APP'S BOOKS OF THE WEEK of June 28, 2026

 📚Books of the Week📖

Red Arrow Across the Pacific: 

The Thirty-Second Infantry Division during World War II

By Mark D. Van Ells, Professor of History, Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York

PURCHASE BOOK 11/12/2024

The story of the renowned Thirty-Second "Red Arrow" Infantry Division: qNational Guard unit—which originated in Wisconsin and Michigan but soon evolved to include soldiers from California to New England—became one of the first US military units deployed overseas in World War II, eventually logging more combat hours than any other US Army division. Offers a cultural history of the Red Arrow's wartime experience, from its mobilization in 1940, to its deployment across New Guinea, Australia, and the Philippines, to its postwar occupation of Japan. Drawing from letters, memoirs, and interviews, Van Ells lets the soldiers speak for themselves, describing in their own words the terror of combat, their impressions of foreign lands, the struggle to maintain their own humanity, and the many ways the war profoundly changed them.

1942: Crux of War

By Jonathan Parshall, Lecturer, 

US Naval War College

PURCHASE BOOK 6/18/2026

By the end of 1942 there had been a sea-change in the conduct of WWII. Within just one 40-day timespan, the British had triumphed over Rommel at Alamein; British and American forces landed in North Africa to confront the Axis position there; the Americans won two naval battles at Guadalcanal, sealing the fate of that campaign and with it Japanese expansionism; the Red Army launched a massive counter-offensive at Stalingrad that would condemn six Axis armies-and hundreds of thousands of German, Italian, Romanian and Hungarian soldiers-to eventual destruction. The Allies had somehow gained the upper hand, forcing the Axis powers into a defensive crouch from which they would not rebound. The war, in short, had turned.

Surviving Chaos: Geopolitics When the Rules Fail

By Mark Leonard, Co-founder and Director,

European Council on Foreign Relations

PURCHASE BOOK 6/23/2026

Trump is blowing up political order. Xi Jinping is scrambling the economy. And Putin is redrawing the map of Europe. At a time when every crisis bleeds into the next – from pandemics and wars to climate shocks and AI revolutions – the old rules of global order are collapsing. Leonard reveals how geopolitics is being rewritten in an age of 'Un-Order', where no one agrees on the rules, and even the concept of order itself is up for debate. Drawing on years of conversations with leaders and thinkers from Beijing to Washington, Leonard argues that we are witnessing a new divide in international politics.

*Books purchased through the links here support Asia Policy Point*

Books selected on the APP website are not a sign of endorsement. 

They are simply new and interesting.

Asia Policy Events, Monday February 24, 2025

RATING INDIA 2025: KEY OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS. 2/24, 8:00-9:00am (EST), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Richard M. Rossow, Senior Adviser, Chair, India and Emerging Asia Economics; Erin L. Murphy, Deputy Director, Chair, India and Emerging Asia Economics, Senior Fellow, Emerging Asia Economics; Joydeep Mukherji, Managing Director, S&P Global Ratings; Christian de Guzman, Senior Vice President, Moody's Sovereign Ratings.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND POLITICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. 2/24, 8:00–9:15am (EST), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: New York Southeast Asia Network (NYSEAN). Speaker: author Merlyna Lim, Canada Research Chair in Digital Media and Global Network Society, Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Director of the ALiGN Media Lab, Carleton University. . PURCHASE BOOK: https://amzn.to/433gdvA

THE UNITY GOVERNMENT AFTER TWO YEARS: ACHIEVEMENTS, VULNERABILITIES, AND PROSPECTS. 2/24, 9:00–11:30pm (EST), HYBRID. Sponsor: Malaysia Studies Programme at ISEAS, Yusof Ishak Institute. Speaker: Khairy Jamaluddin, Associate Senior Fellow, ISEAS,Yusof Ishak Institute, fmr. Minister at Malaysia’s ministries of Youth and Sports, Science and Technology, and Health, fmr. Coordinating Minister for the Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. 

TRUMP’S RETURN AND THE FATE OF UKRAINE. 2/24, 10:00am-11:45am (EST), HYBRID. Sponsor: Brookings Institution. Speakers: Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe; Anastasiia Lapatina, Ukraine Fellow, Lawfare; Tyler McBrien, Managing Editor, Lawfare; Constanze Stelzenmüller, Director, Center on the United States and Europe, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe, Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and Trans-Atlantic Relations. 

MANAGING US-SOUTH KOREA RELATIONS UNDER THE SHADOW OF IMPEACHMENT. 2/24, 10:00-11:00am (EST), HYBRID. Sponsor: Korea Economic Institute (KEI). Speakers: Ahn Ho-young, fmr. Ambassador to the US, ROK; Vincent Brooks, fmr. Commander of UN Command, ROK/US Combined Forces Command, United States Forces Korea; Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Associate Professor, University of Texas Austin. 

THREE YEARS OF RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE: WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2025? 2/24, 10:30-11:30am (EST), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: Foreign Policy Research Institute. Speakers: Maria Avdeeva, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Eurasia Program, FPRI; Colonel (ret.) Robert E. Hamilton, Ph.D., Head of Research, Eurasia Program, FPRI; Stefan Meister, Head, Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, German Council of Foreign Relations; Pavel Luzin Ph.D, Author; Maia Otarashvili, Director, Eurasia Program, FPRI. 

BEYOND 2025: WHAT'S NEXT FOR CHINA TECH? 2/24, 10:30-11:30am (HKT), 2/23 9:30-10:30pm (EST), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: South China Morning Post. Speakers: Stephen Chen, News Editor, Science; Ralph Jennings, Senior Correspondent, Political Economy; Jasmine Wang, Editr, Political Economy. 

THREE YEARS OF RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE: WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2025? 2/24, 10:30-11:30am (EST), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: Foreign Policy Research Institute. Speakers: Maria Avdeeva, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Eurasia Program, FPRI; Colonel (ret.) Robert E. Hamilton, Ph.D., Head of Research, Eurasia Program, FPRI; Stefan Meister, Head, Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, German Council of Foreign Relations; Pavel Luzin Ph.D, Author; Maia Otarashvili, Director, Eurasia Program, FPRI. 

DIGNITY AND DYNAMISM: THE FUTURE OF CONSERVATIVE TECHNOLOGY POLICY. 2/24, 11:10am–2:30pm (EST), HYBRID. Sponsor: AEI. Speakers: M. Anthony Mills, Director, Center for Technology, Science, and Energy, AEI; Brad Littlejohn, Director of Programs and Education, American Compass; Clare Morell, Fellow, Ethics & Public Policy Center; Leah Libresco Sargeant, Senior Analyst, Niskanen Center; Robert Bellafiore, Managing Director for Policy, Foundation for American Innovation; Katherine Boyle, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz; Ari Schulman, Editor, The New Atlantis; Christine Rosen, Senior Fellow, AEI; Ryan Streeter, Executive Director, Civitas Institute; Michael Toscano, Executive Director, Institute for Family Studies; Santi Ruiz, Senior Editor, Institute for Progress. 

NONPROLIFERATION IN GREAT POWER COMPETITION. 2/24, 11:30am-12:15pm, HYBRID. Sponsor: Hudson Institute. Speakers: Yashar Parsie, Contributor, Keystone Defense Initiative; Rebeccah L. Heinrichs, Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative. 

RESURRECTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO REVIVE JAPAN. 2/24, 12:45-1:45pm (EST), HYBRID. Sponsors: Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Columbia University. Speaker: Richard Katz, Editor, Japan Economy Watch, Special Correspondent, Toyo Keizai Inc. 

RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE AND THE PROSPECTS FOR PEACE. 2/24, 2:00-3:00pm (EST), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Seth G. Jones, President, Defense and Security Department, Harold Brown Chair, CSIS; Emily Harding, Vice President, Defense and Security Department, Director, Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program, CSIS; Eliot A. Cohen, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, CSIS; Honorable Dr. Michael G. Vickers, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. 
 

U.S.-ROK ECONOMIC RELATIONS. 2/24, 3:00–4:30pm (EST), HYBRID. Sponsors: GW Institute for Korean Studies; East Asia National Resource Center; Institute for International Science and Technology Policy. Speakers: Celeste Arrington, Director, GW Institute for Korean Studies; Nick S. Vonortas, Associate Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs, Director, GW Institute for International Science and Technology Policy; Yonho Kim, Associate Director, GW Institute for Korean Studies; Gwanhoo Lee, Professor, Chair of the Department of Information Technology and Analytics, American University; Melissa K. Griffith, Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University; Henry Haggard, Senior Advisor, WestExec Advisors. 

NASA’S MOON TO MARS ROADMAP: CHARTING THE NEXT YEAR. 2/24, 4:00-5:00pm (EST), HYBRID. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Clayton Swope, Deputy Director, Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department, CSIS; Amit Kshatriya, Deputy Associate Administrator of the Moon to Mars Program, NASA; John Neal, Executive Director for Space Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Thomas Culligan, President, Ascent Public Policy & Strategic Communications. 

BOOK TALK: THE HEAT AND THE FURY: ON THE FRONTLINES OF CLIMATE VIOLENCE. 2/24, 5:00-6:30pm (EST), IN PERSON ONLY. Sponsor: Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service. Speaker: author Peter Schwartzstein, Environmental Journalist, Global Fellow, Environmental Change and Security Program, Wilson Center, TED Fellow, Fellow, Center for Climate and Security. PURCHASE BOOK: https://amzn.to/434gXk7 

US-CHINA COMPETITION: AI, CHIPS AND EXPORT CONTROLS – WHERE TO NEXT? 2/24, 6:00-7:00pm (AEST), IN PERSON ONLY. Sponsor: United States Studies Center. Speakers: Kevin J. Wolf, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, fmr. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, Bureau of Industry and Security; Dr. Alan Dupont AO, Founder, CEO, Cognoscenti Group. 

Monday Asia Events October 7, 2024

NEVER AGAIN IS NOT ENOUGH: REMEMBERING THE TRAGEDY OF OCTOBER 7. 10/7, 9:30-11:30am (EDT). VIRTUAL. Sponsor: Heritage Foundation. Speakers Include: Rob Greenway, Director, Allison Center for National Security, Heritage Foundation; EJ Kimball, Director of Christian Engagement, Combat Antisemitism Movement; Mort Klein, National President, Zionist Organization of America. 

EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE ON TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN EAST ASIA AND THE ROLE OF PATENTS. 10/7, 11:00am-1:00pm (PDT), IN PERSON ONLY. Sponsor: Asia Society San Francisco. Speakers: Mark Cohen, Senior Tech Fellow, Asia Society Northern California; Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office. 

U.S. - CHINA-SOUTHEAST ASIA RELATIONS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION. 10/7, Noon-1:45pm, HYBRID. Sponsor: Asia Foundation. Speakers: Dr. David M. Lampton, Senior Research Fellow at SAIS Foreign Policy Institute; Dr. Kuik Cheng-Chwee, Professor of International Relations and Head of the Center of Asian Studies, at the National University of Malaysia; Dr. Da Wei, Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University; John Brandon, Senior Director of International Relations Programs for The Asia Foundation ; Yun Sun, Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center.  [By invitation...]

OCTOBER 7, ONE YEAR LATER: THE HAMAS ATTACK, THE FUTURE OF GAZA, AND CHALLENGES FOR THE UNITED STATES. 10/7, 4:30-5:30pm (EDT). VIRTUAL. Sponsor: AEI. Speakers Include: Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; David A. Deptula, Dean, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies; Eyal Hulata, Senior International Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 

Monday Asia Events May 13, 2024

THE WAY AHEAD TO SECURE TAIWAN’S RESILIENCE. 5/13, 10:00-11:00am (EDT), IN PERSON ONLY. Sponsor: Wilson Center. Speakers: Alexander Tah-Ray Yui, Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United State; Ambassador John D. Negroponte, Former Deputy Secretary of State; Elbridge Colby, Co-Founder, The Marathon Initiative and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development; Carolyn Bartholomew, Former Chairman, US-China Economic and Security Review Commission; Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.

STRENGTHENING NATO'S EUROPEAN PILLAR. 5/13, 10:00-11:00am (EDT), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Max Bergmann, Director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Stuart Center; Sophia Besch, Fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Mathieu Droin, CSIS Visiting Fellow; Sean Monaghan, CSIS Visiting Fellow.

THE INSIDERS’ GAME: HOW ELITES MAKE WAR AND PEACE. 5/13, 10:30 - 11:30am (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: Brookings Institution. Speakers: E.J. Dionne Jr., W. Averell Harriman Chair, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings; Michael E. O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research, Foreign Policy, Brookings; Elizabeth N. Saunders, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings; Kori Schake, Senior Fellow and Director, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, AEI.

CAN SOUTH KOREA SAVE UKRAINE? 5/13, 11:00-11:45am (EDT), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: Korea Chair, CSIS. Speakers:  Mark F. Cancian, Senior Adviser, International Security Program; Chris H. Park, Program Coordinator and Research Assistant, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy.

TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. 5/13, 1:00-2:30pm (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: United States Institute of Peace. Speakers: Erin West, Deputy District Attorney, REACT Task Force, Office of the District Attorney, Santa Clara County; Jacob Sims, Visiting Expert, United States Institute of Peace; Jason Tower, Country Director, Burma, United States Institute of Peace.

STRENGTHENING THE MIDDLEGROUND OF THE DEFENSE-INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE. 5/13, 3:30-5:00pm (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: Atlantic Council. Speakers: The Hon. William J. Lynn III, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Leonardo DRS, Former United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, US Department of Defense; The Hon. Ellen Lord, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, US Department of Defense, Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Textron Systems Corporation.

Monday Asia Events April 22, 2024

INNOVATIONS IN CLIMATE RESILIENCE CONFERENCE 2024 (ICR24). 4/22, 8:00am-7:00pm (EDT), IN PERSON ONLY. Sponsor: Environmental Change and Security Program, Polar Institute, Wilson Center. Speaker: TBA.

