the East-West Center in Washington, the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, SAIS, and the United Nations University (Institute of Advanced Studies) in Tokyo. She received her PhD in international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

Tobias Harris is senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he oversees the National Security and International Policy team’s work on Asia. From 2013 to 2021, he was a political risk analyst covering Japan and the Korean Peninsula at Teneo Intelligence, as well as a research fellow for economy, trade, and business at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA from 2014 to 2020. He is also the author of The Iconoclast: Shinzo Abe and the New Japan, the first English-language biography of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. Prior to joining Teneo Intelligence, Harris worked for a Japanese legislator, authored the blog Observing Japan, and conducted graduate research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Tokyo. He holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s degree in politics and history from Brandeis University.

Moderator

Mike Mochizuki, in professional attire against blue background

Mike Mochizuki is Associate Professor of Political Science & International Affairs, Japan-U.S. Relations Chair in Memory of Gaston Sigur, Director of the Bachelor in International Affairs programs, and co-director of the Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia Pacific program. Professor Mochizuki was director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies from 2001 to 2005. Previously, he was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He was also Co-Director of the Center for Asia-Pacific Policy at RAND and has taught at the University of Southern California and Yale University.

event banner for Taiwan Conference on September 29, 2022

9/29/2022 | Taiwan’s New Security Challenges: Economic Security and Military Security

September 8, 2022January 6, 2023Archives & Recordings, Taiwan Conference SeriesLeave a Comment

Thursday, September 29, 2022

10:30 AM – 2:00 PM EDT

State Room, 7th Floor

Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E ST NW, Washington, DC 20052

Taiwan is increasingly being tested by both military and economic security pressures from China. Beijing’s stepped-up manned and unmanned military activities and imposition of greater economic and military costs on other countries engaging in otherwise regular diplomatic and international engagement with Taiwan since August poses serious challenges to the rules-based international order, undermine the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, destabilize the Indo-Pacific region, and negatively impact international trade and transit. Combined with intense cybersecurity challenges, supply chain pressures and US-China tech competition, Taiwan faces a unique set of economic and military security challenges that are increasingly recognized and shared by like-minded partners in the region as well as across the globe.

Experts at the conference will offer their views on key economic and military issues currently facing Taiwan, and the prospects for Cross-Strait and regional stability.

Registration is free and open to the public. This event is IN-PERSON only. Lunch is provided.

This event will be recorded and will be available on the Sigur Center YouTube channel after the event.

Agenda

10:30am – 12:00pm – Panel One | Economic Security: Supply Chain Resilience, Cybersecurity & US-Taiwan Ties

Rupert Hammond-Chambers, US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) | Supply Chain Resilience
Fiona Cunningham, University of Pennsylvania | Cybersecurity Challenges
Emily Weinstein, Georgetown University | U.S.-China Tech Competition and Implications for Taiwan
Moderator: Gregg Brazinsky, Sigur Center for Asian Studies, George Washington University

12:00pm – 12:30pm Lunch

12:30pm – 2:00pm – Panel Two | Military Security: Cross Strait Relations, Defense & US-Taiwan Relations

Elbridge Colby, The Marathon Initiative | Interpreting Cross Strait Tensions
Robert Sutter, George Washington University | Drivers of US-Taiwan Relations
Jacob Stokes, Center for a New American Security | Taiwan’s Strategic and Political Impact on the Indo-Pacific
Moderator: Deepa Ollapally, Sigur Center for Asian Studies, George Washington University

Panel One Speakers

Rupert Hammond-Chambers is President of the US-Taiwan Business Council. He began working for the US-Taiwan Business Council in October 1994. In March of 1998, he was promoted to Vice President of the Council with additional responsibilities for office management, oversight of the staff, financial bookkeeping and a clear mandate to build out the Council’s member/client base.

Mr. Hammond-Chambers was elected President of the Council in November 2000. As the trade relationship between the United States, Taiwan and China continues to evolve, he has worked to develop the Council’s role as a strategic partner to its members, with the continuing goal of positioning the Council as a leader in empowering American companies in Asia through value and excellence.

Mr. Hammond-Chambers is also the Managing Director, Taiwan for Bower Group Asia – a strategic consultancy focused on designing winning strategies for companies. He is also responsible for Bower Group Asia’s defense and security practice.

He sits on the Board of The Project 2049 Institute. He is a Trustee of Friends of Fettes College, and is a member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

Fiona Cunningham is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a Faculty Fellow at Perry World House and affiliated with the Center for the Study of Contemporary China and the Christopher H.. Browne Center for International Politics at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests lie the intersection of technology and conflict, with an empirical focus on China. Fiona’s current book project explains how and why China threatens to use space weapons, cyber attacks and conventional missiles as substitutes for nuclear threats in limited wars. Her research has been published in International Security, Security Studies, The Texas National Security Review, and The Washington Quarterly, and has been featured in the New York Times and the Economist. Fiona’s work has been supported by the Stanton Foundation, Smith Richardson Foundation, and the China Confucius Studies Program. She has held fellowships at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Fiona received her Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT in 2018. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney, both with first class honors. From 2019 to 2021, she was an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the George Washington University.

Emily S. Weinstein is a Research Fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), focused on U.S. national competitiveness in AI/ML technology and U.S.-China technology competition. She is also a Nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub and the National Bureau of Asian Research. In her previous role at CSET, Emily conducted research on China’s S&T ecosystem, talent flows, and technology transfer issues. Emily has previously testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission and the Wisconsin State Legislature’s Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges. She has written on topics related to research security and China’s S&T developments in Foreign Policy, Lawfare, DefenseOne, and other outlets. Emily holds a BA in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan and an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University.

Panel One Moderator

portrait of Gregg Brazinsky in professional attire

Gregg Brazinsky is Professor of History and International Affairs. He is director of the Asian Studies Program, acting director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, and acting co-director of the East Asia National Resource Center. He is the author of two books: Nation Building in South Korea: Koreans, Americans, and the Making of a Democracy and Winning the Third World: Sino-American Rivalry during the Cold War. His articles have appeared in numerous journals including Diplomatic History and the Journal of Korean Studies. He has written op-eds for The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune and several other media outlets. He is currently working on two books. The first explores American nation building in Asia–especially Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. The second explores Sino-North Korean relations during the Cold War.

Panel Two Speakers

Elbridge Colby is co-founder and principal of The Marathon Initiative, a policy initiative focused on developing strategies to prepare the United States for an era of sustained great power competition. He is the author of The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict (Yale University Press), which The Wall Street Journal selected as one of the top ten books of 2021.

Previously, Colby was from 2018-2019 the Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, where he led the Center’s work on defense issues.

Before that, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development from 2017-2018. In that role, he served as the lead official in the development and rollout of the Department’s preeminent strategic planning guidance, the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS). The NDS shifted the Department of Defense’s focus to the challenges to U.S. military superiority and interests posed by China in particular followed by Russia, prioritizing restoring the Joint Force’s warfighting edge against these major power competitors. He also served as the primary Defense Department representative in the development of the 2017 National Security Strategy.

Robert Sutter is Professor of Practice of International Affairs at the Elliott School of George Washington University (2011-Present). He also served as Director of the School’s main undergraduate program involving over 2,000 students from 2013-2019. His earlier full-time position was Visiting Professor of Asian Studies at Georgetown University (2001-2011). A Ph.D. graduate in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University, Sutter has published 22 books (four with multiple editions), over 300 articles and several hundred government reports dealing with contemporary East Asian and Pacific countries and their relations with the United States. His most recent book is Chinese Foreign Relations: Power and Policy of an Emerging Global Force, Fifth Edition (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021). Sutter’s government career (1968-2001) saw service as senior specialist and director of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division of the Congressional Research Service, the National Intelligence Officer for East Asia and the Pacific at the US Government’s National Intelligence Council, the China division director at the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research and professional staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Jacob Stokes is a Fellow for the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for New American Security, where his work focuses on U.S.-China relations, Chinese foreign policy, East Asian security affairs, and great-power competition. He previously served in the White House on the national security staff of then-Vice President Joseph R. Biden, where Stokes was senior advisor to the national security advisor, as well as acting special advisor to the vice president for Asia policy. He has also worked in the U.S. Congress as a professional staff member for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and as foreign and defense policy advisor for Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

Outside of government, Stokes has been a senior analyst in the China program at the U.S. Institute of Peace and with the National Security Network. His writing has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Lawfare, Politico Magazine, War on the Rocks, Democracy, The Washington Quarterly, and The Guardian, and his analysis has been featured in TIME, USA Today, The Economist, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Vox, and Bloomberg. Stokes is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds an MA from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and undergraduate degrees from the University of Missouri.

Panel Two Moderator

Deepa Ollapally, in professional attire against white background

Deepa M. Ollapally is a political scientist specializing in Indian foreign policy, South Asian security, India-China relations, and Indo-Pacific regional and maritime security. She also directs the Rising Powers Initiative, a major research program which tracks and analyzes foreign policy debates in aspiring powers of Asia and Eurasia. She is the author of five books and is currently working on a manuscript titled Big Power Competition for Influence in the Indo-Pacific, which assesses the shifting patterns of geopolitical influence by major powers in the region since 2005 and the drivers of these changes. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

event banner for the culminating conference for the Rising Powers Initiative

8/17-8/18/2022 | Culminating Conference

August 4, 2022August 18, 2022Archives & RecordingsLeave a Comment

Regional Architecture for Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific: The Role of the US & India in Security and the Commons

Hosted by the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History at CHRIST University, Co-sponsored by the Rising Powers Initiative, Sigur Center for Asian Studies, Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

6:30 – 8:00 PM IST | 9:00 – 10:30 AM EDT

Thursday, August 18, 2022

6:30 – 8:00 PM IST | 9:00 – 10:30 AM EDT

Webex Event

This two-day conference is being held in partnership with the George Washington University, the US Department of State, and CHRIST (Deemed to be University).

Conference Program

Day 1: Wednesday, August 17, 2022 | Regional Architecture for Security in the Indo-Pacific

6:30 – 6:45 PM IST | 9:00 – 9:15 AM EDT — Opening Remarks

Welcome: N. Manoharan, CHRIST (Deemed to be University)

Inaugural Address: Alyssa Ayres, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

Introduction: Deepa M. Ollapally, Rising Powers Initiative and Research Professor of International Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

6:45 – 7:30 PM IST | 9:15 – 10:00 AM EDT — Panel One

Jeff Smith, Heritage Foundation

Lisa Curtis, Center for New American Security (CNAS)

Adml (Retd.) Arun Prakash, Former Chief of Naval Staff, India

7:30 – 8:00 PM IST | 10:00 – 10:30 AM EDT — Open Discussion

Day 2: Thursday, August 18, 2022 | Regional Architecture for the Commons in the Indo-Pacific

6:30 – 6:35 PM IST | 9:00 – 9:05 AM EDT — Opening Remarks

Introduction: Deepa M. Ollapally, Rising Powers Initiative and Research Professor of International Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

6:35 – 7:20 PM IST | 9:05 – 9:50 AM EDT — Panel Two

Jason Donofrio, The Ocean Foundation

Cornell Overfield, Center for Naval Analyses (CNA)

Abhijit Singh, Observer Research Foundation (ORF)

7:20 – 7:50 PM IST | 9:50 – 10:20 AM EDT — Open Discussion

7:50 – 8:00 PM IST | 10:20 – 10:30 AM EDT — Closing Remarks

Valedictory Address: Joseph C.C., Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, CHRIST (Deemed to be University)

Conclusion: Deepa M. Ollapally, Rising Powers Initiative and Research Professor of International Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

Vote of Thanks: Madhumati Deshpande, CHRIST (Deemed to be University)

Speaker Bios

Alyssa Ayres, Dean of the Elliott School

Alyssa Ayres was appointed dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs and professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University effective February 1, 2021. Ayres is a foreign policy practitioner and award-winning author with senior experience in the government, nonprofit, and private sectors. From 2013 to 2021, she was senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where she remains an adjunct senior fellow. Ayres has been awarded numerous fellowships and has received four group or individual Superior Honor Awards for her work at the State Department. She speaks Hindi and Urdu, and in the mid-1990s worked as an interpreter for the International Committee of the Red Cross. She received an AB from Harvard College and an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Halifax International Security Forum’s agenda working group, and a member of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group board of directors.

