The Asia Foundation

On Tuesday, June 22, 2010, The Asia Foundation in Washington, DC hosted two events for Dr. George Varughese, Country Representative for Nepal, and Ms. Najla Ayubi, Program Director for Law, Human Rights and Women’s Empowerment. The events were held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Dr. Varughese spoke on the topic of political process in Nepal and the implications for the future of Nepal’s democracy. Ms. Ayubi discussed the recent Afghanistan peace jirga and the role of women in the reconciliation process. After their presentations, Dr. Varughese and Ms. Ayubi took questions from an engaging crowd and offered enlightening information regarding the next steps in the development of Nepal and Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, June 15, 2010, The Asia Foundation in Washington, D.C. hosted the 24th Ellsworth Bunker Asian Ambassadors dinner discussion, which featured remarks by The Honorable Keith Ellison (D-MN) who spoke on the topic of “Imperatives for Global Peace: Implications for Asia.” The dinner was held at the Embassy of Bangladesh and co-hosted by H.E. Akramul Qader, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the United States, and Ms. Ellen Laipson, President and CEO of The Henry L. Stimson Center and a Trustee of The Asia Foundation.

The Asian Ambassadors Series brings together Ambassadors from Asia with select U.S. government, business, policy, and media leaders for an off-the-record discussion on important issues facing the Asia-Pacific region. The series is named in honor of Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker, a distinguished statesman who served as the United States Ambassador to Argentina, Italy, India, Nepal, and Vietnam.

From left to right: H.E. Akramul Qader, Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN), Ms. Ellen Laipson, Ms. Nancy Yuan, and Ambassador Khasbazaryn Bekhbat of Mongolia

The Chronicle of Higher Education features an in-depth interview with The Asia Foundation’s new president and CEO David Arnold about his time as American University in Cairo’s president, and his new post at The Asia Foundation. Read the full article: “7 Years at the American University in Cairo.”

Foreign Policy’s blog, The Cable, features a post about Mr. David Arnold’s selection as the new president and CEO of The Asia Foundation. Read the full article: “Arnold to lead the Asia Foundation.”

Agence France-Presse features an article about the appointment of David Arnold as The Asia Foundation’s new president and CEO. Read the full article: “Asia Foundation new head to back ‘quiet champions.’”

Highly respected philanthropy and development veteran to lead organization

San Francisco

David D. Arnold will become the new president and CEO of The Asia Foundation, the premier non-profit, non-governmental organization working to promote reform, development, and prosperity in Asia. Mr. Arnold will formally begin his new role January 1, 2011, overseeing all aspects of The Asia Foundation, including its field offices across 18 Asia-Pacific nations, offices in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., as well as working closely with Give2Asia, its sister organization. Mr. Arnold is currently the president of the American University in Cairo and is a former Ford Foundation representative who worked for years in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. He also served as executive vice president and interim president at the Institute of International Education in New York.

Mr. Arnold succeeds former Congressman Douglas Bereuter as president and CEO, who retires from his leadership position December 31, 2010, having fulfilled a six-year commitment to the Board of Trustees. In a related statement this morning, The Asia Foundation announced it has experienced unprecedented growth and diversification in programming, funding, and staff under Congressman Bereuter’s successful tenure.

“I have known and admired the work of The Asia Foundation for many years, and am honored to be the next president of this visionary organization,” said Mr. Arnold. “Sensitivity, knowledge, and agility have long been hallmarks of the Foundation’s programs and people, and the assistance it provides throughout Asia is critical to the future development of the region. I am joining The Asia Foundation with great enthusiasm and a strong commitment to its mission, values, and aspirations.”

“David is an experienced leader, a respected educator, and an administrator with a wide-ranging background in development and governance practices in Asia. He possesses the ideal combination of skills needed for the president of The Asia Foundation,” said Michael H. Armacost, chairman of the Board and Executive Committee of The Asia Foundation and former U.S. ambassador and under secretary of state. “Asia is changing and The Asia Foundation is changing. Our field offices and specialists on the ground are pioneering daring, new methods to advance reform, prosperity, and peace, based on deep local networks of partners and staff—our defining approach. David has worked on the cutting-edge of international development, philanthropy, and education and is highly knowledgeable about the areas in which the Foundation works: promoting the rule of law, empowering women, advancing human rights, reforming economic policy, and advancing prosperity, justice and peace in Asia. He has lived and worked for years in Asia and the Middle East, and understands local cultures, structures, and institutions. This combination led the Board to a unanimous decision.”

