Impact of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act on Foreign Businesses: the Thai Experience

China’s Foreign Policy: The Return of “Great Powers?”  A European View

Co-sponsors: The Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the European Institute

François Godement, Professor, Sciences Po; Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations.

Process Driven or Process Challenged? ASEAN and East Asian Regionalism

Co-sponsor: The Weatherhead East Asian Institute

Alice Ba, Associate Professor, Political Science & International Relations, University of Delaware; Moderated by Elizabeth Wishnick, Adjunct Associate Research Scholar, WEAI

The Australian Miracle:  Abandoning and Overtaking the U.S., As It Joins the China Club

Co-sponsors: The Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the I Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business

Robert Gregory, Professor of Economics, Research School of the Social Sciences, The Australian National University Moderatored by Shang-Jin Wei, N. T. Wang Professor of Chinese Business and Economy; Director, The Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business, CBS

Sino-Indian Relations: Reality and Prosperity

Co-sponsors: The Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the India China Institute, The New School

Hu Shisheng, Deputy Director, Senior Researcher, Institute of South and Southeast Asian Studies, China Institutes for Contemporary International Relations. Moderated by Robert Barnett, Assistant Professor, Contemporary Tibetan Studies; Director, Modern Tibetan Studies Program.

Is China Evolving Into a Mafia State?

Co-sponsor: The Weatherhead East Asian Institute

John Garnaut, China Correspondent, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Moderated by Xiaobo Lu, Professor of Political Science, Barnard College.

Upstream and Downstream on the Mighty Amur:  Environmental and Political Challenges for China, Mongolia and Russia 

Co-sponsor:  The Weatherhead East Asian Institute

Darron Collins, Director of Creative Assets and Managing Director for the Amur, World Wildlife Fund; Elizabeth Wishnick, Adjunct Associate Research Scholar, WEAI; Associate Professor of Political Science, Montclair State University

Social Welfare in China: Policy and Practice

Co-sponsor: The Weatherhead East Asian Institute

Catherine Keyser, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Drew University; Arthur Kleinman, Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University; David Roye, The Livingston Professor of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, Columbia University Moderated by Myron Cohen, Professor of Anthropology; Director, WEAI

Climate Change and the Mekong River:  Implications for Regional Stability

Co-sponsors: The Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Earth Institute China 2049 as part of the workshop series “Environmental Flashpoints on China's Frontiers"

Kevin Anchukaitis, Lamont Assistant Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; Brendan Buckley, Lamont Associate Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; Marc Levy, Deputy Director, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

When A Billion Chinese Jump:  Why the World's Worst Environmental Crisis is Forcing Beijing onto a New Path of Development

Co-sponsors: The Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Earth Institute China 2049

Jonathan Watts, Asia Environment Correspondent, The Guardian; Former President, Foreign Correspondents' Club of China. Moderated by Yao Lu, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Columbia University.

Recent Violence in The Philippines

Co-sponsor: Southeast Asian Student Initiative (SEASI)

Lotta Hedman, Senior Research Fellow at IDEAS, the London School of Economics and Political Studies, discussed the growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) within the Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago regions of the Philippines. By looking at the historical context of these Southern regions, from violent conflicts in the 1970s to the ‘Total War’ in 2000, Hedman argued that the key to understanding the high levels of IDPs stems from the...

Fighting Corruption in Thailand: Thaksin as a Case

Co-sponsor: Southeast Asian Student Initiative

Medhi Krongkaew, a Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand, discussed the creation of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in Thailand, the need for the NACC, and how the NACC has impacted the government of Thailand.

The impetus for a special organization to handle public sector corruption occurred in 1975, after Thailand moved from a military dictatorship to a democracy. Unfortunately, because the agency was not...

Thailand's Crisis: Who Cares About the Economy?

Co-sponsor: The Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI) as part of the “Global Financial Crisis” series

Duncan McCargo, Professor of Southeast Asian Politics, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds gave his views about the economy and the tumultuous political situation in Thailand. Despite the global economic downturn, Thailand has been convulsed since mid-2008 with internal political problems which have culminated in dramatic and highly damaging events such as the November 2008 Bangkok airport occupation...

Read More

Is China a New Growth Engine for the World Economy?

Co-sponsor: WEAI as part of the “Global Financial Crisis” series

Columbia Law School professors Benjamin Liebman and Owen Nee, SIPA professor Daniel Rosen and Business School professor Shang-Jin Wei made their observations about China and its role in the world economy to an overflow crowd. Professor Nee began the discussion by explaining the transformation of the Chinese attitude toward foreign investors. It has become much more difficult for foreigners to enter the Chinese market because...

Read More

Impact of the Global Crisis on Cambodia’s Politics and Economy

Co-sponsor: WEAI as part of the “Global Financial Crisis” series

Kheang Un, Assistant Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University, spoke about the impact of the global financial crisis on the economics and politics of Cambodia. Although it was not greatly affected by the 1997 economic crisis in East Asia, over the past decade it has become integrated into the global and regional economy. As a result, the 2008 crisis has greatly affected Cambodia's economy,...

Political Tsunamis and Financial Meltdowns: Malaysia and the World

Co-sponsor: WEAI as part of the “Global Financial Crisis” series

Thomas Pepinsky, Assistant Professor of Government and Faculty Member of the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, talked about the political economy of crises and transitions, using Malaysia as his case study. The 'standard story' about the relationship between economic crises and political crises is that usually one precedes the other. An economic crisis may lead to a political crisis. Likewise, many economic crises are...

Policy Responses to Bubbles in Japan and the U.S.

Co-sponsors: Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB), WEAI, as part of the “Global Financial Crisis” series

David Weinstein, Carl S. Shoup Professor of the Japanese Economy, Columbia University and Associate Director of Research at the Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB), discussed central banks’ monetary policy responses to recent bubbles in the U.S. and Japan. Specifically, he examined lessons from the 1989 Japan bubble and their application to the current financial crisis.

Comparing the activity on the Nikkei...

Global Crisis and Exchange Rates in East Asia

Co-sponsors: CJEB, WEAI as part of the “Global Financial Crisis” series

Takatoshi Ito, Professor at the Graduate School of Economics at The University of Tokyo and former Deputy Vice Minister for International Affairs at the Ministry of Finance, Japan, spoke about the effect of the recent global financial crisis on East Asian currencies at SIPA. Professor Ito first pointed out that during the height of the financial crisis, no Asian countries went to the IMF for assistance, nor suffered serious...

Korea's Exit Strategy

Co-sponsor: WEAI, as part of the “Global Financial Crisis” series

Doowon Lee, Professor, School of Economics, Yonsei University and WEAI Visiting Scholar gave a presentation about Korea’s response to the financial crisis of late 2008. Korea had a capital account deficit of $50.9 billion and current account deficit of $6.4 billion, it had to pay back $10 billion to U.S. banks, and its stock market lost about a third of its value between September and November 2008. However, it fared better than...

Resurgent China: Issues for the Future

Co-sponsor: Greater China Initiative, School of International and Public Affairs

Mr. Nazrul Islam, Senior Economic Affairs Officer at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, reviewed the topics in a recently published book he edited, “Resurgent China: Issues for the Future”. After three decades of fast economic growth, China is now the world’s largest exporter and second largest economy (in PPP terms), and is expected to become the largest economy in the world. Mr. Islam explored the...

Indonesia 2015: Demography, Geography and Spending for the Next Decade

Co-sponsor: SEASI

Wolfgang Fengler, Senior Economist, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management from The World Bank in Jakarta gave a presentation regarding government spending priorities in Indonesia. The talk was moderated by Professor Michael Buehler of WEAI.

Dr. Fengler said that recent public expenditure trends have been alarming because subsidies to targeted industries like electricity and fuel have been crowding out social service spending. However, Fengler was mostly positive, pointing...

Islam, Elections, and Politics in Indonesia

Co-sponsor: SEASI

Robin Bush, Director of The Asia Foundation, Jakarta, discussed recent election results in Indonesia, and broader trends within Islam in Indonesia. The talk was moderated by Professor Michael Buehler of WEAI.

During the recent April 10 elections, the four Islamic parties tallied only 5 - 8% each, totaling about 26%. This vote signified confidence in the ruling Democratic party, and a drastic reduction in support for the Islamic parties.

Dr. Bush believed the Islamic parties’...

Their Moment in the Sun: Indonesia’s New Gangster Politicians

Co-sponsor: SEASI

Mr. Loren Ryter, Visiting Scholar and Lecturer at the University of Michigan, gave a presentation on the presence of former gang members, or “premans”, in the Indonesian parliament. The talk was moderated by Professor Michael Buehler of WEAI.

During the Suharto era, there were many youth organizations (Organisasi Kelompok Pemuda, or OKP in Indonesian) that supported the ruling party, Golkar. After Suharto resigned, the former leaders of OKPs were in a good position to campaign...

Language Shift and Language Death in Island Southeast Asia

Co-sponsor: SEASI

James T. Collins, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University, presented his research at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs regarding the change of language patterns in Indonesia. The talk was moderated by Professor Michael Buehler of WEAI.

After studying Indonesian language use for 30 years, Professor Collins has determined that there are 600-800 languages spoken in the country. A reason for the existence of...

Timor-Leste Since the 1999 Referendum

Co-sponsor: SEASI

John M. Miller, National Coordinator of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network, gave a presentation at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs regarding the development of East Timor as an independent state. The talk was moderated by Professor Michael Buehler of WEAI.

Mr. Miller spoke about East Timor’s long road towards independence, first from Portugal in 1975 and then finally from Indonesia in 2001. Miller also highlighted several events that...

ASEAN and the USA: Moving Forward Amidst Crises

Co-sponsor: SEASI

Simon Tay, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore and Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, presented his views on the future of ASEAN and the possibility of re-establishing cooperation with the U.S. Tay said that, under the Bush administration, the U.S. had neglected ASEAN relations. With the advent of the Obama administration, Tay wondered if ASEAN would get more attention. If so, which issues will take priority? According to...

Language Regimes and State-Building in Southeast Asia

Emory University political science Ph.D. candidate Amy Liu presented her dissertation project examining language regime choice in Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan. She argued that governments choose to share linguistic powers when the threat of state destabilization is high. The talk was moderated by Professor Michael Buehler of WEAI.

Liu characterized language regimes as institutions that affect individual behavior. Due to this institutional nature of language regimes, politicization of the...

Gendered Punishment and Punitive Memory in Democratic Kampuchea

Co-sponsor: SEASI

Trudy Jacobsen, ARC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Monash Asia Institute and the School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University, described gender roles in Cambodia during the time of the Khmer Rouge and beyond. The panel was moderated by Professor Michael Buehler of WEAI.

When the Khmer Rouge came to power, they endorsed gender equality. However, since they didn’t make an effort to change the traditionally patriarchal attitudes in general, they made very little progress...

Go to archive