Monday, December 31, 2012

For China Wonks: "MUST-READS" Written By Sigur Center Faculty





Worldviews of Aspiring Powers
By: Henry Nau and Deepa Ollapally
Featuring a leading regional scholar for each essay, this is a serious study of the domestic foreign policy debates in five world powers that have gained considerable influence: China, Japan, India, Russia and Iran.

Tangled Titans

By: David Shambaugh
An essential reading that offers a current and comprehensive assessment of the most important relationship in international affairs - that between the United States and China.

Chinese Foreign Relations: Power and Policy since the Cold War
By: Robert Sutter
Newly revised, this edition features more extensive treatment of China's role in the international economy and greater discussion of its relations with the developing world.

Toward a History Beyond Borders: Contentious Issues in Sino-Japanese Relations
By: Daqing Yang
Originally published in Chinese and Japanese in 2006, historians from China and Japan address contentious issues. The13 essays focus on controversies that have stymied Sino-Japanese relations from the mid 1800s to the present.


Not particularly interested in China? Not to worry, our faculty has been busy publishing essays and books on a myriad of foreign policy theories and hot topics.

Be sure to check out the entire list of 2012 faculty publishings here:
http://elliott.gwu.edu/research/books/books12.cfm

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

In Case You Missed It This Semester…(Northeast Asia Edition)


The Sigur Center for Asian Studies is one of the leading institutions for the study of Asia in the United States today. The Center has many strengths when it comes to the study of Northeast Asia in particular, as is witnessed by our dizzying array of events and publications on China, Japan, Taiwan and the two Koreas throughout the year. In this blog post, we provide a brief recap of some of our more notable Northeast Asia-related events and publications during this past Fall 2012 semester. Please stay tuned to our blog in the coming days and weeks ahead, as we will also provide recaps of our numerous activities on Southeast Asia and South Asia during this past semester. Please also feel free to visit our website http://www.gwu.edu/~sigur/  for a full listing of all of our events, publications, and other activities.

China: 
Professor David Shambaugh held a moderated discussion with former US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman on September 17 about his views on the political, economic and social trends in China, his service as Ambassador to China, and on what he learned about American views of China through his presidential campaign . View the video recording of the event HERE

As part of the Sigur Center's Rising Powers Initiative, the Sigur Center, in cooperation with the Wilson Center for International Scholars, held an international conference on contending domestic views within China regarding China's current and future role on the global stage. Click here to view video footage of the event: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/china-global-power-contending-views-china

Japan:

Carl F. Goodman, Adjunct Professor of Japanese Law at GW gave a talk on Abducted Children, Japanese Law and Domestic and International Politics on October 9 at the Sigur Center. For audio, please click on the following link: http://www.gwu.edu/~sigur/news/events/events12.cfm

The Rising Powers Initiative issued a policy alert on various Asian nations' views towards the recent election in Japan. To view the alert, please see: http://www.risingpowersinitiative.org/return-of-japans-ldp-and-shinzo-abe-draws-mixed-reactions-from-asian-powers/

The Koreas:

Sigur Center Visiting Scholar Major  Siyoung Park of the ROC army gave a presentation on North Korea Military Adventurism and the ROK-US Alliance - 1961 through 1976 on December 5 as part of the Sigur Center’s Visiting Scholar Roundtable series.For audio: http://www.gwu.edu/~sigur/assets/audio/2012%20Audio/2012.12.05_SiyoungPark.mp3

Taiwan:
Lung Yingtai - Minister of Culture for R.O.C., (Taiwan) delivered a speech on "Soft Power in A Hard Time: A Cultural Perspective on Cross-Strait Relations"  on Tuesday, August 26. View the video of the event HERE


The Sigur Center, as part of its Taiwan Roundtable series, held an event called Taiwan and the Diaoyutai Islands: Historical and Regional Perspectives on November 20. Dr. Robert Sutter, GW Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Dr. Steven Phillips, Professor of History, Towson University, and Dr. Michael Yahuda, Visiting Scholar at the Sigur Center discusses the uses of history in competing claims over the Diaoyutai Islands in light of Taiwanese President Ma Ying–jeou’s recent East China Sea Peace Initiative. Audio Recording: http://www.gwu.edu/~sigur/assets/audio/2012%20Audio/2012_nov20_diaoyutai.mp3



Thursday, December 20, 2012

2013 US-China Presidential Inaugural Ball



2013 US-China Presidential Inaugural Ball



Saturday, January 20
 5:30 pm- 12:00 pm 
Grand Ball Room 3rd Floor
The Cloyd Heck Marvin Center
800 21st Street Northwest
Washington, DC




The 2013 presidential inauguration marks the beginning of a new era for America and U.S.-China relations. For the first time since 20th century, leadership in both countries will officially take office in the same year. New leaders on both sides will have a chance to work together to reset the relationship between the world’s most important nations in 2013.


Sponsored by Global China Connection, FaceChinese.com and Double Gorgeous, the 2013 US-China Presidential Inaugural Ball brings together to prominent government officials, business owners, academics, young professionals, and students interested in promoting the bilateral ties at different levels to celebrate the inauguration of President Obama and a new stage of the U.S.-China relationship.