“Millions in Asia remain under threat and are vulnerable, and societies continue to suffer from impasses and deadlocks,” said Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a trustee of The Asia Foundation. “Mr. Arnold understands the myriad of challenges facing the region—and he shares our belief that Asians themselves must contribute to, and participate in, Asian reforms and Asian agendas. I have full confidence in him as a leader, and I anticipate his presidency to be deft, robust, and inclusive.”

Mr. Arnold is a skilled and respected veteran of large, successful non-profit organizations active in philanthropy, higher education, international exchange, and development. He maintains a global network of contacts and is uniquely adept at creating international partnerships and alliances. Mr. Bereuter said of the appointment: “David Arnold has shown himself to be a strong and effective leader and I am confident he will guide The Asia Foundation to further heights of achievement and contributions to international development in Asia. He has significant first-hand knowledge, gleaned from living and working in the region, along with practical experience from his innovative work with the Ford Foundation in Asia and his leadership of renowned international educational institutions. I am extremely pleased he has accepted an appointment to be the next president and CEO of the Foundation, and I have no doubt that he will expand upon all the Foundation has already become in its long and productive history.”

About Mr. Arnold
In 2003, Mr. Arnold became the tenth president of the American University in Cairo. He oversaw the construction of a new, state-of-the-art $400 million campus, including the region’s largest English-language library and the first public park in the suburb of New Cairo. He was responsible for spearheading AUC’s $125 million fundraising campaign, the largest in the University’s history, and also oversaw the launch of several new academic programs, including the University’s first Ph.D. program and new masters’ programs in education, biotechnology, gender studies, digital journalism, and refugee studies. Under Mr. Arnold’s leadership, AUC expanded its continuing education and community outreach programs and created new scholarship opportunities funded by private donors, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative.

Prior to that, he served for six years as executive vice president of the Institute of International Education, the world’s largest educational exchange organization.

Between the years of 1984 and 1997, he worked for the Ford Foundation, serving as its first program officer in the field of governance and then as the organization’s representative in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Arnold began his public service career in 1975 in his home state of Michigan as a program budget analyst with the Michigan Department of Labor. He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1977 to join the National Governors Association, where he handled intergovernmental relations in the areas of employment, housing, and economic development. He later served as executive director of the Coalition of Northeastern Governors, a regional think tank and policy institute.

Mr. Arnold holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in public administration from Michigan State University.

For media inquiries, please contact Amy Ovalle at aovalle@asiafound.org, +1-415.743.3340 or Brent Jones at bjones@asiafound.org, +1-415-238.0969.

President and CEO Bereuter creates unprecedented international growth and diversification

San Francisco

On February 1, 2010, The Asia Foundation, the premier non-profit, non-governmental organization working to promote reform, development, and prosperity in Asia, announced that former Congressman Douglas Bereuter, president and CEO, will retire from his position December 31, 2010, having fulfilled his six-year leadership commitment to the Board of Trustees. (In a related statement made today, The Asia Foundation announced David D. Arnold will become the new president and CEO.) The organization has experienced unprecedented growth and diversification in programming, funding, and staff under Mr. Bereuter’s highly successful leadership.

Mr. Bereuter was selected as president and CEO by The Asia Foundation’s Board of Trustees in 2004. He had previously served 26 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he chaired the Asia-Pacific Subcommittee and was vice chairman of both the Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Intelligence Committee.

In the past five years, the organization’s programs in Asia have grown 78 percent, and in 2009, a record year despite the global financial crisis, the Foundation devoted 86 percent of its $138 million budget to core programming in Asia in the areas of governance, economic reform and development, women’s empowerment, environment, and in the improvement of international relations. Through Books for Asia, last year, the Foundation distributed nearly one million new English-language books valued at over $43 million.

The Foundation’s sources of funding are also now broadly diversified and international: in addition to U.S. government funding, eleven other countries’ development programs and the key multilateral institutions are major donors to The Asia Foundation. Resources from corporate, foundation, and individual charitable donors have also increased since 2004.