30 YEARS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS: IS IT TIME AT LAST TO BE OPTIMISTIC? 4/22, 10:00-11:15am (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: American Enterprise Institute. Speakers: Matthew Continetti, Director of Domestic Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute; Steven F. Hayward, Resident Scholar, Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California, Berkeley; Roger Pielke Jr., Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute.

JAPAN'S RESPONSES TO GLOBAL SECURITY CHALLENGES. 4/22, Noon-1:15pm (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: Weatherhead Center for International Relations, Harvard University. Speakers: Kento Hara, Associate, Program on US-Japan Relations, Harvard University; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Takayuki Sugimoto, Associate, Program on US-Japan Relations, Harvard University; Former Vice Admiral, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force; Senior Fellow, Harvard University Asia Center; Thomas Berger, Professor of International Relations, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies; Director, BU Center for the Study of Asia, Boston University.

NEW DIMENSIONS OF U.S. ALLIANCE COORDINATION IN EAST ASIA. 4/22, Noon-1:15pm (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: Weatherhead Center for International Relations, Harvard University. Speakers: Chikako Kawakatsu Ueki, Visiting Scholar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University; Kento Hara, Associate, Program on US-Japan Relations, Harvard University; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Takayuki Sugimoto, Associate, Program on US-Japan Relations, Harvard University; Former Vice Admiral, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force; Senior Fellow, Harvard University Asia Center; Thomas Berger, Professor of International Relations, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies; Director, BU Center for the Study of Asia, Boston University.

BIOPOLITICAL ENTANGLEMENTS: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY AND NATIONALIST IMAGINARIES OF CHINA'S GENETIC DATA TROVES. 4/22, 12:15-2:00pm (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: Weatherhead Center for International Relations, Harvard University. Speaker: Abigail Coplin, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Science, Technology and Society, Vassar College.

THE U.S. ROLE IN THE WORLD: LOOKING BEYOND THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. 4/22, 2:00-3:30pm (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: Georgetown University. Speakers: Verónica Gago, Professor of Social Sciences, University of Buenos Aires and the National University of San Martín; Mohsin Hamid, Acclaimed British Pakistani, Author; Ece Temelkuran, Turkish Novelist, a Political Thinker, Leading Analyst; Ben Rhodes, Writer, Political Commentator, and National Security Analyst; Leonard Benardo, Senior Vice President, Open Society Foundations.

THE ROAD TO WASHINGTON’S NATO SUMMIT USIP EXPERT STUDY GROUP REPORT ON NATO AND INDO-PACIFIC PARTNERS. 4/22, 2:15-3:45pm (EDT), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: United States Institute of Peace. Speakers: Lise Grande, President, CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace; Kurt M. Campbell, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of State; Mirna Galic, Chair, USIP Expert Study Group on NATO, Indo-Pacific Partners.

ENGAGING WITH SOUTHEAST ASIA: THE AMBASSADORS’ PERSPECTIVE. 4/22, 2:30-3:30pm (EDT), IN PERSON ONLY. Sponsor: Asia Society. Speakers: Hon. Marc E. Knapper, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam; The Hon. Edgard D. Kagan, U.S. Ambassador-designate to Malaysia; The Hon. Heather Variava, U.S. Ambassador to Laos.

SINO-TURKISH RELATIONS AND THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE. 4/22, 3:00-4:30pm (EDT), IN PERSON ONLY. Sponsor: SFS Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University. Speaker: Burak Gürel, Associate Professor of Sociology, Co-director of the Center for Asian Studies at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Monday Asia Events March 25, 2024

THE RIPPLE EFFECT: CHINA’S COMPLEX PRESENCE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. 3/25, Noon-1:30pm (EDT), HYBRID. Sponsor: Columbia-Harvard China and the World Program. Speaker: author Enze Han, Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration, The University of Hong Kong. PURCHASE BOOK: https://amzn.to/3wXvsYW

BOOK TALK: SOMEONE ELSE’S EMPIRE. 3/25, Noon-1:00pm (EDT), VIRTUAL. Sponsor: Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Speakers: author Tom Stevenson, Contributing Editor, London Review of Books; Anatol Lieven, Director, Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. PURCHASE BOOK: https://amzn.to/3TbYuvl

BOOK TALK: TOWARD A COMPARATIVE HISTORY OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE BY LEADING FEMINIST CHIZUKO UENO. 3/25, 2:00-3:30pm (EDT), HYBRID. Speaker: Chizuko Ueno, Professor Emerita University of Tokyo, Chief Director of the Non Profit Organization, Women’s Action Network; Moderator: Carol Gluck, George Sansom Professor Emerita of History, Columbia University.

Monday Asia Events July 18, 2022

MARKING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROK-U.S. FREE TRADE AGREEMENT: STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGY TIES IN SAN FRANCISCO. 7/18, 5:30-6:30pm (PDT), IN PERSON. Sponsor: Asia Society Northern California. Speakers: Wendy Cutler, Vice President, Managing Director, ASPI; Jong-Hoon Kim, Independent Director, Chairman, Board of SK Innovation; Sangsoo Yoon, Former Consul General, Republic of Korea in San Francisco. Moderator: James Green, Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google. 

USAID ADMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER ON THE STATE OF GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION. 7/18, 10:30am-Noon (EDT), ONLINE AND IN PERSON. Sponsor: CSIS. Speaker: Samantha Power, Administrator, USAID. 

THE STATE OF THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP: FOUR YEARS AT THE HEART OF UK-U.S. DEFENSE. 7/18, 1:00-2:00pm (EDT), ONLINE EVENT. Sponsor: CSIS. Speaker: Edward Ferguson, Minister Counsellor Defence, British Embassy Washington D.C. 

THE ROLE OF CARBON AND DIRECT AIR CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY IN OUR CLIMATE STRATEGY. 7/18, 2:00-3:15pm (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: GreenTech. Speakers: Dr. Julio Friedmann, Chief Scientist, Chief Carbon Wrangler, Carbon Direct; Sarah Grey, Senior Associate, Arnold & Porter; Dr. Rudra Kapila, Senior Policy Advisor, Carbon Management, Third Way; Ethan Shenkman, Partner, Arnold & Porter; Dr. Jennifer Wilcox, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, U.S. Department of Energy; Jeremee Wetherby, Emerging Technology and Incubators Product Line, GE Gas Power. 

MARITIME SECURITY DIALOGUE: A DISCUSSION WITH THE ASSISTANT COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS. 7/18, 3:00-4:00pm (EDT), ONLINE AND IN PERSON. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: General Eric Smith, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. Moderator: Seth G. Jones, Senior Vice President, Harold Brown Chair, Director, International Security Program. 

THE TECHNICAL ADVISOR: MICHAEL LINDSAY AND THE CHINESE COMMUNIST QUEST FOR TECHNOLOGY DURING WORLD WAR II. 7/18, 4:00pm (EDT), ONLINE AND IN PERSON. Sponsor: Library of Congress. Speaker: Susan V. Lawrence, Staff Fellow, Kluge Center, Library of Congress. 