Dr. Fr. Joseph C. C. (@ChristBangalore) is Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor, Department of International Studies and History, CHRIST (Deemed to be University). He is also Director of Student Affairs, at the University. A noted expert on maritime history, Fr. Jose is a member of both the Indian History Congress and South Indian History Congress. He has authored or co-authored four books and numerous peer-reviewed articles on wide-ranging issues and presented papers at both national and international conferences. He recently edited a book, Revisiting a Treasure Trove: Perspectives on the Collection at St Kuriakose Elias Chavara Archives and Research Centre. One of his latest publications is “Organization Culture and Work Values of Global Firms: Merging Eastern and Western Perspectives.”

His areas of interest are Maritime Studies, Organizational Culture and Work Values.

Apart from history, Dr. Fr. Jose is well versed in theology and philosophy. He is a passionate teacher and an able administrator.

He holds a PhD in History from Pondicherry University, India.

Lisa Curtis is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at CNAS. She is a foreign policy and national security expert with over 20 years of service in the U.S. government, including at the National Security Council (NSC), CIA, State Department, and Capitol Hill. Her work has centered on U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific and South Asia, with a particular focus on U.S.-India strategic relations; Quad (United States, Australia, India, and Japan) cooperation; counterterrorism strategy in South and Central Asia; and China’s role in the region.

Madhumati Deshpande (@ChristBangalore) is the Department Coordinator and Assistant Professor in the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore.

Her areas of research interest include international relations and foreign policy analysis, Indian foreign policy, US foreign policy and political theory. Deshpande has previously been a graduate assistant and election observer in the Jimmy Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia and observed elections in East Timor and Guyana. She also held the position of editor for Springer Reference works. She has published several articles in various peer reviewed journals and three book chapters.

She completed her Masters in Political Science from Karnataka University, Dharwad and holds a PhD from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Jason Donofrio is the External Relations Officer at the Ocean Foundation. He is a Phoenix native with a decade of experience fundraising, organizing and coordinating public campaigns. After graduating college Jason went on to work for public advocacy and environmental organizations in Arizona, Maryland, Vermont and Colorado, leading teams as large as sixty on crucial campaigns affecting environmental conservation, civic engagement, consumer protection and higher education affordability. As a Director of various development departments, he has helped oversee multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns, develop and advocate public policy, and has experience cultivating donors to support organizational programs.

N. Manoharan (@ChristBangalore) is Director, Centre for East Asian Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru. He earlier served at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Prime Minister’s Office, and Ministry of Defence, New Delhi. He was South Asia Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center Washington and is a recipient of Mahbub-ul Haq international award for research.

His areas of interest include internal security, terrorism, Sri Lanka, Maldives, human rights, ethnic conflicts, multiculturalism, security sector reforms and conflict resolution.

His main books include: Developing Democracies, Counter-terror Laws and Security: Lessons from India and Sri Lanka; ‘Security Deficit’: A Comprehensive Internal Security Strategy for India; India’s War on Terror; SAARC: Towards Greater Connectivity; Ethnic Violence and Human Rights in Sri Lanka. Manoharan’s forthcoming book is on Federal Aspects of Foreign Policy: The Role of Tamil Nadu Fishermen Issue in India-Sri Lanka Relations. He writes regularly for leading newspapers, websites and reputed peer-reviewed international journals.

Manoharan has a PhD from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Deepa M. Ollapally (@DeepaOllapally) is Research Professor of International Affairs and the Associate Director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University. She directs the Rising Powers Initiative which tracks foreign policy debates in major powers of Asia and Eurasia.

She is a specialist on Indian foreign policy, India-China relations, Indo-Pacific regional and maritime security, and comparative foreign policy outlooks of rising powers and the rise of nationalism in foreign policy. Ollapally is the author of five books including Worldviews of Aspiring Powers (Oxford, 2012). Her current research focuses on maritime and regional security in the Indo-Pacific and is writing a book on Big Power Competition for Influence in the Indo-Pacific. She has won grants from Carnegie Corporation, MacArthur Foundation, Smith Richardson Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Asia Foundation for work related to India and Asia.