During Mr. Bereuter’s presidency, The Asia Foundation has sought to diversify the nationality and background of its highly qualified and motivated employees, with Asian nationals now constituting more than 70 percent of its staff. They are located throughout the Foundation’s 18 offices across the Asia-Pacific, and in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. During Mr. Bereuter’s tenure, offices were reopened in India, Laos, and Malaysia, and a presence established in Singapore, to increase the organization’s presence and position as a resource for development in Asia. As a part of that effort, he gave strong support to the Foundation’s evolving state-of-the-art digital and social media platform, including asiafoundation.org and In Asia, now a highly regarded blog featuring critical insight for professionals in development, private and public leaders, scholars, the media, and students.

“Doug has made deep and enduring contributions to The Asia Foundation,” said Michael H. Armacost, chairman of the Board and Executive Committee of The Asia Foundation and former U.S. ambassador and under secretary of state. “He expanded our programs, opened new offices, diversified our funding base, extended the internationalization of our staff, and introduced more rigorous management systems. He also contributed to the field of international development and foreign affairs by investing in young people and associating them with the Foundation. We wish him a satisfying and productive retirement.”

“It’s been a very special privilege to lead this remarkable organization,” Mr. Bereuter said. “I am proud of the work we have done to actively invest in Asian organizations, coalitions, and citizens, and I hand the presidency over with both satisfaction and confident anticipation of its exciting future. Events in Asia critically affect American and global peace and prosperity; therefore, the work of The Asia Foundation has never been more important.”

Among Mr. Bereuter’s accomplishments: a new program emphasis on Conflict and Fragile Conditions to support peace processes in turbulent environments; and a landmark institutional partnership with the Australian Agency for International Development to pioneer new, international strategies to deliver aid, assistance, and security, especially in fragile states. In addition, Mr. Bereuter strengthened the organization’s strategic planning process and intellectual vigor and inaugurated study sabbaticals for senior Foundation field staff in order to pursue development research and writing. He contributed to the experiences of talented post-graduate students through the creation of the Junior Associates in Asian Affairs Program, already a highly respected and competitive mentoring initiative within the Foundation. Reflecting the ongoing importance of that initiative, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees recently announced that in recognition of Mr. Bereuter’s “passionate commitment to the support and nurturance of young professionals in the field of international relations and development,” they re-named the program the Douglas K. Bereuter Program for Junior Associates in Asian Affairs.

Doug Bereuter and his wife, Louise, plan to divide their time between their home in Nebraska, re-engaging in civic affairs and the arts community, and Mr. Bereuter’s future work in public policy and teaching in Washington, D.C., Nebraska, or California.

“The Asia Foundation is uniquely poised to address many of Asia’s urgent needs,” said Mr. Bereuter. “I began my tenure with great respect and a high appreciation for our staff, partners, and donors, and that is how I am concluding it. The Asia Foundation is an active, on-the-ground presence and partner to Asia. Those qualities seem even more impressive to me today.”

For media inquiries, please contact Amy Ovalle at aovalle@asiafound.org, +1-415.743.3340 or Brent Jones at bjones@asiafound.org, +1-415-238.0969.

Forbes features an announcement of The Asia Foundation’s President and CEO Douglas Bereuter participating in a symposium on global agriculture and food security in Washington D.C., organized by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Read the full article: “Douglas Bereuter to Speak at Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security.”

Washington, D.C.

Douglas Bereuter, president and CEO of The Asia Foundation, speaks today in Washington about international food security, as part of a formal, invitation-only response to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s updated Feed the Future Guide, a global hunger and food security strategy. A selected discussant, Mr. Bereuter makes his remarks during the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security, organized by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and attended by leaders from the Obama administration, Congress, and business, policy, NGO, and international organization communities.

Mr. Bereuter speaks on a panel that includes Rosa DeLauro, member; U.S. House of Representatives, and Cheryl Mills, chief of staff, counselor, Office of the Secretary; U.S. Department of State.

“There remains a frightening synergy among lackluster agricultural productivity in much of the developing world, the rising cost of food, and extreme poverty,” said Mr. Bereuter ahead of the symposium. “The U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative underscores that more than one billion people (nearly one-sixth of the world’s population) suffer from chronic hunger. And, each year, more than 3.5 million children die from under-nutrition. Hunger robs the poor of a healthy and productive life and stunts the mental and physical development of the next generation.”

Mr. Bereuter served 26 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he chaired the Asia-Pacific Subcommittee and was Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Intelligence Committee. On February 1, 2010, he announced he will retire from his leadership position at The Asia Foundation on December 31, 2010.

For more information, please visit our Press Room.

