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Fall 2008 The Asian Connection Issue 4 The Sigur Center for Asian Studies, The Elliott School of International Affairs In This Edition: Message from the Directors Message from the Directors Brigham Young University. will continue our active Welcome to the new Major Events schedule (last year the academic year at the Sigur We want to thank him for his Center accounted for Center for Asian Studies. able stewardship of the India Initiative Center and enormous nearly a quarter of the Elliott This newsletter brings you up contributions to students in School’s events) and also Friends of India and Korea to date on the Center’s Asian Studies. Shawn work to strengthen two new Studies activities and some of the McHale, professor of efforts launched last year: key accomplishments of our our India Initiative and Lecture Series faculty and students during Southeast Asian history, Korea Outreach. Spring and Summer 2008. returns as Director after a Korea-America Student year’s sabbatical in Shawn McHale, Director, & Conference We bid farewell to Kirk Vietnam. Deepa Ollapally, Associate Larsen as Director of the In the upcoming year, we Director Professor Profile Center, who left to join Student Spotlight Featured Alumnus Major Events GW President’s meeting During Spring and elections in Taiwan with a The Sigur Center co-hosted with Korean President Summer, the Sigur Center conference and roundtable a conference on “Korean held 34 events, attracting supported by the Taipei The POSCO NGO Fellows Security Relationships Past an audience of 1,280. Economic and Cultural and Future” with the Program Some highlights include: Representative Office. National Security Archive, Language Tea Times sponsored by the Korea The conference looked at Conference on Foundation and the Japan the domestic and Sigur-Affiliated Programs Celebrated Korean Foundation Center for international implications of Alumnus Global Partnership. Six the elections, and featured A View from Vietnam papers were presented on In May, the Sigur Center, GW professors Harry Harding topics ranging from Russian Notes on Faculty & with generous support and Robert Sutter, as well as Students and North Korean relations from the Korea Shelley Rigger (Davidson to an examination of the Foundation, held a College) and Hans Stockton future of U.S.-Japan-South conference on Philip Jai- (University of St. Thomas). Korea trilateral security sohn (So Chae-p’il), a cooperation. noted Korean reformer, This event was followed in June by a roundtable activist and GW alum. He Annual Gaston Sigur entitled “The Winds of was the first Korean to Memorial Lecture receive a medical Change: An Early degree in the U.S. The Assessment of the Ma This year’s 12th Annual event coincided with the Administration,” with GW Gaston Sigur Memorial unveiling of his statue at Professor Robert Sutter, Lecture was delivered by the Korean Embassy in Elizabeth Larus (University of Susan L. Shirk, University of Washington, D.C. Mary Washington) and California, San Diego. She Steven Phillips (Towson Professor Shelley Rigger of spoke on “The Foreign Policy Taiwan Presidential University). Davidson College speaks at “The Implications of China’s Election Series Taiwan Presidential Election: Political Fragility” based on Korean Security Relations Domestic, Regional and her book, China: Fragile During the spring Conference International Implications” on Superpower, to a large semester, the Sigur Center crowd from the D.C. area. March 26. examined the presidential 2 THE ASIAN CONNECTION India Initiative The Sigur Center continued In April, the Sigur Center for India,” with Geeta Rao to promote its India partnered with the Asia Gupta, President of the Initiative through a series of Society to present “A International Center for special events sponsored Dhrupad Concert by the Research on Women. by the Initiative. Dagar Ensemble.” The The second, co-sponsored vocalist for the group, Ustad by the U.S.-India Business The first in the spring was a F. Wasifuddin Dagar, is the Alliance, was entitled keynote lecture on March 20th generation of his family “Fighting Corruption in 12, titled “Reflections on to practice this type of India: An Insider Account of U.S.-India Relations” by classical Indian music. Ambassador Ronen Sen of Government Responses.” India. It was followed by a The event was made The talk was given by panel with commentaries possible by the generous Madras Sivaraman, the on the U.S. presidential support of Rama and Arun former Permanent election and its Deva and Shabnam Arora. Secretary for India’s Ministry implications for India. It was attended by more of Finance, responsible for Ambassador Ronen Sen (L) listens Amb. Karl F. Inderfurth of than 200 people. India all taxation departments, to Ashley Tellis of the Carnegie GW and Ashley Tellis of the Initiative members and revenue, and customs Endowment (R) at “Reflections on Carnegie Endowment other guests attended a intelligence. U.S.