Ollapally has held senior positions in the policy world including US Institute of Peace, and National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

Cornell Overfield is Associate Research Analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses. He is an expert in transatlantic relations and international relations theory. At CNA, he has worked on projects covering Arctic security and economic activity, improved engagement with allies and partners, and data analytics. His work and writing on US national security strategy, Arctic affairs, and international maritime law have appeared in Foreign Policy, The Economist, Politico, Lawfare, and academic journals. Overfield has an MA in European and Russian studies from Yale and a BA in history and international relations from the University of Pennsylvania.

Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM is a former Flag Officer of the Indian Navy. He served as the Chief of the Naval Staff from 31 July 2004 to 31 October 2006 and as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 31 January 2005 to 31 October 2006. He played an important role in developing a vision for India’s maritime strategy. He served on the 1999 Arun Singh Task Force as well as the Naresh Chandra Committee on national security reforms.

A former naval officer, Abhijit Singh, Senior Fellow, heads the Maritime Policy Initiative at ORF. A maritime professional with specialist and command experience in front-line Indian naval ships, he has been involved the writing of India’s maritime strategy (2007). He is a keen commentator on maritime matters and has written extensively on security and governance issues in the Indian Ocean and Pacific littorals. His articles and commentaries have been published in the National Bureau for Asian Research (NBR), the Lowy Interpreter, the World Politics Review, the Diplomat and CSIS Pacific Forum.

Jeff M. Smith is a research fellow in Heritage’s Asian Studies Center, focusing on South Asia.

He is the author/editor of “Asia’s Quest for Balance: China’s Rise and Balancing in the Indo-Pacific” (2018), and of “Cold Peace: China-India Rivalry in the 21st Century” (2014). He has contributed to multiple books on Asian Security issues, testified as an expert witness before multiple congressional committees, served in an advisory role for several presidential campaigns, and regularly briefs officials in the executive and legislative branches on matters of Asian security.

His writing on Asian security issues has appeared in Foreign Affairs, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, the Harvard International Review, Jane’s Intelligence Review, The National Interest, and The Diplomat, among others. In recent years his expert commentary has been featured by The Economist, The New York Times, FOX News, The Washington Times, Reuters, and the BBC, among others. Smith formerly served as the Director of Asian Security Programs at the American Foreign Policy Council.

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7/29/2022 | International Forum on the 140th Anniversary of US-ROK Relations

July 18, 2022August 4, 2022Archives & RecordingsLeave a Comment

The Sigur Center for Asian Studies, KHN (Korea and Her Neighbors), and the GW Institute for Korean Studies

Presents

International Forum on the 140th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between the United States and Korea

Friday, July 29th, 2022

9:20 AM – 4:00 PM EDT

State Room, 7th Floor

1957 E ST NW

In-Person ONLY

NOTE: All non-GW affiliated attendees attending the event IN-PERSON must comply with GW’s COVID-19 policy in order to attend this event, including showing proof of vaccination and masking indoors. For frequently asked questions, please refer to GW’s guidance.

See Event Program (PDF)

About

Please join us for an in person, international conference on 140 Years of US-Korean Relations. The conference is co-sponsored by KHN (Korea and Her Neighbors), the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, and the GW Institute for Korean Studies. The full program is below. The event will feature prominent policymakers and scholars from both the United States and South Korea. Registration is limited to 50 people.

Registration

The event is free and open to the public. If you have already registered but will no longer be able to attend, please cancel your registration.