On March 15, 2010, The Asia Foundation featured the Honorable Melanne Verveer at the 23rd Ellsworth Bunker Asian Ambassadors Series discussion. The Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Verveer spoke on the topic of “Women in Asia: Participation, Rights, and Basic Security.” Forty representatives of the Asian diplomatic and policy communities participated in a lively discussion on the role of women in Asia, advancing their participation in political and economic life and how efforts to protect their security should be more mainstream responsibility of both government and non-governmental organizations.

Washington, D.C.

On March 23, at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Asia Foundation hosted a lunch event featuring Dr. Steven Rood, the Foundation’s country representative to the Philippines. Dr. Rood provided an update on the current status of the Mindanao peace process. The Asia Foundation has been selected both by the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to be the only American member of the International Contact Group (ICG). As stated in the ICG’s Framework Agreement, the ICG has been designated to provide crucial support for the peace process. The Asia Foundation will network with stakeholders in the negotiation, coordinate with the Facilitator (Malaysia) to provide research input, and give feedback and advice for the peace process. Other members of the ICG include the Ambassadors to the Philippines from the U.K., Japan, and Turkey, along with representatives of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Conciliation Resources, and Muhammadiyah from Indonesia.

Dr. Rood also discussed the current political environment, and a look at the legacy of the Arroyo Administration.

Washington, D.C.

The Asia Foundation in cooperation with The United States Institute of Peace invite you to:

Afghanistan in 2009: A Survey of the Afghan People

Mr. Sunil Pillai
Technical Advisor & Program Officer, The Asia Foundation
Afghanistan Survey Project

Mr. Zoran Milovic
Deputy Country Representative for The Asia Foundation in Kabul

Moderator:
J Alexander Thier, Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan,
United States Institute of Peace

Tuesday, October 27, 2009
9:00-11:30 a.m.
Washington, DC

The Asia Foundation will release findings from its fifth public opinion poll in Afghanistan, “Afghanistan in 2009: A Survey of the Afghan People,” the most comprehensive survey conducted in all 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces. This barometer of national public opinion helps inform the Afghanistan policy debate and donors, and provides critical information assessing how Afghans view developments in their own country.

Please RSVP via email to jodonnell@asiafound-dc.org or to Jill O’Donnell by phone at 202-588-9420.

Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, September 23, 2009, The Asia Foundation in Washington, D.C. hosted the 21st Ellsworth Bunker Asian Ambassadors Series discussion. As the guest speaker, The Honorable Howard Berman (D-CA), Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, spoke on the topic of U.S. foreign policy towards Asia. The dinner was co-hosted by H.E. Chan Heng Chee, Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States, and Mr. Douglas Bereuter, President and CEO of The Asia Foundation.

The Asian Ambassadors Series brings together Ambassadors from Asia with select US government, business, policy, and media leaders for an off-the-record discussion on important issues facing the Asia-Pacific region. The series is named in honor of Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker, a distinguished statesman who served as the United States Ambassador to Argentina, Italy, India, Nepal, and Vietnam.

George Varughese, Country Representative with The Asia Foundation, was recently interviewed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), on governance in Afghanistan. Listen or download the interview: “CSIS Audio: A Conversation with George Varughese: Local and National Governance in Afghanistan.”

Washington, D.C.

Asian Perspectives

Global Integration, Global Crisis: Challenges and Prospects for Vietnam’s  Development

Thursday, June 18, 2009
9:30-11:00 a.m.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Choate Room
1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Vietnam’s economic progress over the past decade has been remarkable, and the country was poised to deepen its integration into the global market after successfully gaining WTO membership at the end of 2006.   With the world’s economy beginning its downward spiral in 2007 and no end yet in sight, Vietnam is having to institutionalize market mechanisms while responding to unprecedented global uncertainty.  The Asia Foundation is pleased to focus on Vietnam in its upcoming Asian Perspectives seminar, with the participation of two influential thinkers reflective of a new generation of intellectuals in Vietnam and the Foundation’s Vietnam country representative.   The speakers will provide insights into key challenges facing Vietnam’s economy, legal reform and governance, and important factors in U.S.-Vietnam relations.

Feature speakers:

Dr. PHAM Duy Nghia, Head of Business Law Department, Faculty of Law, Hanoi National University
Dr. VU Thanh Tu Anh, Director of Research, Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, Ho Chi Minh City
Dr. Kim N. B. NINH, The Asia Foundation, Country Representative, Vietnam

Please RSVP to Diana Fernández at dfernandez@asiafound-dc.org or (202) 588-9420 by Friday, June 12.