For more information, please visit:

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs Trans-Pacific Student Contest


Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs has announced its first Trans-Pacific Student Contest, a unique experiment in U.S.-Asia collaboration. The contest is part of Ethics for a Connected World, a three-year global education project to mark the Council's 2014 Centennial. Winners will receive a trip to New York City.

The contest will be conducted via Carnegie Council's online Global Ethics Network, a social media platform for people across the world who are committed to exploring the role of ethics in international affairs through joint projects, ongoing dialogues, and the creation of collaborative multimedia resources.

Volunteer Opportunities in Asia


Learning Enterprises
http://www.learningenterprises.org/

Early Deadline: January 15, 2013
Late Deadline: February 1, 2013

Eligibility: 
Current undergraduate or graduate students; recent graduates are also eligible.  Must be 18 years of age.

Learning Enterprises (LE) is an organization that sends college-aged volunteers abroad to teach English during the summer. LE has programs in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Russia, China, Thailand, Ethiopia, Mauritius Island, Mexico, and Panama.

GW’s campus representative: 
george.washington@learningenterprises.org

VIA- Volunteers in Asia
http://www.viaprograms.org/
DEADLINE: February 15, 2013

Language requirement: None

VIA has worked with schools and grassroots organizations in Asia for nearly 50 years to support education, community development, and cultural exchange. The current one-year program is designed to increase capacity at partner institutions while building volunteers’ professional and cultural competencies. Volunteers join a vibrant network of alumni who have distinguished themselves in the fields of education, international development, government, health, and business. The program has placements in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.



Thursday, December 6, 2012

Summer 2013 Short-Term Study Abroad Course: IAFF- 6188 Politics of Growth and Development in India



New Summer 2013 Short-Term Study Abroad Course:  IAFF- 6188 Politics of Growth and Development in India (May 26, 2012 - June 8, 2012)
Emmanuel Teitelbaum, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs 

Increasingly, South Asia is one of the most economically vibrant and important regions in the world. This course will explore the political economy of South Asian development by harnessing intra- and cross-regional comparisons to explore of four key issue areas: democratic development; agrarian political economy; the political economy of labor; and economic reform. The course will take place in Bangalore, India. Part of the course will be seminar based, but much of the course will involve interactions with high profile guest speakers and field visits, including a four day trip to rural India. 

Bangalore is the capital city of Karnataka, one of India's fastest growing states. Karnataka has a large and diverse economy and for many years it has witnessed tremendous growth across a variety of sectors. Through comparisons with the rest of India, this course will explore how Karnataka has achieved its high growth rates, and will provide students with exposure to employment and investment opportunities in Karnataka's private, non-profit and government sectors.

The course is open to M.A. Asian Studies students and advanced undergraduates and will run from May 26, 2012 to June 8,2012. If you think you might be interested in applying, please contact Professor Teitelbuam (ejt@gwu.edu) or the GWU Office for Study Abroad.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Asian Studies Alumni Publishes Article on 18th Party Congress


Congratulations to Timothy Heath, an Asian Studies MA Alumni who recently published an article for the Jamestown Foundation. Here is an excerpt of his work below:

The 18th Party Congress Work Report: Policy Blueprint for the Xi Administration


The 18th Party Congress Work Report outlines policy guidance for the next five years and thus provides a preview of the type of policies that the incoming Xi administration is likely to pursue [1]. The main theme permeating the Work Report centered on solidifying the domestic and international foundations for China’s development as a great power. Domestically, the Work Report called for carrying out structural economic reforms to sustain balanced growth and systemic political reforms to improve governance and boost the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) legitimacy. Guidance on Taiwan focused on laying the foundations for peaceful unification. The Work Report also called for stepping up efforts to shape an international order that is more responsive to Chinese power and reiterated Beijing’s determination to defend its growing array of interests.
For analysts of Chinese strategy and policy, the CCP Party Congress Work Report is perhaps the single most important document available for study. The Work Report “sets forth general guidelines for the party’s priorities, emphases and tasks for the coming five-year period” and “represents the consensus view of the broader party leadership,” according to Alice Miller (China Leadership Monitor, No. 18, Spring 2006). Underscoring this point, the spokesman for the 18th Party Congress emphasized the high-level participation and extensive coordination for the report. He explained Xi Jinping led the drafting team and the team worked directly for the Political Bureau. To support the effort, the CCP Central Committee organized “46 units to conduct investigations and studies” and produced “57 reports” on topics incorporated in the Work Report. The team carried out extensive coordination and consulted with General Secretary Hu Jintao before finalizing the Work Report for submission to the 18th Party Congress (Xinhua, November 7).
The Work Report is significant for analysis of Chinese strategy and policy in several ways. First, it presents the functional equivalents of a desired strategic end state and interim strategic objectives to support the end state along with timelines for each. To ensure the country remains on course to meet these goals, the Work Report provides guidance on the topics of economics, politics and governance, culture, defense, social welfare, resources, Taiwan and international relations. The Work Report also provides the theoretical logic in the form of updates to the CCP’s socialist theory that intellectually links these elements together [2].

Interested in reading more? Click the following link to see his whole article: