The Administrative Staff College of India announced a delegation of secretaries from the Afghanistan Ministry of Women’s Affairs who will visit India to take part in a management development workshop sponsored by The Asia Foundation. Read the full article: “ASCI Training Prog for Afghan Govt Officials kicks off.”
In a USAID press release announcing the religious leaders conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on “the role of religious and community leaders in advancing development in Asia,” The Asia Foundation is credited for co-hosting the three-day event March 21-24. Read the full article: “U.S. Sponsors Bangladesh Conference for Religious and Community Leaders on Advancing Development in Asia.”
Asia Foundation trustee Teresita Schaffer is interviewed on NPR’s Morning Edition on what Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington means for U.S.-India relations. Listen to the program: “Obama Honors India’s Singh With State Visit.”
The Asia Foundation, the India Community Center, the Center for South Asia at Stanford University, and the World Affairs Council of Northern California will host:
An evening of conversation on Ambassador Teresita Schaffer’s new book
India and the U.S. in the 21st Century: Reinventing Partnership
with
Ambassador Teresita Schaffer
Asia Foundation Trustee, Director, South Asia Program, CSIS, Former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs
and
Professor Pradeep Chhibber
Director of the Institute of International Studies, the University of California, Berkeley
Monday, October 5, 2009
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Oksenberg Room (3rd floor), Encina Hall Central
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6045
(Directions)
“This book is essential to understanding the present state of U.S.-India relations and the prospects for the future. It is well organized, comprehensive, balanced, thoughtful, and full of the kind of insight that not only makes for good reading but even better understanding.”
–Thomas R. Pickering, former U.S. Ambassador to India
Seating is limited. Please register by October 2, 2009 to Vishnu@indiacc.org
Ambassador Schaffer examines the astonishing new strategic partnership between the United States and India, the two countries’ success in forging bilateral relations and their relatively skimpy record of seeking common ground on global issues despite the vibrant new network of bilateral ties. In her new book Ambassador Schaffer proposes a policy of inclusion and candor, with the United States taking the relationship global and regional by helping to move India into global councils of leadership.
The Asia Foundation announced today the appointment of Nick Langton as its resident Country Director in India, where he will lead the Foundation’s expanded program activities in the country from a fully operational office to be opened in New Delhi this fall. Mr. Langton was most recently the Foundation’s representative in Nepal from 1999 to 2009, where he oversaw programs supporting governance and law, conflict transformation and peace-building, economic reform, and women’s security.
With over 25 years of experience in Asia, Mr. Langton is a South Asia specialist with expertise in the areas of legal rights, community mediation and peace building, and anti-trafficking of women and children. He joined the Foundation in 1986 as Assistant Representative in Bangladesh and Nepal and later served as the Foundation’s Country Representative in Sri Lanka and Maldives (1989-92), in Bangladesh (1992-97), and in the Philippines and Pacific Islands (1997-99). He also held numerous short-term assignments for the Foundation, including in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Mongolia.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Langton served with CARE in the U.S., worked with Ugandan refugees in Southern Sudan, and was a Peace Corps volunteer, trainer, and consultant in Nepal. Mr. Langton received his B.A. in Asian Studies and Journalism from the Evergreen State College in Washington and his M.P.A. from the University of Washington.
Read more about The Asia Foundation’s projects in India. For media inquiries, please visit the Press Room.
An article in The Hindu features a seven-member delegation made up of representatives of the Election Commissions of Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines who met in Jaipur yesterday to study the process of the 15th Lok Sabha elections. The Asia Foundation is cited for having organized the trip, and the Foundation’s India Programs Director Rajendra M. Abhyankar is mentioned as a participant. Read the full article: “International delegation to study poll process.”
On the heels of releasing its recommendations for the new U.S. administration – America’s Role in Asia – The Asia Foundation will co-sponsor the World Affairs Council’s 63rd Annual World Conference, “Global Priorities: Critical Choices for the Obama Administration.” On April 2-3, 2009, in San Francisco, political leaders, policymakers, scholars, and diplomats will gather to examine, and debate these issues at this turning point in U.S. history. Asia Foundation President Doug Bereuter will moderate a session on emerging economies, China, India and sovereign wealth funds, and other Asia Foundation experts are slated to participate on additional panels. Co-sponsors receive a special discounted rate: sign up for the member price. For more information about the event, and nonmember pricing, please visit the World Affairs Council website.
In an announcement about a book donation from The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program and The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), colleges in the Indian state of Jharkhand are being asked to create more shelf space in their libraries. Read “Book boon for colleges – CII offers hope to libraries.”
The Washington Post’s Emily Wax attended The Asia Foundation’s America’s Role in Asia event in New Delhi and gauged reaction in the room about the appointment of Richard C. Holbrooke, including quotes from America’s Role in Asia South Asia Co-Chair Raja Mohan and others. Read the full story: “U.S. Removes Kashmir From Envoy’s Mandate; India Exults.”
Diplomats urge U.S. President to deepen U.S.-India relationship, accelerate South Asian economies
As Barack Obama takes the reigns as the 44th President of the United States, international relations experts strongly recommend to the new U.S. administration that they continue to improve ties with India. America’s Role in Asia, a new volume of urgent foreign policy recommendations, presented by distinguished Asian and American ambassadors this morning at the Hotel Taj Mahal in New Delhi, states that, while the U.S. has often talked about making India a full partner in managing the global order, it must take immediate steps, such as making India a full member of the G-8 group of advanced nations.