Washington, D.C.

Luncheon Discussion:

Challenges to Political Development: What’s Next for Thailand

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Butler Room, Ground Floor
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Building
1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

The Asia Foundation is pleased to invite you to a luncheon discussion with Dr. James Klein, the Foundation’s Country Representative for Thailand. Dr. Klein’s presentation will provide first-hand insight and analysis of recent developments in that country, in particular political developments since the appointment of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in December of 2008, as well as Thai perceptions of their country’s political divisions.

Dr. Klein has been a long-time Southeast Asian specialist having lived in the region for over 25 years. Since 1996, Dr. Klein has been the Foundation’s resident Representative in Bangkok. Before then he served as The Asia Foundation’s Representative to Cambodia and Malaysia. His introduction to Asia came when he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Khon Kaen, Thailand from 1973 to 1976. Dr. Klein has a Ph.D. in History and Southeast Asian Studies from Northern Illinois University.

As seating is limited, please RSVP by Friday, June 5, to Ms. Hope Stewart at hstewart@asiafound-dc.org or call her at 202-588-9420 ext. 1306. If leaving a message, please include your name, title, affiliation, and contact details. Or fax your RSVP to 202-588-9409.

Washington, DC

The Asia Foundation and The Henry L. Stimson Center are pleased to invite you to an event:

“Peace in Mindanao: Recent History, Public Opinion, and Prospects”

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
10:30 am-12:00 pm
The Henry L. Stimson Center
1111 19th St., NW
12th Floor
Washington, DC 20036

In August 2008, it seemed that the peace process between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Philippines was about to reach a significant milestone: a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), which outlined the territorial aspects of the possible peace agreement with the MILF. However, elected politicians from Mindanao obtained a Temporary Restraining Order from the Supreme Court, which later declared the MOA unconstitutional. In response, some MILF commanders went on the offensive and this, along with subsequent government operations to capture these “renegades” mean that there are currently some 350,000 internally displaced persons in central Mindanao.

The Asia Foundation launched a complex series of scientific surveys to guage citizen attitudes toward these events, with statistically representative data for the subsets of the population potentially affected by the MOA-AD. The talk will examine the prospects for peace in light of:
–these survey results
–the government’s emphasis on Demobilization, Disarmamanent, Rehabilitation (DDR) and
–new moves beyond negotiations to “Community Consultations”

The U.S. government is the largest grant donor to the Southern Philippines, and exercises considerable diplomatic clout in the region. Both the Obama and previous Bush administrations have supported the Agreement as a means of further isolating and putting more pressure on terrorist organizations, especially the Jemaah Islamiya (JI) and Abu Sayyaf Group. The U.S. Institute of Peace has held workshops on territorial and other issues in contention. How might the Obama Administration more robustly address the current situation?

Dr. Steve Rood, the Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in the Philippines will discuss the results of the survey, the current situation in Mindanao and the prospects for peace. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Richard Cronin of the Stimson Center, which is hosting and co-sponsoring the event.

To RSVP for this event, please email Yvonne Day (Yday@asiafound-dc.org)

Washington, D.C.

The Asia Foundation in cooperation with The United States-Indonesia Society invite you to:

Islam, Elections, and Politics in Indonesia

Dr. Robin Bush, Asia Foundation Country Representative, Indonesia

Tuesday, April 21st
9:30-11:00 a.m.
Crenz Room
The Cosmos Club
2121 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Despite Indonesia’s successes in democratic reform, challenges remain in the area of effective governance and in women’s political leadership. The general elections on April 9 are expected to re-confirm the Indonesian voters’ disaffection with Islamist politics and their demand for better service delivery; however, issues of political Islam remain important. Some observers say political Islam is on the rise; while others, citing polling data, indicate in the April 2009 general elections, Islamic parties are likely to get less than 24% of the vote, the lowest level since 1955.

Dr. Robin Bush will discuss recent election results in Indonesia, and broader trends within Islam in Indonesia. She will also discuss trends in the country’s politics and development, and how The Asia Foundation works with Muslim organizations and women’s groups to improve governance and further consolidate democracy within the country.  The Asia Foundation is the largest private non-profit international organization supporting governance and economic reform in Indonesia.

Dr. Bush is the author of the book, Nahdlatul Ulama and the Struggle for Power within Islam and Politics in Indonesia. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Washington and an MA in International Studies from Ohio University.

