***Events are open to Southeast Asia Studies Program students and alumni, and invited guests unless otherwise noted. RSVP is required with your name and affiliation at seasia@jhu.edu.
2012
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Origins of the Military's Political Power in Burma/Myanmar
Speaker: Dr. Yoshihiro Nakanishi, visiting scholar, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS
Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
SAIS Philippines Roundtable and the Southeast Asia Studies Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Mindanao: The Philippines' Sub-national Conflict in Perspective
Speakers: Dr. Steven Rood, senior visiting professor, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS, and Mr. Thomas Parks, regional director for conflict and governance (Thailand), The Asia Foundation
Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: The Strange Trajectory of Malaysian Foreign Policy
Speaker: Dr. Marvin C. Ott, visiting scholar, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS
Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
SAIS Burma Study Group: IMF Mission to Myanmar (Invitation only)
Speaker: Dr. Meral Karasulu, deputy division chief at the Asia Pacific Department, International Monetary Fund
Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 12:15-1:45pm
Rome 812
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: The Role of Women in Indonesia's Reform Process
Speaker: Dr. Ir. Hetifah Sjaifudian, MPP, Member of Parliament and of the Parliament's Australian Alumni Group, Indonesian Parliament
Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
SAIS Burma Study Group: A Bowl of Spaghetti: U.S. Sanctions on Burma (Invitation only)
Speaker: Dr. Michael F. Martin, specialist in Asian affairs in the Foreign Affairs, Defense & Trade Division, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress
Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 12:15-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: (Cambodia) The World's First Genocide Trial
Speaker: Tara Gutman, doctoral candidate, Australian National University; visiting scholar, George Washington University
Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Built on Dreams, Grounded in Reality: Economic Policy Reform in the Philippines
Authors: Raul V. Fabella, University of the Philippines; Jaime Faustino, The Asia Foundation; Enrico L. Basilio, REID Foundation
Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
SAIS Indochina Roundtable: An Assessment of Vietnam's Macroeconomic Situation in 2012 (Invitation only)
Speaker: Dr. James Riedel, William L. Clayton Professor of International Economics, SAIS
Friday, February 24, 2012, 12:30pm-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Human Rights in Vietnam
Speaker: Mr. Christian Marchant, external political unit chief, Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: It's More Fun in the Philippines
Speaker: Steven Rood, senior visiting professor, Southeast Asia Studies at SAIS; country representative for the Philippines, The Asia Foundation
Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
SAIS Burma Study Group (Invitation only)
Speaker: Ambassador Derek J. Mitchell, special representative and policy coordinator for Burma
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:15-1:45pm
Rome 812
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Myanmar: Transformation
Speakers: Karl D. Jackson, director, Asian Studies; director, Southeast Asia Studies at SAIS; Priscilla Clapp, independent analyst and former U.S. chargee d'affaires in Yangon
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Spring Welcome Lunch
Join us for the announcement of the 2012 winner of the Paul D. Wolfowitz Fellowship Prize in Southeast Asia Studies
Speaker: Dr. Paul Wolfowitz, former ambassador to Indonesia (1986-89) and former dean of SAIS (1994-2001)
Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
2011
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: The Obama Administration in Southeast Asia: A Report Card for 2011
Speaker: Catharin E. Dalpino, visiting scholar, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS
November 30, 2011, 12:15-1:30pm
Rome 806
SAIS Burma Study Group (Invitation only)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 12:15-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Indonesia on the Move: The Economy Grows. Reforms Stall. Elections Loom (2014): What are the Prospects for the Next Several Years?
Speaker: James Castle, chairman, CastleAsia, Jakarta, Indonesia
Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 12:30pm-2:00pm
Rome 806
SAIS Burma Study Group (Invitation only)
Thursday, November 10, 2011, 12:15-1:45pm
Rome 806 SAIS Indochina Roundtable Breakfast: Networks in Vietnam and Cambodia: A New Form of Civil Society? (Invitation only)
Speaker: Andrew Wells-Dang, Ph.D.
Discussant: Catharin Dalpino, visiting scholar, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS
Thursday, November 10, 2011, 8:30am-10:00am
Rome 806
SAIS Philippines Roundtable and the Southeast Asia Studies Wednesday Lunch Seminar
Speaker: Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Senator of the Republic of the Philippines
Wednesday, November 9, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806 Special Lecture: The Peace Corps Experience in Malaysia
Co-sponsored with the Malaysia-America Society
Speakers: Mike Anderson, Jerry Becker, Yvonne Darensbourg, Lynn Juhl, and Jack Rugh
Moderator: Paul Murphy, Peace Corps volunteer, 1971-73
Friday, November 4, 2011, 6:30-9:00pm
Rome 806, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Film Screening: Enemies of the People: A Personal Journey into the Heart of the Killing Fields
Speakers: Rob Limkin and Thet Sambath, film directors
Thursday, November 3, 2011, 4:15-6:00pm
Rome Auditorium, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Beyond Bin Laden: Terrorist Trends in Southeast Asia
Speaker: Carl Ungerer, program director, National Security Program, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Promoting R2P in Southeast Asia: Challenges, Constraints, and Opportunities
Speaker: Noel M. Morada, executive director, Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, University of Queensland, Australia
Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806 Special Event (Invitation only)
Speaker: Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, president of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
Friday, October 21, 2011, 2:15-3:15pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Haunting Legacy: Vietnam and the American Presidency from Ford to Obama
Speaker: Marvin Kalb and Deborah Kalb, authors
Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806 SAIS Indochina Roundtable: The U.S. Lower Mekong Initiative: Political and Social Dynamics in the Mekong Region (Invitation only)
Speakers: Richard Cronin and Tim Hamlin, Mekong Policy Project, Stimson Center
Thursday, October 13, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Religious Freedom in Peril in Indonesia
Speaker: Endy M. Bayuni, senior editor, The Jakarta Post; and visiting fellow, East-West Center in Washington
Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: An Inside Job: Indonesia's Path to Constitutional Democracy
Speaker: Donald L. Horowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Law and Political Science, Duke University
Wednesday, October 5, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
Book Launch and Moderated Discussion: Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia
Author: Dr. Thant Myint-U
Thursday, September 29, 2011, 5:30-7:00pm
Rome Auditorium, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
SAIS Philippines Roundtable: Asia's Rise and America's Role in the Emerging Power Balance
Speaker: H.E. Fidel V. Ramos
Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
SAIS Philippines Roundtable
Speaker: Amando M. Tetangco, Jr., governor, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Thursday, September 22, 2011, 10:00-12:00 noon
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Vietnam and the United States
Speaker: H.E. Nguyen Quoc Cuong, ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Wednesday, September 21, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Summer Internship Briefings, Part II
Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Summer Internship Briefings, Part I
Wednesday, September 7, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Fall Welcome Luncheon
Wednesday, August 31, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Normalization of Islamist Parties and the Mainstreaming of Political Islam in Indonesia
Speaker: Julie Chernov Hwang, assistant professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Goucher College
Wednesday, April 27, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: A Micro-Foundation of Economic Development of Southeast Asian Economies
Speaker: Krislert Samphantharak, associate professor of economics, School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego
Wednesday, April 20, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806 Myanmar and the Two Koreas: Dangers and Opportunities Monday, April 11, 2011
8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
SAIS Kenney Auditorium
1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
The Southeast Asia Studies Program and the U.S. Korea Institute at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, and Georgetown University invite you to a conference on "Myanmar and the Two Koreas: Dangers and Opportunities."
Conference Agenda and Biographies Conference Papers (PDF Format)
David Albright, physicist, and president, Institute for Science and International Security
Robert E. Kelley, associate senior research fellow, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Taeyoon Kim, associate research fellow, Center for Regional Economic Studies/Southeast Asia and South Asia, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Indonesia's 13 Years of Democracy: Achievements and Challenges
Speaker: Robin Bush, country representative for Indonesia, Asia Foundation
Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806 SAIS Burma Study Group (Invitation only)
Tuesday, March 31, 2011, 12:00-1:45pm
Rome 812 Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Preparing for Southeast Asia Studies Oral Exams
Speaker: Karl Jackson, director, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS
Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 12:30-2:00pm
Rome 806
SAIS Indochina Roundtable Breakfast
Speaker: Carlyle Thayer, emeritus professor, University of New South Wales and the Australian Defence Force Academy
Monday, March 21, 2011, 8:30-10:00am
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos: Prospects for American Policy
Speaker: Frederick Z. Brown and Catharin E. Dalpino, visiting scholars, SAIS Southeast Asia Studies
Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Southeast Asia Forum at SAIS: U.S. -Thai Relations (Invitation only)
Speaker: Thitinan Pongsudhirak, visiting professor, SAIS Southeast Asia Studies
Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Implications of the Vietnamese Communist Party's 11th Congress
Speaker: Nguyen Manh Hung, professor of government and international relations, George Mason University
Wednesday, March 2, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
His Excellency Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, prime minister of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, will speak on "Goodbye Conflict, Welcome Development: The Timor-Leste Experience."
Thursday, February 24, 2011
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
SAIS Kenney Auditorium
1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
The event is hosted by the SAIS Southeast Asia Studies program and Asia Society Washington, D.C. An informal reception, made possible through the generous support of the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (East Timor), Washington, D.C., will follow.
