Richard Bush Appointed New Director of Brookings Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies

Richard C. Bush III, the chairman of the board and managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan, has been named the new director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies (CNAPS) and a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution.

“Richard Bush has all the requisite qualities to provide great leadership to the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies — sterling academic credentials, exceptional experience in both the legislative and executive branches of government, a clear grasp of the political and economic dynamics of the Asian region, and a proven record as a manager,” said Michael H. Armacost, president of the Brookings Institution. “We are lucky to get him, and expect CNAPS to flourish under his direction.”

“Richard Bush’s rare combination of intellectual acuity and policymaking experience will help Brookings and CNAPS continue to play a leading role in addressing the complex and fast-moving developments in East Asia, which have such an important impact on America’s security, prosperity, and well-being,” said James B. Steinberg, vice president and director of the Brookings Foreign Policy Studies Program, which oversees CNAPS.

Before joining the American Institute in Taiwan, Bush was an intelligence officer at the National Intelligence Council in Washington, D.C., where he coordinated analysis of East Asia issues within the intelligence community and acted as a liaison between the intelligence community and policymakers.

From 1983 to 1995, Bush served on Capitol Hill, where he was a staff member of the House Committee on International Relations (formerly the Committee on Foreign Affairs). Until 1992, he was a staff consultant for the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, where he focused specifically on China, Japan, Indochina, and Taiwan. From 1993 to 1995, he was on the staff of the Full Committee.

Bush, who has written and lectured extensively on Asian politics and policy, earned a Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. from Columbia University, and a B.A. in political science from Lawrence University. In June 1998, he was awarded the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.

Bush succeeds Bates Gill as director of CNAPS. Gill is leaving July 1 to join the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CNAPS focuses on research, analysis, and outreach designed to enhance policy development and understanding of political, economic, and security issues facing Northeast Asia. Six visiting fellows from the region come to Brookings each year to focus on the Center’s principal areas of research, which include the security architecture of Northeast Asia; U.S.-China strategic relations; the new strategic triangle of China-Japan-U.S. relations; integrating China into the world economy and the international political system; Japan’s structural rigidities; and U.S. foreign policy on the Korean peninsula.