Convened and supported by The Asia Foundation, America’s Role in Asia provides recommendations derived from a year of high-level, closed-door discussions across Asia and in the U.S. that addressed critical issues in U.S.-Asia relations. Today’s New Delhi forum turns a spotlight on recommendations in the report for U.S.-India relations and U.S. policy in South Asia. Attendees include leading Indian and American diplomats, officials, CEOs, and scholars; and speakers include Ambassador Karl F. Inderfurth, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs; Dr. C. Raja Mohan, professor at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang, Technological University in Singapore, and former member of India’s National Security Advisory Board; and Ambassador Rajendra Abhyankar, former Indian Ambassador to the EU, Belgium and Luxemburg, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, and Cyprus, and Asia Foundation Director of India Programs.
“The last two American presidents recognized that fundamental change was underway with India as an emerging global power and acted accordingly,” said Ambassador Inderfurth, author of the America’s Role in Asia chapter on U.S.-India relations. “A strong foundation for a vibrant U.S.-India relationship has been established, upon which the next U.S. administration can build.”
“India is an important factor,” added Dr. Mohan, the South Asia Regional Chair of America’s Role in Asia. “South Asia will become increasingly relevant to a number of new challenges confronting U.S. foreign policy, such as Asia’s regional balance of power, maritime security, and global warming.”
Among the Asian task force recommendations for U.S. policy to South Asia:
Among the American task force recommendations for U.S.-India relations and overall policy to South Asia:
The New Delhi discussion was convened with the Confederation of Indian Industry, a partner to The Asia Foundation. Published on a quadrennial cycle by The Asia Foundation, the full report is available to download at www.asiafoundation.org, as are overviews of the reports and executive summaries.
About The Asia Foundation
The Asia Foundation formally returned to India in June 2008, opening a liaison office in New Delhi. Since 1968, the Foundation has maintained a non-resident program of cooperation, focusing on international relations, governance, economic reform, women’s empowerment, and education.
Doug Ramage, The Asia Foundation’s Indonesia Country Representative, has been cited in a Newsweek article on Indonesia’s booming economy. The article references Ramage’s and Andrew McIntyre’s strategy paper for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on the challenges facing the new Indonesian economy. Read the full story, “Indonesia as the New India.“
The Asia Foundation, The Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, and the Peninsula Chapter of the World Affairs Council of Northern California present
With Special Guests:
The Honorable Karl F. Inderfurth
Director, International Affairs Program, George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs. Former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs and U.S. Representative for Special Political Affairs to the UN
The Honorable Teresita Schaffer
Director, South Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies. Former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs
The Honorable Theodore L. Eliot, Jr.
Dean Emeritus of the Fletcher School. Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan; Former Executive Secretary and Inspector General of the State Department
Refreshments at 6:00 pm
Program from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Levinthal Hall at the Humanities Center
424 Santa Teresa Street,
Stanford University
Seating is limited, reservations required.
Please reply to rdrsvp@asiafound.org, reference “October 20th evening event” in the subject line.
The election of a new American president is an event of great importance to the entire world, not just the United States. From Japan to Afghanistan, the United States plays a crucial role in the security, political, and economic affairs of the region. America’s 44th president will face many challenges once in office including rebuilding trust in America, reviving the American economy without protectionism, and how to combat terrorism. Ultimately, the United States must effectively utilize and support multilateral institutions to uphold international law and foster the common interests such as international justice. Future U.S. relations with Northeast, Southeast, and South Asia depend on how these efforts unfold.
The Asia Foundation is pleased to announce the recent arrival to the Bay Area of Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill, Director of Disarmament and International Security Affairs of India’s Ministry of External Affairs. As the fifth recipient of The Asia Foundation’s India Regional Security Studies Fellowship, he will be a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) during the academic year beginning September 2008.
For his research at CISAC, Mr. Gill proposes to analyze the influence of the policies of large possessors of nuclear weapons (i.e., the U.S. and Russia) on the policies of other possessors in the post-Cold War period. He will also examine the extent to which the possible possession and pursuit of nuclear weapons by others influences the policies of the U.S. and Russia.
Mr. Gill’s diplomatic career has included assignments in Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Iran, and the Permanent Mission of India to the UN. His professional areas of interest focus on international relations, disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation, regional security in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Southwest Asia, and human security issues. In 2007-2008, he represented India on the UN Secretary General’s Panel on Missiles.
The Asia Foundation is supporting next week’s “International Workshop on Autonomy and Armed Separatism in South and Southeast Asia” to be held in Singapore. The Foundation’s Steven Rood, Country Representative, Philippines and Pacific Island Nations Regional Advisor for Local Governance, and Thomas Parks, Regional Director for Conflict and Governance, will be speaking at the event. This international workshop promotes a multidisciplinary approach towards understanding national identity problems in seven South and Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Burma, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Thailand, India and Indonesia’s former province of Timor Leste (formerly East Timor).
The event is being jointly hosted by Asia Research Institute and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, and is also being supported by the Centre on Asia and Globalisation. For more information including registration, please visit the Asia Research Institute’s event page.
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