Conference Schedule

09:20 AM	Arrival and Registration
09:30 AM – 09:40 AM	Opening Ceremony
Moderator: Dr. Si-young Choi Dr. Lee Jeong-ik, Chairman of the Board, KHN Dr. Alyssa Ayres, Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University
09:40 AM – 10:40 AM	Keynote Speeches
Moderator: Dr. Si-young Choi H.E. Mr. Yun Byung-se, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, ROK \| Vision, Challenges and Agenda of the ROK-US Alliance for a New Era of Tectonic Transformation Dr. Robert Gallucci, Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, the first special envoy to North Korea on the North Korean nuclear issue in 1994 \| The ROK-US alliance in the broader context of both countries’ interests in Northeast Asia
10:40 AM – 11:55 AM	Session I
Moderator: Dr. Choi Myung Deok, Chairman of the KHN Prof. Ku Chun Seo, Hanil University \| An Appraisal of the American Mission in Korea at the End of Yi Dynasty with Reference to the Social Transformation: Retrospect and Prospect Prof. Lee Wan Bom, The Academy of Korean Studies \| Retrospect and Prospect on the 140th Anniversary of Korea-U.S. Diplomatic Relations: From Dependency to Interdependence Prof. Song Seok Won, Kyung Hee University \| Korean-American: Life in the United States and its Relation with Motherland
11:55 AM – 01:00 PM	Lunch
01:00 PM – 02:15 PM	Session II
Moderator: Dr. Choi Myung Deok (Chairman of the KHN) Prof. Kim Seung Wook, Joongang University \| Economic Development of Korea and the Role of U.S.A. Prof. Gregg A. Brazinsky, George Washington University \| The US role in South Korea’s Economic Development Prof. Chung Bum-Jin, Kyunghee University \| The Role of President Syngman Rhee in Korean Atomic Energy and Future Direction for Cooperation
02:15 PM – 02:25 PM	Break
02:25 PM – 04:05 PM	Session III
Moderator: Dr. Choi Myung Deok, Chairman of the KHN Dr. Darcie Draudt, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute for Korean Studies, George Washington University \| Diplomacy and Domestic Politics in the US-ROK Alliance: Patterns and Prospects Prof. Cho Yun Young, Joongang University \| US International Strategy and Northeast Asian Policy: Focusing on the Korean Peninsula Dr. Sharon Squassoni, Research Professor of the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University \| Nuclear Conundra in US-Korean Relations Prof. Lee Kyu Young, Sogang University \| Diagnosis and Prospects of the Security Environment on the Korean Peninsula: Lessons from Europe’s Security Environment
04:05 PM – 04:10 PM	Closing Session
Moderator: Dr. Namgoong Tae-joon Commemorative photography \| Closing Declaration

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7/10/2022 | Memory as Resistance: Social Movements and Cultural Preservation in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet

June 13, 2022July 14, 2022Archives & Recordings, Taiwan RoundtablesLeave a Comment

Sunday, July 10, 2022

10:45 AM – 1:00 PM EDT

Lindner Commons (RM 602)

Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E ST NW, Washington, DC 20052

AND Online

“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.” – Milan Kundera

Memory has always been an essential form of resistance against power and hegemony. Such was the case in Taiwan during its decades-spanning period of authoritarian rule. Since democratization in the 1990s, various social movements in Taiwanese society have made considerable efforts to tell the unspoken or erased stories forged under authoritarian rule as part of a larger unpacking of historical trauma and shaping of Taiwanese identity. On the other side of the Strait, political dissidents and ethnic minorities inside of the People’s Republic of China continue to struggle to protect and preserve their respective cultures, ways of living, and identities against the backdrop of the Chinese Communist Party’s conception of a unified “Chinese culture.” Specifically for Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Hong Kongers, those who are still in China are facing increased restrictions of political and cultural expression. Maintaining the social memories of their respective political identities, cultural practices, languages, and histories have thus become critically important to the work of diasporic communities.

The Sigur Center and the North American Taiwan Studies Association (NATSA) are co-hosting a hybrid in-person and virtual Roundtable event to examine the different experiences among Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Uyghur, and Tibetan social movements and to foster dialogue between activists and scholars to explore ways of resisting authoritarian suppression through the power of social memories.

This Roundtable is free and open to the public and media. A recording of the Roundtable will be made publicly available in the days following the event. Additional support for this event is provided by GW East Asia National Resource Center and the Taiwan Education & Research Program.

Panelists

Anna Kwok, Strategy and Campaign Director, Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC)
Eric Schluessel, Assistant Professor of History and International Affairs, GW
Tsultrim Gyatso, Chinese Liaison Officer, Office of Tibet

Moderator

June Lin, Local Director of NATSA 2022 and Senior Program Officer for the Asia Program at Freedom House

Speakers

Anna Kwok is the Strategy and Campaign Director at Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC), where she develops strategic frameworks and implementation plans for the organization’s key work streams.

During the 2019 movement, Anna has lead and organized several international media campaigns as an innovative force in the decentralized movement.

She received her B.S. of Media, Culture and Communication with a double major in Philosophy at the New York University, where she founded NYU Hong Kong Student Advocacy Group to organize advocacy events around New York City.