NAVIGATING UYGHUR FORCED LABOR PREVENTION ACT IMPLEMENTATION & CHINA’S RESPONSE. 7/18, 5:00-6:00pm (EDT), ONLINE EVENT. Sponsor: US-China Business Council. Speakers: Richard Mojica, Customs and Import Trade Group, Miller & Chevalier; Lester Ross, Partner-in-charge, WilmerHale Beijing. 

SOUTHEAST ASIA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ROADSHOW. 7/18, 7:00-9:00pm (EDT), ONLINE WEBINAR. Sponsor: USPTO. Speakers: Peter N. Fowler, senior counsel, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO; Marc Mealy, senior vice president-policy, US-ASEAN Business Council; Daniel Kim, Global Asia team lead, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce; Alan Adcock, partner, intellectual property, Tilleke & Gibbins, Bangkok, Thailand; Frederic J. Rocafort, attorney, Harris Bricken, and co-host, Global Law and Business Podcast, Seattle, Washington; Zack Ji, Ph.D., CEO, GS-Tek, Newark, Delaware; Christopher E. Knight, CEO, Everett Knight, Ltd. (Asia Pacific), Bangkok, Singapore; Nhut Phan, brand protection director, Southeast Asia, Nike, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Yihong Ying, director, corporate counsel, intellectual property, Law and Corporate Affairs, Starbucks Corporation; Mark Matsumoto and Jeff Williamson, CBEC Asia; Raquel Cohen, Trade Specialist, Office of Standards and Intellectual Property, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce; Matthew Kohner, regional intellectual property attaché for Southeast Asia, USPTO, U.S. Embassy Bangkok. 

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Monday Asia Events, June 13, 2021

PREVIEWING A POTENTIAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESS. 6/13, 10:00-10:45am (EDT), ONLINE EVENT. Sponsor: Bipartisan Policy Center. Speakers: Michele Nellenbach, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, BPC; Yuval Levin, Senior Fellow, Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy; Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies; Editor in Chief, National Affairs. 

THE MARSHALL PLAN AT 75: LESSONS FOR UKRAINE? 6/13, 2:00-3:00pm (EDT), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Wilson Center. Speakers: Dereck J. Hogan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State; formerly Ambassador, Moldova; Wolfgang Petritsch, President, Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation; Robin Quinville, Director, Global Europe Program; Jonathan D. Katz, Senior Fellow, Director, Democracy Initiatives, Atlantic Council; F. Joseph Dresen, Senior Program Associate; Ambassador Mark Green, President, Director, & CEO, Wilson Center.

EUROPE’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE. 6/13, 2:00-3:30pm (EDT). ONLINE EVENT. Sponsor: AEI. Speakers: Carlo Cottarelli, Director, Osservatorio sui Conti Pubblici Italiani, L’Università Cattolica; Desmond Lachman, Senior Fellow, AEI; Paolo Mauro, Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund; Nathan Sheets, Global Chief Economist, Citibank. Moderator: Steven B. Kamin, Senior Fellow, AEI. 

CHINA’S DIGITAL AMBITIONS: A GLOBAL STRATEGY TO SUPPLANT THE LIBERAL ORDER. 6/13, 4:00-5:00pm (EDT). ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsors: NBR; Washington State China Relations Fund. Speakers: Nigel Cory, Associate Director, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation; Doug Strub, Assistant Director, Center for Innovation, Trade, and Strategy, NBR; Alison Szalwinski, Vice President of Research, NBR. Moderator: Nor Coquillard, Executive Director, Washington State China Relations Council. 

LESSONS FROM THE EDGE: A CONVERSATION WITH AMBASSADOR MARIE L. YOVANOVITCH. 6/13, 6:00-8:00pm (EDT), IN-PERSON ONLY. Sponsor: National Committee on American Foreign Policy. Speakers: author, Marie L. Yovanovitch, Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine; Susan M. Elliott, President & CEO, National Committee on American Foreign Policy. PURCHASE BOOK: https://amzn.to/3PtWsE0

HEAVY METAL: A BOOK TALK ON THE LABOR BEHIND AMERICA'S SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY. 6/13, 6:00-7:00pm (EDT), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Hudson Institute. Speakers: Michael Fabey, reporter, Jane’s and U.S. editor, Jane’s Fighting Ships; author, Bryan Clark, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson Institute.  PURCHASE BOOK: https://amzn.to/3xahhfv


HOW SOUTHEAST ASIANS ARE MAKING CHINA ADAPT TO LOCAL NEEDS. 6/13, 6:00-7:00pm (SGT), 6:00-7:00am (EDT), Live Online and In Person in Singapore. Sponsor: Carnegie. Speakers: Alvin Camba, assistant professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver; Evan A. Feigenbaum, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Xue Gong, assistant professor in the China program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Keng Khoon Ng, head of postgraduate studies in the School of Architecture and Built Environment at USCI University in Malaysia; MODERATOR: Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and a tenured associate professor at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law. 

Asia Events Monday April 25, 2022

FRANCE HAS VOTED: WHAT’S NEXT FOR EUROPEAN SECURITY AND TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION? 4/25, 9:00-10:00am (EDT), ONLINE. Sponsor: German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Speakers: Sylvie Kauffmann, Editorial Director & Columnist, Le Monde; Pierre Morcos, Visiting Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Edgar Tam, Visiting Senior Fellow, GMF; Martin Quencez, Deputy Director, Research Fellow, Security & Defense program, GMF (Paris Office). 

WAR LEGACIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT. 4/25, 9:00-10:15am (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Stimson Center. Speakers: Sera Koulabdara, Legacies of War; Erin Lin, Department of Political Science, Ohio State University; Doug Weir, Research and Policy Director, Conflict and Environment Observatory; Claire Yunker, Executive Director of PeaceTrees Vietnam; Moderator: Charles Bailey, War Legacies Working Group. 

SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY’S YEAR OF ACTION: AN UPDATE FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. 4/25, 10:00-11:00am (EDT), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Society for International Development. Speakers: Rosarie Tucci, Director, Democracy, Rights and Governance Center, USAID; Patrick Quirk, Senior Director for Strategy, Research, and Center for Global Impact, International Republican Institute (IRI); Barbara Smith, Vice President, Peace Programs, Carter Center. 

ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT. 4/25, 10:00-11:30am (EDT), ONLINE. Sponsor: Peace and Security, Georgetown Institute For Women. Speakers: The Honorable Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, United Nations; Wai Wai Nu, Founder, Director, Women’s Peace Network, Myanmar; Oleksandra Matviychuk, Human Rights Activist, Chair, Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine; Arsalan Suleman, Former Acting U.S. Special Envoy, Organization of Islamic Cooperation; Dr. Robert Nagel, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security; Amb. Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security. 

THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET EMPIRE AND THE SEEDS OF THE NEW EUROPEAN WAR. 4/25, Noon-1:00pm (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Starr Forum, MIT. Speaker: Vladislav Zubok, Professor of International History, LSE; Moderators: Carol Saivetz, Senior Advisor, Security Studies Program, MIT; Elizabeth Wood, Professor of history, MIT. 

THE VORTEX: A TRUE STORY OF HISTORY'S DEADLIEST STORM, AN UNSPEAKABLE WAR, AND LIBERATION. 4/25, Noon-1:30pm (EDT), IN-PERSON & ZOOM WEBINAR, Washington, DC. Sponsor: George Washington University (GW). Speakers: Marcus D. King, John O. Rankin Associate Professor of International Affairs, Director, Master of Arts in International Affairs Program, ESIA, GW; Deepa Ollapally, Research Professor of International Affairs, Associate Director, Sigur Center, GW. 

PROSPECTS FOR THE POST-COVID ASIAN ECONOMY WITH ADB CHIEF ECONOMIST. 4/25, 12:30-1:30pm (EDT), IN-PERSON, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Reischauer Center. Speaker: Dr. Albert Park, Chief Economist, Asian Development Bank (ADB); Moderator: Kent E. Calder, Director, Edwin O. Reischauer Center, East Asian Studies. 

INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2022 ANNUAL REPORT: KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 4/25, 2:00-3:00pm (EDT), IN-PERSON, Washington, DC. Sponsor: U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Speakers: Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Nadine Maenza, Chair, USCIRF; Nury Turkel, Vice Chair, USCIRF. 

GREAT WALL OF STEEL: CHINA'S GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TO SUPPRESS THE UYGHURS. 4/25, 2:00-3:30pm (EDT), WEBCAST. Sponsor: Kissinger Institute on China and the United States (KICUS). Speakers: Bradley Jardine, Schwarzman Scholar, Schwarzman Scholar, Tsinghua University (Beijing, China), Research Consultant, Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs; Moderator: Robert Daly, Director, KICUS. 

CITIES FORTIFYING DEMOCRACY: A CONVERSATION WITH THE MAYOR OF WARSAW. 4/25, 2:30-3:15pm (EDT), ONLINE. Sponsor: German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Speakers: Heather A. Conley, President, GMF; Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor, City of Warsaw, Poland; Moderator: Laura Thornton, Director, Alliance for Securing Democracy, GMF. 

ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR) AS A GLOBAL SECURITY THREAT: DESTABILIZING FOOD SYSTEMS AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES. 4/25, 3:00-4:00pm (EDT), LIVESTREAM & IN-PERSON, Washington, DC. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Rasmus Prehn, Minister, Danish Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries; Rod Schoonover, Head, Ecological Security Group, Council On Strategic Risks; Junxia Song, AMR Focal Point and Senior Animal Health Officer, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization; Moderator: Caitlin Welsh, Director, Global Food Security Program. 

UKRAINIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY AND RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE FAILURE. 4/25, 5:00-6:00pm (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Institute of World Politics. Speaker: Ethan S. Burger, IWP Cyber Intelligence Instructor, International Attorney. 

Monday Asia Events December 13, 2021

BEYOND VACCINE DIPLOMACY: THE UNITED STATES AND COVID19 RECOVERY IN THE PHILIPPINES AND SOUTHEAST ASIA. 12/13, 9:00-10:30pm (EST), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Pacific Forum International. Speakers: Sec. Carlito Galvez, Chief Implementer, National Task Force for COVID-19, Republic of the Philippines; Dr. Yanzhong Huang, Professor and Director, Center for Global Health Studies, Seton Hall University; Moderator: Angelica Mangahas, PhD Candidate, SAIS, Johns Hopkins. 

AMERICAN, CHINESE, AND INDIAN TRILATERAL PERSPECTIVES: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS-REPORT LAUNCH. 12/13, 9:00am (EST), ZOOM. Sponsor: Sigur Center, GW. Speakers: Ambassador Teresita C. Schaffer, served at US embassies in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, and from 1992-95 as US Ambassador in Sri Lanka; Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch, Founding President of the US-China Education Trust; Ambassador WEI Wei served as the Special and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam, the Republic of Singapore, and the Republic of India; Nirupama Menon Rao is a retired Indian diplomat, Foreign Secretary and Ambassador; David M. Lampton is Senior Fellow at the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute and Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins–SAIS; Professor JIA Qingguo currently serves as Professor and former Dean of the School of International Studies of Peking University.

JAPAN, THE U.S., AND ECONOMIC AND SECURITY POLICY LINKAGES IN THE TAIWAN STRAIT. 12/13, 9:15am (EST), ZOOM. Sponsor: Harvard Program on U.S.-Japan Relations and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Speakers: Tain Jy Chen, Professor of Economics, Taipei School of Economics and Political Science, Professor Emeritus, National Taiwan University; Sadamasa Oue, Senior Fellow, Asia Pacific Initiative; Lt. Gen. (retired), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF); Shelley Rigger, Brown Professor of Political Science, Davidson College; Daniel Russel, Vice President, International Security and Diplomacy, Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI); Moderator: Christina L. Davis, Director, Program on U.S.-Japan Relations; Professor of Government; Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. 

TRAFFIC LIGHT & QUIRINALE: A MORE JOINED UP FOREIGN POLICY FOR THE EU’S BIG THREE? 12/13, 10:00-11:30am (EST), 4:00-5:30pm (CET), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). Speakers: Riccardo Alcaro, Research Coordinator and Head of the Global Actors Programme, IAI Rome; Ronja Kempin, Senior Fellow, EU/Europe Division, SWP Berlin; Pol Morillas, Director, Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB); Jean-Pierre Darnis, Associate Fellow, FRS Paris; Moderator: Zachary Paikin, Researcher, CEPS. 

NUCLEAR WEAPONS STOCKPILE STEWARDSHIP AND INERTIAL CONFINEMENT: HOW THE U.S. USES BIG SCIENCE TO ENSURE OUR AGING NUCLEAR WARHEADS WORK. 12/13, Noon-1:00pm (EST), WEBINAR. Sponsors: Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies; Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center. Speakers: Dr. Mark Anderson, Assistant Deputy Administrator, Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, National Nuclear Security Administration; Dr. E. Michael Campbell, Director, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester; Dr. Mark C. Herrmann, Deputy Program Director, Fundamental Weapons Physics, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Dr. Kimberly Scott, Program Director, Office of Experimental Sciences, Los Alamos National Laboratory; Dr. Daniel Sinars, Director, Pulsed Power Sciences Center, Sandia National Laboratories. 

MODERNIZING INTELLIGENCE FOR THE GRAY ZONE. 12/13, 2:00-3:00pm (EST), WEBINAR. Sponsor: CSIS. Speaker: H.E. Michael Vickers, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; Moderator: Jake Harrington, Intelligence Fellow, International Security Program, CSIS. 

COLLAPSE: THE FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION. 12/13, 4:00-5:00pm (EST), WEBINAR. Sponsors: National History Center; Wilson Center (WWC). Speakers: Vladislav Zubok, Author, Professor, London School of Economics and Political Science; William Taubman, Bertrand Professor of Political Science Emeritus, Amherst College; Dina Fainberg, Associate Professor of Modern History, City University of London. PURCHASE BOOK: https://amzn.to/3Dttkpu

JOONGANG ILBO-CSIS FORUM 2021: THE BIDEN ERA AND KOREA'S GLOBAL STRATEGY. 12/13, 7:30-10:30pm (EST), WEBINAR. Sponsors: CSIS; JoongAng Ilbo. Speakers Include: Yun Byung-Se, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea; Song Min-Soon, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea; Hong Seok-Hyun, Chairman, JoongAng Holdings; Park Myung-Lim, Director, Korea Peace Foundation; Wi Sung-Lac, Chairman, Pragmatic Foreign Affairs Committee, Presidential Campaign for Lee Jae Myung, Democratic Party of Korea; John J. Hamre, President, CSIS; Victor 

Monday in Asia November 8, 2021

Richard Katz former editor of the The Oriental Economist Report and APP member started a new blog called “Japan Economy Watch” on Substack. While it’s mostly about the Japanese economy and economic policy, it also covers Japanese politics and US economic conditions and policy, particularly in the areas of trade policy and finance. You can reach it and subscribe for free HERE.

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SYMPOSIUM ON GLOBAL MARITIME COOPERATION AND OCEAN GOVERNANCE 2021. 11/8, 8:00pm-8:40am (EST), 11/9, 9:00am-9:40pm (CST), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsors: China-Southeast Asia Research Center on the South China Sea (CSARC); National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS). Speakers Include: E. Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, China; Mr. Wu Jianghao, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China; Liu Zhenmin, Under Secretary-General of the United Nations; Wang Hong, Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Administrator of State Oceanic Administration, China; H.E. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Former Philippine President; Michael Lodge, Secretary-General, International Seabed Authority; Adnan Rashid Nasser Al-Azri, Chair of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. 

JAPAN HELD ITS HALLOWEEN ELECTION—WHAT NOW? 11/8, 8:30-9:30am (EST), 10:30-11:30 pm (JST), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsors: Stimson; The Canon Institution of Global Studies (CIGS). Speakers: Kuni Miyake, Research Director for Foreign and National Security Affairs, CIGS; Hiroyuki Akita, Commentator, Nikkei; Moderator: Yuki Tatsumi, Director, Japan Program, Stimson.

TAKING STOCK OF NEW FED AND ECB MONETARY POLICY FRAMEWORKS. 11/8, 9:00-10:30am (EST), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Hutchins Center, Brookings. Speakers: Ben S. Bernanke, Distinguished Fellow in Residence, Economic Studies, Brookings; Richard Clarida, Vice Chair, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve; Philip R. Lane, Member, Executive Board, European Central Bank; Julia Coronado, President & Founder, Macropolicy Perspectives; Bill Dudley, Former President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Aysegul Sahin, Richard J. Gonzalez Regents Chair in Economics, University of Texas at Austin; Tiffany Wilding, Executive Vice President and North American Economist, PIMCO; Moderators: Rachana Shanbhogue, Finance & Economics Editor, The Economist; David Wessel, Director, Hutchins Center, Brookings. 

MOBILIZING FOR ELECTIONS: PATRONAGE AND POLITICAL MACHINES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. 11/8, 10:00-11:15am (EST), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Asia Center, Harvard University. Speakers: Meredith Weiss, Professor of Political Science, University at Albany; Allen Hicken, Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan.

SUSTAINABILITY, EQUALITY, PEACE: INTEGRATING CLIMATE CHANGE & WPS AGENDAS. 11/8, 11:00am-12:15pm (EST), WEBINAR. Sponsors: Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security; United Arab Emirates Mission to the United States; Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment (SWAGEN); Rural Women Energy Security (RUWES). Speakers: HE Pekka Haavisto, Finland's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs; HE Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN; Dr. Jonathan Pershing, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate, U.S. Department of State; Ann Cairns, Vice Chairman, Mastercard; Gertrude Kenyangi, Executive Director, Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment (SWAGEN), Uganda; Nafisah Abubakar, Head of Secretariat, Rural Women Energy Security (RUWES), Nigeria; Zonibel Woods, Senior Social Development Specialist, Asian Development Bank; Moderator: Amb. Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.

BENEFITS AND PROSPECTS OF FREE TRADE IN ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS. 11/8, Noon-1:00pm (EST), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Cato. Speakers: H.E. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA); Former Rep. James Bacchus (D-FL), Adjunct Fellow, Cato; Maureen Hinman, Co‐​Founder and Chairman, Silverado Policy Accelerator; Inu Manak, Research Fellow, Cato. 

ELECTION WATCH 2022: ONE YEAR OUT. 11/8, Noon-1:15pm (EST), WEBINAR. Sponsor: American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Speakers: Michael Barone, Senior Fellow Emeritus, AEI; John C. Fortier, Senior Fellow, AEI; Henry Olsen, Senior Fellow, Ethics & Public Policy Center; Norman J. Ornstein, Senior Fellow Emeritus, AEI; Moderator: Karlyn Bowman, Distinguished Senior Fellow, AEI. 

US-CHINA TECH COMPETITION AND EUROPE'S DEMOCRACIES. 11/8, 2:00-3:00pm (CEST), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). Speakers: Nigel Inkster, Senior Advisor, Cyber Security and China, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS); Didi Kirsten Tatlow, Senior Fellow, Asia program, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP); Luke Patey, Senior Researcher, DIIS. 

2021 ELECTIONS: RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS. 11/8, 2:00-3:00pm (EST), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Elaine Kamarck, Founding Director, Center for Effective Public Management; Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, The Cook Political Report; Chris Stirewalt, Senior Fellow, AEI; John Hudak, Deputy Director, Center for Effective Public Management; Moderator: Juan Williams, Senior Political Analyst, Fox News Channel. 

JAPANESE LEGAL SYSTEM. 11/8, 8:00pm (EST), 11/9, 10:00am (JST), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsors: Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS); Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. Speaker: Tim Webster, Law Professor, Western New England University. 

SHAPING THE PRAGMATIC AND EFFECTIVE STRATEGY TOWARD CHINA: DEFENSE AND ECONOMIC SECURITY. 11/8, 8:00-10:00pm (EST), 11/9, 10:00am-Noon (JST), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF). Speakers: Kazuko Kojima, Professor, Keio University; Heigo Sato, Professor, Takushoku University; Toshiya Tsugami, President, Tsugami Workshop Ltd.; Tsuneo Watanabe, Senior Fellow, SPF; Eric Heginbotham, Principal Research Scientist, Center for International Studies, MIT; James Schoff, Senior Director, SPF USA; Mireya Solis, Director and Senior Fellow, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, Brookings; Nicholas Szechenyi, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Japan Chair, CSIS. 

Monday Asia Events, June 14, 2021

Flag Day in the U.S.