-India Relations” on March 12. respectively put forth a private reception Both of these lectures were Democratic and sponsored by the Embassy well-attended and served Republican perspective. of India prior to the to increase the focus on concert. The luncheon event was India at the Sigur Center as attended by over 130, The India Initiative also well as expand the including many business sponsored two Brown Bag Center’s outreach to the and community leaders, lectures within the Sigur Indian community with and the story made Center’s Subnational Asia important, timely topics. headlines in nearly all major lecture series. The first was Indian newspapers. “HIV/AIDS & the Challenges Friends of India and Korea Studies The Sigur Center is inviting On Korea, our goal is to of U.S.-India relations and membership in two new continue enhancing the U.S. foreign policy on the groups: Friends of the India Sigur Center’s reputation as subcontinent. This initiative is Initiative and Friends of one of the country’s leading being directed by Professors Korea Studies. The Friends policy research forums on Deepa Ollapally and Karl F. groups are designed to contemporary Korea as well Inderfurth. draw in high level business, as increase the Center’s community, NGO, support for Korean studies To make a contribution to Dean Michael Brown of the Elliott academic, and government throughout the University. either program, please go to School attends the March 12th leaders with special briefings Professor Young-Key Kim- https://www.gwu.edu/onlin India Initiative event with and networking events. You Renaud (see Professor e_giving/ and be sure to Ambassador Ronen Sen, along may read more about these Profile) is taking a lead role select "Other" for the gift with a large audience of over 130 groups at in this effort. designation and type "India people. www.gwu.edu/~sigur/indiain Initiative - Sigur Center for itiative.html and On India, we want to build a Asian Studies” or “Friends of www.gwu.edu/~sigur/friends program that places the Korea- Sigur Center for Asian ofkorea.html Sigur Center at the forefront Studies.” of scholarship and analysis 3 Lecture Series Throughout Spring 2008, we Korea: Confronting Massacres “Trapped in a Vise: Taiwan’s continued our lecture series on during the Korean War,” Kim Struggle for International Transnational and Subnational Dong-Chon, Truth & Space,” Christopher Griffin, Asia. The Center also Reconciliation Commission, American Enterprise Institute continued a new series called ROK the Taiwan Forum, and a series “Identity Politics in China and of roundtables by our resident “Does China Have an Energy Taiwan and Implications for visiting scholars. Diplomacy?: Reflections on Cross-Strait Relations,” Stephen China’s Energy Security and Yates, DC Asia Advisory, LLC Transnational and Subnational its Impact on Foreign Policy,” Asia Linda Jakobson, Finnish Visiting Scholar Roundtables Institute of International Affairs “Security, Identity and the Rise “A Conceptual Framework for of China,” William Callahan, Taiwan Forum Reconciliation in International Professor Susan Shirk of the University of Manchester Relations,” Seung-hoon Heo, University of California speaking at “Chinese Views of Taiwan’s Graduate Institute of the Annual Sigur Memorial Lecture “Fresh Impressions & Prospects Elections,” Bonnie Glaser, International & Development on April 8th. for Afghanistan,” Ahmad Center for Strategic and Studies, Geneva, Switzerland Nader Nadery, Afghan International Studies Independent Human Rights “A Model for East Asian Civil Commission “Electoral Interdependence Society in Reconciling History- Among Taipei, Beijing and Related Conflicts,” Mikang “Elite Politics and Inflation in Washington: The Security Yang, Asia Peace and History China: Past and Present,” Implications,” David Michael Education Network, South Victor Shih, Northwestern Lampton, Johns Hopkins Korea University School of Advanced International Studies “U.S. Renewable Energy Policy “Economic Reforms & at the Crossroads,” Sanghoon Democracy in Nepal,” Prem “U.S.-Taiwan Relations in the Lee, Korean Federation for Khanal, The Kathmandu Post Aftermath of the Taiwan Environmental Movements, Election,” Randall Schriver, South Korea “The Truth & Reconciliation Armitage International Commission in the Republic of Korea-America Student Conference In July, the Sigur Center co- This month-long experience conference was “A New sponsored the first Korea- was modeled after the Look at the U.S.-Korea America Student long-standing Japan- Alliance,” and panels Conference along with America Student looked