To RSVP, please email responses to hstewart@asiafound-dc.org or contact Ms. Hope Stewart at (202) 588-9420.

Washington, D.C.

Luncheon Discussion with Nick Langton, The Asia Foundation’s Representative in Nepal and Country Director designate for India

Thursday, April 2
12:30 pm
The Shotwell Room
1779 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, D.C.

Nick Langton has been The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Nepal since 1999. He has extensive experience with the Foundation, having served as Country Representative in the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka/Maldives. Prior to joining the Foundation he was Assistant Director of the Southern Sudan Refugee Assistance Project. He also previously worked for CARE in the United States and was a Peace Corps volunteer, trainer, and consultant in Nepal. Langton will be taking on a new assignment as The Asia Foundation’s Country Director for India in late spring.

Nick Langton will speak about current political events in Nepal including constitutional reform as well as the impact of the global economic crisis in the country.

To RSVP for this event, please contact dfernandez@asiafound-dc.org.

Washington, D.C.

Against the backdrop of the new administration’s position that “smart power” will require the U.S. to “bolster old alliances and forge new ones” with nations such as South Korea, The Asia Foundation today launched a new institute to promote a broader U.S.-Korea relationship. The goal of the Center for U.S.-Korea Policy is to expand cooperation between the U.S. and Korea by challenging policymakers in both nations to consider the opportunities and potential scope of a broader, deeper, and more robust relationship. Scott Snyder, a preeminent U.S.-Korea relations scholar and frequent commentator on Asian security issues, including the Korean peninsula, is founder and director. Snyder is the former Asia Foundation country representative to Korea and is author of the newly-published China’s Rise and the Two Koreas, an examination of the implications of China’s rise on the two Koreas and their relationship with the U.S., and Negotiating on the Edge: North Korean Negotiating Behavior. Council on Foreign Relations recently named Snyder adjunct senior fellow for Korea Studies.

“South Korea has developed the economic, political, and security resources to be a first-tier partner on the international stage,” said Snyder, discussing the Center’s purpose. “Strengthened forms of cooperation with like-minded allies in the Asia-Pacific are likely to be at a premium as the center of gravity for global economic and political interactions shifts toward Asia.”

The Center will conduct joint policy projects that identify and promote specific issues and forms of cooperation, as well as serve as a resource for enhanced communication with policymakers in Seoul and Washington. Programs will address security, nuclear energy development, climate change, and the role and influence of the U.S.-ROK alliance on Northeast Asian relations.

On February 17, the Center will conduct its first official activity, “Pursuing a Comprehensive Vision for a U.S.-ROK Alliance,” a high-level conference sponsored with The Asia Foundation’s Korea office that will bring together American and Korean experts in Seoul to discuss strengthening U.S. and Korea cooperation, in light of the new U.S. administration and the agenda forged by the U.S.-ROK strategic alliance in April 2008.

Snyder speaks Korean and is a senior associate in the international relations program at The Asia Foundation. He holds the same title at Pacific Forum, the Asia-Pacific arm of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was most recently a Pantech Fellow at Stanford University’s Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. He holds an M.A. from the Regional Studies East Asia Program at Harvard University, and a B.A. from Rice University. Snyder was a recipient of a Thomas G. Watson Fellowship and attended Yonsei University in South Korea.

About The Center for U.S.-Korea Policy The Center for U.S.-Korea Policy aims to deepen the foundations for institutionalized cooperation between the United States and South Korea by promoting bilateral policy coordination. Based in The Asia Foundation’s Washington D.C. office, and with seed funding from the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Center supports The Foundation’s commitment to the development of the Asia Pacific by leading a comprehensive U.S.-ROK alliance partnership on emerging global, regional, and non-traditional security challenges. The new Center will work closely with the Foundation’s office in Korea to enhance bilateral participation and impact. About The Asia Foundation The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and civil society; women’s empowerment; economic reform and development; and international relations. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.

In Korea, The Asia Foundation works in partnership with local organizations to address the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities arising from Korea’s emergence as an important economic and diplomatic actor in the Asia-Pacific Region. Programs focus on Korea’s relations with the United States and its Asian neighbors, Korea’s expanding role as an aid donor for less-developed countries in Asia, and promoting peaceful resolution of tensions arising from the division of the Korean peninsula.

With offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2008, the Foundation provided more than $87 million in program support and distributed over one million books and educational materials valued at $41 million throughout Asia. For more information, please visit the Press Room.