The Facts. In 2007, members of the Japanese rightwing published in the Washington Post a full page advertorial "The Facts" condemning the Comfort Women--sex slaves for Imperial Japan's military and colonial administrators--as liars and well-paid prostitutes. The ad was part of an effort to convince members of the House of Representatives to reject a House resolution, H.Res. 121, that asked Japan to unequivocally apologize to Imperial Japan's Comfort Women victims. The Comfort Women system was a state initiated, organized, and managed form of human trafficking. Two of Prime Minister Suga's current Cabinet advisers signed this denialist document: Manabu Sakai (坂井学) and Minoru Kihara (木原稔)

BRUSSELS FORUM - DAY 1. 6/14, 4:00am-2:00pm (EDT), LIVESTREAM. Sponsor: German Marshall Fund. Speakers include: Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General, NATO; Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister, Canada; Angela Merkel, Chancellor, Germany; Justyna Gotkowska, Program Coordinator, Regional Security Program, Center for Eastern Studies; Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President, Turkey; Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister, Greece; Tacan Ildem, Former Assistant Secretary General, Public Diplomacy, NATO; Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA), U.S. House of Representatives; Peter Dutton, Minister of Defence, Australia; Noah Barkin, Senior Visiting Fellow, Asia Program, German Marshall Fund; Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), U.S. Senate; Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow, Project on International Order and Strategy, Foreign Policy Program, Director, The India Project, Brookings; Janka Oertel, Director, Asia Program, European Council on Foreign Relations; Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), U.S. House of Representatives; Alexander de Croo, Prime Minister, Belgium. 

CHINA’S DIGITAL SILK ROAD: INTEGRATION INTO NATIONAL IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND WIDER IMPLICATIONS FOR WESTERN DEFENCE INDUSTRIES. 6/14, 9:00am (EDT), ZOOM. Sponsor: International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Speakers: Alexander Neill, Executive Director, Alex Neill Consulting; Camille Lons, Research Associate, IISS-Middle East Office, Bahrain; Nawafel Shehab, Research Assistant, IISS-Middle East Office, Bahrain; Scott Malcomson, Director of Special Projects, Strategic Insight Group; Meia Nouwens, Senior Fellow, Chinese Defense Policy and Modernisation, IISS; Dr. Bastian Giegerich, Director of Defence and Military Analysis, IISS. 

THE ROLE OF NATURAL GAS IN A DECARBONIZED WORLD – REGIONAL INSIGHTS. 6/14, 9:00am (EDT), ZOOM PANEL. Sponsor: Atlantic Council. Speakers: Secretary Ernest Moniz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Energy Futures Initiative; Melanie Kenderdine, Principal, Energy Futures Initiative; Astha Gupta, Asia EDGE Fellow, National Bureau of Asian Research; Anouk Honoré, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies; Ken Koyama, Chief Economist and Managing Director, Institute for Energy Economics, Japan; Leila Ben Ali, Chief Economist, International Energy Forum; Alain Ebobissé, Chief Executive Officer, Africa50; Ruslan Stefanov, Program Director and Chief Economist, Center for the Study of Democracy; Lisa Viscidi, Director, Energy, Climate Change & Extractive Industries Program, Inter-American Dialogue; Moderators: David Goldwyn, Chairman, Energy Advisory Group, Atlantic Council; Robert Stoner, Deputy Director for Science and Technology, MIT Energy Initiative.

TAIWAN - GEOPOLITICAL FLASHPOINT: FACTS V HYPERBOLE. 6/14, 9:30am (EDT), WEBINAR. Sponsor: US-China Series. Speakers: Maggie Lewis, Seton Hall University; Bonnie Glaser, German Marshall Fund of the United States. 

RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION DURING CRISES: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE. 6/14, Noon-1:15pm (EDT), WEBINAR. Sponsor: U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). Speakers: Mahan Mirza, Executive Director, Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, University of Notre Dame; Sabrina Dent, Senior Faith Advisor, Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Susan Hayward, Visiting Fellow, Religion in Public Life, Harvard Divinity School; Knox Thames, Senior Fellow, Institute of Global Engagement; Moderator: Jason Klocek, Senior Researcher, USIP. 

WHAT THE US-JAPAN ALLIANCE HOPES TO SEE EUROPE CONTRIBUTE TO THE INDO-PACIFIC. 6/14, 7:00-8:00pm (JST), WEBINAR. Sponsors: Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS); Jeunes IHEDN; Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies (ICAS), Temple University Japan Campus. Speakers: Tsuneo Watanabe, Senior Research Fellow, Sasakawa Peace Foundation; Kevin Maher, Senior Advisor, NMV Consulting, LLC; Moderators: John Bradford, Executive Director, YCAPS; Stephen Nagy, Director for Policy Research, YCAPS. 

WE HEREBY REFUSE: JAPANESE AMERICAN RESISTANCE TO WARTIME INCARCERATION. 6/14, 9:00pm (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsors: Elliott Bay Book Company; Seattle Public Library; Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience; Densho. Speakers: Author, Frank Abe, Writer; Author, Tamiko Nimura, Writer; Ross Ishikawa, Cartoonist, and Animator; Tom Ikeda, Executive Director, Densho. PURCHASE BOOK: https://amzn.to/3x93rsj

JAPAN IN THE AGE OF SINO-AMERICAN CONFRONTATION. 6/14, 9:30pm (EDT). WEBINAR. Sponsors: Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies (ICAS), Temple University Japan (TUJ); Center for Rule-making Strategies (CRS), Tama University. Speakers: Shihoko Goto, Deputy Director for Geoeconomics, Asia Program, Wilson Center; Tobias Harris, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; Moderator: Robert Dujarric, Co-Director, ICAS, TUJ. 

COMPARATIVE CONNECTIONS ROUNDTABLE. 6/14, 8:00-9:30pm (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Pacific Forum. Speakers: Dr. Catherine Dalpino, Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University; Dr. Chin-Hao Huang, Assistant Professor, Yale-NUS College; Dr. Robert Sutter, Professor of International Affairs, George Washington University. 

OCEANS OF OPPORTUNITY: SOUTHEAST ASIA’S SHARED MARITIME CHALLENGES, SESSION TWO. 6/14, 8:00-10:30pm (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsors: CSIS; University of the Philippines. Speakers: Deo Onda, Deputy Director, Marine Science Institute, University Philippines; Sandra Whitehouse, Founding Member, Ocean Collective; Antonio Carpio, Former Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the Philippines; Tara Davenport, Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore; Xiao Recio-Blanco, Director, Ocean Program, Environmental Law Institute; Jay Batongbacal, Director, Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, University of the Philippines. Gregory B. Poling, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia, Director, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, CSIS; Whitley Saumweber, Director, Stephenson Ocean Security Project, and Senior Associate (Non-Resident), Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, CSIS.

Monday Asia Events, March 15, 2021

PAST AND PRESENT: THAILAND’S DARK PROTEST HISTORIES. 3/15, 9:00-11:15am (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI), Columbia University. Speakers: Thongchai Winichakul, Professor Emeritus of Southeast Asian History, University of Wisconsin Madison; Duncan McCargo, Professor, Political Science, University of Copenhagen; Tyrell Haberkorn, Professor, Southeast Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin Madison; Prajak Kongkirati, Lecturer, Faculty of Political Science, and Head of Southeast Asian Studies Center, East Asian Institute, Thammasat University.

A CONVERSATION WITH AMBASSADOR TARANJIT SINGH SANDHU. 3/15, 10:00-11:00am (EST). WEBCAST. Sponsor: Hudson Institute. Speaker: Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Ambassador of India to the United States; Moderator: Walter Russell Mead, Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship, Hudson Institute.