Eric Schluessel, Assistant Professor of History

Eric Schluessel is a social historian of China and Central Asia, and his work focuses on Xinjiang (East Turkestan) in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Land of Strangers, his first monograph, uses local archival and manuscript sources in Chinese and Chaghatay Turkic to explore the ramifications of a project undertaken in the last decades of the Qing empire to transform Xinjiang’s Turkic-speaking Muslims into Chinese-speaking Confucians.

Schluessel is currently pursuing two research projects: Saints and Sojourners explores the economic history of the Uyghur region from the 1750s through the 1950s as seen from below, through the records of merchants, farmers, and managers of pious endowments. It ties changes at the village level to shifts in the global economy in places as far away as Manchester and Tianjin. Exiled Gods delves into Han Chinese settler culture and religion to illuminate the history of a diasporic community of demobilized soldiers and their descendants that spanned the Qing empire.

Tsultrim Gyatso was born in Tibet and escaped to India when he was thirteen years old. He immigrated to United States later and received his education in New York City. Tsultrim has been active in promoting youth involvement in the Tibetan Movement and he started engaging in Sino-Tibet dialogue when he was in High School. He is currently working as the Chinese Liaison Officer at the Office of Tibet, DC.

Moderator

June Lin speaking in front of the Lincoln Memorial

June Lin is the 2022 NATSA Local Director and Senior Program Officer at Freedom House for Asia programs. Before her career in D.C., June was a Sunflower Movement activist with professional experience in the non-profit, political and legislative sectors in Taiwan. In 2016, June moved to Washington, D.C., joining the Formosan Association for Public Affairs as a Policy Associate, where she convened Taiwanese Americans’ grassroots efforts in promoting U.S.-Taiwan relationships through congressional advocacy. In 2018, she started her career in the democracy, human rights, and governance sector at Freedom House, focusing on supporting the civil society actors in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as other diasporic communities subjected to human rights atrocities. In 2020, she joined the International Republican Institute as a North Asia Program Coordinator before returning to Freedom House in 2021.

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7/10/2022 | Building Taiwan Studies Programs in the US: Challenges and Prospects

June 8, 2022July 14, 2022Archives & RecordingsLeave a Comment

Sunday, July 10, 2022

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM EDT

Lindner Commons (RM 602)

Elliott School of International Affairs

1957 E ST NW, Washington, DC 20052

AND Online

In recent years, greater attention has been given to U.S.-Taiwan educational and cultural exchange. In December 2020, the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative was created to expand access to Mandarin Chinese and English language instruction and to deepen educational cooperation between both sides. Several Taiwan Studies centers in the United States have also received increased support to expand Taiwan Studies. Coinciding with the widespread closure of Confucius Institutes in the United States and the continuing political, economic, and security challenges concerning China, Taiwan, and the United States, there is a critical demand among scholars, policymakers, and educators for greater access to Mandarin Chinese language resources and expertise on Taiwan affairs. However, there exists a mismatch between the level of importance Taiwan has to U.S. foreign policy priorities and the level of resources that U.S. educational institutions dedicate to researching and teaching on Taiwan affairs.

The Taiwan Education & Research Program (TERP) and the North American Taiwan Studies Association (NATSA) are co-hosting a hybrid in-person and virtual panel to bring together scholars and administrators of Taiwan Studies programs in the United States for a discussion on the historical and present challenges, trends, and prospects for Taiwan Studies in academic and policymaking communities. The panel will examine the structural, social, and political factors that influence the development of Taiwan Studies programs, and how Taiwan Studies programs can serve as collaborative spaces between scholars, policymakers, and administrators.

This event is free and open to the public and media. A recording of the event will be made publicly available in the days following the event. Additional support for this event is provided by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies and the GW East Asia National Resource Center.

