UPCOMING EVENT
Monday, November 09, 2009
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC
The efforts of China's America-watching community over the past 30 years, and their effect on China's perception of the United States, have been crucial to a constructive relationship between the two countries. On November 9, the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings and the US-China Education Trust will co-host a discussion on China’s changing views of America. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, November 06, 2009
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC
President Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on November 12, beginning his first trip to Asia as president. He will also travel to China, South Korea and Singapore, where he will take part in meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. On November 6, the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies and the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings hosted a discussion of President Obama’s upcoming trip and the issues he is likely to face. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, October 26, 2009, United Nations General Assembly
Since 2004 there have been encouraging trends related to internal displacement. Walter Kälin notes that the use of the Guiding Principles as the relevant framework for protecting IDPs and the development of national and regional laws and policies on internal displacement have been positive trends. However, despite such positive trends, the challenges presented by climate change, the disregard for civilian populations in conflict zones, a shrinking humanitarian space, and protracted displacement situations still remain unchanged. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Munkh-Ochir Dorjjugder, October 20, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Since its peaceful Democratic Revolution in the early 1990s, Mongolia’s national security strategy has evolved through three phases and is now entering a fourth. Munkh-Ochir Dorjjugder writes that the theme of balancing external actors to ensure sovereignty and security remains the same, but that Mongolia is now adding economic and human elements to its approach to security. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, October 02, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
The tragic earthquake in Sumatra, the tsunami in Samoa and the typhoon that hit the Philippines are just the latest in an increasing number of natural disasters. Last year alone natural disasters affected over 200 million people, killing 16,000 and displacing close to 50 million. Elizabeth Ferris evaluates the international capacity to respond to major disasters and argues that more should be done to reduce their impact. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Steven Pifer, October 01, 2009, Potomac Books, Inc.
In this chapter of Fighting Chance, prepared for a September 2007 conference, Steven Pifer assesses potential challenges posed by a more assertive Russia. Pifer examines demographic, societal and economic trends in Russia that could create strategic shocks for the region and world over the next several decades. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris and Diane Paul, September 22, 2009, Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis: Responding to the Challenges of a Changing World
People affected by natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanoes, and other calamities often face urgent protection needs that may not be immediately visible to humanitarian actors caught up in trying to provide water, food, shelter, medical care and other lifesaving assistance. In this paper, Elizabeth Ferris and Diane Paul provide an overview of protection challenges confronting those affected by natural disasters. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Wonhyuk Lim, August 24, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The Korean peninsula served as the battleground for an internationalized civil war from 1950-1953. Over a half-century later, the peninsula is still divided and the Korean question remains unresolved. In this CNAPS visiting fellow working paper, Wonhyuk Lim writes that placing Korean unification within the broader context of regional integration in Asia may be an effective geopolitical strategy for the Korean nation.
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RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Cheng Li, August 16, 2009, East Asia Forum
China has been the fastest growing major economy for the last two decades and its future prospects are bright, but China’s political future is less clear according to Cheng Li. He writes that even though the Chinese Communist Party will continue to hold power for the near-term, it is unlikely they will remain as dominant in the future. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, August 03, 2009, United Nations General Assembly
Internal displacement continues to be one of the world's major humanitarian and human rights challenges and many internally displaced persons (IDPs) experience serious violations of their human rights. In his annual report to the UN General Assembly, Walter Kälin argues that it is important to translate the increasing recognition of the human rights dimension of internal displacement at the international and regional levels into effective action at the national and local levels of government. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Eswar Prasad, August 02, 2009, Forbes.com
Eswar Prasad argues that a key component in restoring overall global financial health is to fix growth imbalances in Asia's emerging markets, especially China's excessive dependence on export- and investment-led growth. Prasad encourages financial market development in China to increase private consumption to make growth more balanced and thus help stabilize the world financial and economic systems. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Roberta Cohen, July 31, 2009, The Washington Post
The now-defunct six-party talks in which the U.S., South Korea, Japan, Russia, and China participated focused almost exclusively on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. But, as Roberta Cohen argues, with a struggle for succession underway in Pyongyang and some of the country's internal controls reportedly beginning to erode, it's the time to rethink the near-exclusion of human rights from the U.S.-North Korean dialogue. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Roberta Cohen, July 23, 2009, Council on Foreign Relations
The U.S. government's policies toward North Korea in recent years have drawn criticism for focusing primarily on denuclearization, while neglecting human rights issues, even as the country's human rights situation remains dire. Roberta Cohen says arguments against including human rights in discussions with North Korea are flawed and recommends integrating human rights as part of an overall U.S. policy toward North Korea. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bruce Riedel, July 23, 2009, The National Interest
Bruce Riedel warns not to be fooled by some of the positive news from Pakistan, because the Taliban and their allies have gained significant power there recently. Riedel says we face the potential of a nuclear-armed state run by Islamic extremists, shows the devastating consequences of such and offers ideas to keep it from occurring. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Huang Ching-Lung, July 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Senior journalist and CNAPS Visiting Fellow Huang Ching-Lung writes that Taiwan’s media, despite major contributions to democratization, has come to play a controversial and often negative role in the democratization process. Factors such as market competition, lack of professional organization, and ties to political parties have lowered the quality social benefit of journalism in Taiwan, Mr. Huang writes. Read More