NEW ERAS, OLD STORIES: FROM MAY FOURTH AND MEIJI TO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY “NEW ERA” – DEFINING EAST ASIA IN THE AGE OF NOVELTY, EMOTION AND PURPOSE. 3/15, Noon-1:30pm (EDT). ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University. Speaker: Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, St. Cross College, University of Oxford; Moderator: Odd Arne Westad, Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs, Yale University.

THE FUTURE OF THE U.S. NAVY: A CONVERSATION WITH REPRESENTATIVE ELAINE LURIA. 3/15, Noon-1:00pm (EDT), WEBCAST. Sponsor: Hudson. Speakers: Representative Elaine Luria, U.S. Representative, Virginia's 2nd District, and Vice Chair, House Armed Services Committee; Bryan Clark, Senior Fellow & Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson.

purchase book

MASTER NEGOTIATOR: THE ROLE OF JAMES A. BAKER III AT THE END OF THE COLD WAR. 3/15, 1:00-1:45pm (EST). ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Women’s Foreign Policy Group (WFPG). Speaker: Author,
Diana Villiers Negroponte, Public Policy Scholar, Wilson Center; Moderator: Frances G. Burwell, Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council and Senior Director, McLarty Associates. 

DIGITAL TECH & OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS IN INDOPAC. 3/15, 2:00pm (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). Speaker: Major General Richard Coffman, USA, Director of the Army Futures Command's Next-Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) Cross-Functional Team. 

DETERRENCE AND DIPLOMACY WITH IRAN. 3/15, 3:00-4:00pm (EDT), WEBCAST. Sponsor: Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). Speakers: Hon. Elliott Abrams, former U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela, U.S. Department of State; Michael Makovsky, President & CEO, JINSA.

Is China’s COVID-19 Diplomacy Working in Southeast Asia?

Is China’s COVID-19 Diplomacy Working in Southeast Asia?
A recent poll suggests a mixed picture for China.

By Yang Lizhong and Chen Dingding
Yang Lizhong is a research assistant at Intellisia Institute and former APP intern
Chen Dingding is the founder and president of Intellisia Institute, an independent think tank in Guangzhou, China.

The Diplomat, February 20, 2021

Many observers have discussed how China is using its COVID-19 medical aid as a means to improve its soft power, or even to exert geopolitical control overseas. A recent poll of Southeast Asian states might suggest a more mixed picture: While most Southeast Asian countries acknowledged that their powerful neighbor has contributed the most to the region in coping with the pandemic, the very same poll also showed that China’s image has actually deteriorated in the region over the past year.

The State of Southeast Asia 2021 poll, conducted by Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute on regional economic and political elites, found that a whopping 44.2 percent of the respondents considered China to have “provided the most help to the region for Covid-19,” with Japan, the EU, and the U.S. trailing far behind. Nevertheless, the respondents appear to be skeptical toward China’s prowess in the region. While China is considered by a comfortable majority to be the most influential economic and strategic-political power in the region, more than 70 percent of the respondents consider that to be worrisome. When faced with a binary choice between the United States and China, only 38.5 percent of the respondents preferred China over the U.S., down from 46.4 percent last year, and only three out of 10 countries retained a pro-China majority, down from seven last year. Especially with regards to the South China Sea, 62.4 percent of the respondents see China’s military build-up as a top concern, while only 12.5 percent feel the same way regarding the U.S. presence.

What might explain this discrepancy? One factor might be the timing of the survey. The survey was conducted in November 2020, by which time many of the Southeast Asian countries had kept the virus under control. By this point, China’s “mask diplomacy” in the earlier days of the pandemic still left a profound impression, but factored less in the respondents’ general impression of the country. The pandemic has since moved onto the vaccine stage, and multiple countries – including China, the U.S., India and Russia – are competing on level playing ground over vaccine provision, which has become highly politicized. While China promised to prioritize Mekong countries in vaccine provision as early as August last year, and pledged millions of coronavirus vaccine donations to Southeast Asian countries either bilaterally or through the WHO Covax scheme, the general public in the region are now scrutinizing issues such as the diversification of vaccine provision, avoiding being used as experimental objects, and cost-effectiveness of the vaccines.

Most importantly, against the backdrop of heightened U.S.-China tensions last year and the region’s role as one of the major battlegrounds in the rift between United States and China, Southeast Asians are worried about the prospective that vaccines might be used as a way to exert influence. This might have brought more scrutiny to Chinese vaccines, which are cheaper, but mainly are produced by the state-owned companies like Sinopharm, as opposed to private companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca. While the state backing of Chinese vaccines means that they can be delivered more efficiently through central planning, it also strengthens the image of a connection between vaccines and China’s national security and interests, and does little to alleviate Southeast Asians’ distrust over China’s possible infringements of sovereignty, which hit a record high at 63 percent in the 2021 ISEAS survey.

The politicized nature of the vaccine issue also makes China’s vaccine a convenient tool conflated with domestic politics and nationalism as well. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen’s decision to vaccinate his country’s population with 600,000 donated Sinopharm vaccines has sparked some public concerns, which he sought to assuage by asking Cambodians to disregard the origins of the vaccine. Thailand’s decision to withdraw from Covax and rely mostly on Sinovac’s vaccines is also controversial, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing anti-governmental protests. In a recent panel on China’s vaccine diplomacy, a Vietnamese expert also expressed concerns over how to reconcile Vietnam’s domestic anti-China sentiment with inoculating its population with Chinese vaccines.

However, it is still too early to rush to a conclusion on whether China’s COVID-19 diplomacy has been successful or not in Southeast Asia. For one, the Chinese government itself has refrained from using terms such as “vaccine diplomacy” and instead stressed the humanitarian nature of its global assistance efforts. That makes it difficult to assess what China’s agenda is in the first place, especially given that curbing the pandemic in neighboring countries is also beneficial for China itself. And even if extending global influence is one of China’s considerations, while China’s image in the region might not have improved in the past year, it has maintained a steady lead in terms of regional influence and acknowledgement for its regional contribution to fighting COVID-19.

Moreover, the respondent composition of the ISEAS survey has always been fluid, and leaves some confounding variables, such as respondents’ political leanings, unaddressed. It may not have presented the whole picture, given the disproportionately high representation of respondents from Singapore and Myanmar, and low representation from Vietnam and Indonesia. The fact that the survey was conducted two weeks after Biden was elected U.S. president meant that respondents were still in an optimistic post-election mood about the effectivity of a U.S. comeback to balance China in the region, which might distort the results especially regarding U.S.-China comparisons. Therefore it is important not to overinterpret its results, especially with regards to cross-time comparisons.

Most importantly, while the world watched in dismay last year as China and the United States exchanged animosity over COVID-19, the Biden administration has promised more international cooperation to address the pandemic, including working with China. Under this scenario, China’s aid efforts are less likely to be perceived as a bilateral issue, but more as part of an international effort against the common enemy of COVID-19. Southeast Asian countries are also less likely to face the binary choices they dread, which is also problematic for Beijing since it amplifies Southeast Asia’s threat perception as a result of geographic proximity and territorial disputes. If this scenario pans out, hopefully we can see global governance restored as a stabilizing buffer zone between Beijing and Washington, which is clearly in the interests of all parties involved.