Panelists

Ellen Y. Chang, Director, Arts and Culture Program, Taiwan Studies Program, University of Washington – Seattle
Sung-Sheng (Yvonne) Chang, Professor; Director of the Center for Taiwan Studies, University of Texas – Austin
Min Zhou, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies; Director, Asia Pacific Center, University of California – Los Angeles
Elizabeth Leicester, Executive Director, Asia Pacific Center, University of California – Los Angeles

Moderator

Richard J. Haddock, Program Manager, East Asia National Resource Center; Taiwan Education & Research Program, GW

Speakers

Ellen Y. Chang is the Director of Arts and Culture at the Taiwan Studies Program at the University of Washington and a Ph.D. Candidate in Cinema & Media Studies. As a simultaneous film scholar and art curator/practitioner, her research examines the transactional encounter among contemporary Taiwanese video art/installation, cinema, and popular culture as processes of aesthetic decolonization. Her recent work on sound and audio walks explores more engaged, sensitive, and practical understandings of how audiovisual art reflects (re-)occurring themes of everyday politics across international geographies. She received her B.A. in English from National Central Taiwan University, M.A. in Film Studies from Ohio University, and M.A. in Cinema Studies from New York University.

Sung-Sheng (Yvonne) Chang is a professor in the Department of Asian Studies and the Program in Comparative Literature at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also currently the Director of the Center for Taiwan Studies at UT-Austin. Dr. Chang is the author of Literary Culture in Taiwan: Martial Law to Market Law (Columbia University Press, 2004) and Modernism and the Nativist Resistance: Contemporary Chinese Fiction from Taiwan (Duke University Press, 1993). Dr. Chang is a co-editor of The Columbia Sourcebook of Literary Taiwan (Columbia University Press, 2014) and Bamboo Shoots After the Rain: Contemporary Stories by Women Writers of Taiwan (Feminist Press, 1990). Dr. Chang’s articles have appeared in journals, edited volumes, and anthologies in English and Chinese. Dr. Chang was the President of the Association of Chinese and Comparative Literature (ACCL) in 1999-2000 and has served on a dozen editorial boards and held offices in scholarly organizations. She received her B.A. from National Taiwan University, M.A. from the University of Michigan, and Ph.D. from Stanford University. She has also taught or visited at National Taiwan University, University of Kansas, National Tsing Hua University, Fu Jen Catholic University, National Cheng Kung University, Xiamen University, and the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy at Academia Sinica.

Min Zhou is Professor of Sociology & Asian American Studies, Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in U.S.-China Relations & Communications, and Director of the UCLA Asia Pacific Center. She is an internationally renowned scholar in the areas of migration and development, race and ethnicity, entrepreneurship, refugee studies, Asian diasporas, and the sociology of Asia and Asian America. She has published 19 books and more than 200 journal articles and book chapters. She is the author of Chinatown: The Socioeconomic Potential of an Urban Enclave (1992), The Asian American Achievement Paradox (with Lee, 2015), and editor of Contemporary Chinese Diasporas (Palgrave MacMillan, 2017). Professor Zhou is also co-Editor of the Journal of Chinese Overseas. She was the President of the North American Chinese Sociologist Association, Chair of the Section on Asia and Asian America of the American Sociological Association (ASA), and Chair of the Section on International Migration of ASA. Currently, Professor Zhou is working on four projects: “Immigration, Integration and Social Transformation in the Pacific Rim,” “Inter-group relations and racial attitudes among Chinese locals and African merchants in Guangzhou and Yiwu, China,” “Chinese immigrant transnationalism and hometown development,” and “Highly skilled Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles and Singapore.” She is writing a book (with Shaohua Zhan) on contemporary Chinese and Indian immigrants in Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Singapore. She received her B.A. in English from the Sun Yat-sen University in China, and M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the State University of New York at Albany.

Elizabeth Leicester is the Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Center at the University of California – Los Angeles. Leicester has a B.A. from Columbia University and an M.A. from Stanford University in East Asian Studies, as well as a C. Phil. in Japanese History from UCLA. She has done research and translations on women and gender in Japan.

Moderator

professional portrait of Richard Haddock

Richard J. Haddock is currently the Program Manager for the East Asia National Resource Center (NRC), which is supported by a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education. He is also a member of the UC Berkeley U.S.-Taiwan Next Generation Working Group, where he is conducting a research project on the current state and future prospects of Taiwan Studies in the United States. He has worked previously at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, the National Democratic Institute, the American Institute in Taiwan, and the U.S. Department of State. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University with a focus on digital democracy and e-governance development in the Asia-Pacific. He received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Central Florida, and M.A. in Asian Studies from The George Washington University.