RSVP seasia@jhu.edu with your name and affiliation by Tuesday, February 22, noon. The event is open to the SAIS community, Asia Society members, and invited guests.
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: How to Understand Sino-Myanmar Relations
Speaker: Li Chenyang, Ph.D., director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Yunnan University, People's Republic of China
Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Indonesia and the 21st Century Globalism: Why Indonesia Matters and What Needs to Happen
Speaker: John Riady, executive director and editor-at-large, The Jakarta Globe
Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
SAIS Philippines Roundtable
Speaker: Maria A. Ressa, author-in-residence, International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research
Thursday, February 10, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 812
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Thailand's Crisis and Transformation: International Implications
Speaker: Thitinan Pongsudhirak, visiting professor, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS, Washington, DC
Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Southeast Asia: A Strategic Overview
Speaker: Marvin C. Ott, visiting professor, Southeast Asia Studies, SAIS, Washington, DC and Homewood Campus, Baltimore
Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
SEA Studies Spring Welcome Luncheon
Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
2010
Southeast Asia Forum at SAIS: U.S. Policy Toward Burma/Myanmar (Invitation only)
Speaker: David I. Steinberg, distinquished professor of Asian studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Philippines Roundtable: The Strange Rebellion of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Speaker: Patricio Abinales, visiting fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University
December 8, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Mirage or Reality? Asia's Emerging Human Rights and Democracy Architecture
Speaker: Kelley Currie, senior fellow, The Project 2049 Institute
Discussant: Benjamin Reilly, visiting professor, SAIS
December 1, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
SAIS Indochina Roundtable: U.S.-Cambodian Relations (Invitation only)
Speaker: Vannarith Chheang, visiting fellow, East-West Center, Washington, and executive director, Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, Phnom Penh
Thursday, November 18, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 408
Southeast Asia Forum at SAIS: U.S. -Indonesia Military-to-Military Relations (Invitation only)
Speaker: Robert Scher, deputy assistant secretary of defense (South and Southeast Asia)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Why Are (Some) Cambodians So Anti-Vietnamese?
Speaker: Shawn F. McHale, associate professor of history and international affairs; director, Asian Studies Program, George Washington University
Discussant: Vannarth Chheang, visiting fellow, East-West Center; executive director, Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace
November 10, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Indonesia Military Reform and the U.S. Relationship
Speaker: Colonel John B. Haseman, U.S. Army (retired)
Discussant: Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director, Human Rights Watch
November 3, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806 Wednesday Lunch Seminar: "The Small Citadel": Reconstructing the Ruined Buddhist Complex of Banteay Chhmar
Speaker: Olivier Cunin, associate researcher, National Architecture School of Nancy, France
October 27, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806 A Return to Civilian Rule?
The Prospects for Democracy and Rights in Burma after the Election
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
SAIS Kenney Auditorium
1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Human Rights Watch and the Southeast Asia Studies program at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University are pleased to invite you to attend our one-day conference entitled “A Return to Civilian Rule? The Prospects for Democracy and Rights in Burma after the Election.” The conference will explore three aspects of contemporary Burma: Politics and the November 2010 Election, Human Rights and Efforts at Accountability, and Asian Regional Perspectives. Nobel Laureate and Harvard University Professor Amartya Sen will deliver the keynote address, with an introduction from Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. RSVP here.
Conference Agenda
Philippines Roundtable: President Aquino's First 100 Days
Speaker: Marites Danguilan Vitug, author and advisory board chair of Newsbreak
October 15, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Southeast Asia Forum at SAIS: Prospects for the Indonesia-U.S. Partnership (Invitation only)
Speaker: Dino Patti Djalal, Indonesian ambassador to the United States
Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Legacy of the Khmer Empire: How the Ancient Behemoth Influences Present Day Southeast Asia
Speaker: John Burgess, author and former deputy foreign editor, The Washington Post
October 6, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Philippines Roundtable: Current Developments in the Philippines
Speaker: Roberto F. de Ocampo, former secretary of finance, Republic of the Philippines
Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 812
SAIS Thai Club: Crisis! Current Developments in Thailand in the Aftermath of the 2010 Civil Unrest
Speaker: John J. Brandon, director, International Relations Programs, and associate director, The Asia Foundation
September 23, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
BOB 500
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Australia's Role in Southeast Asia
Speaker: The Honorable Kim Beazley, Australian ambassador to the United States
September 22, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Southeast Asia Forum at SAIS: U.S.-China: Strategic Confrontation in the South China Sea (Invitation only)
Speaker: Marvin C. Ott, adjunct professor, Johns Hopkins University (SAIS and Baltimore), and visiting research scholar
Tuesday, September 14, 2010, 5:30-7:00pm
Rome 806
Wednesday Lunch Seminar: Summer Internship Reports
September 8 and 15, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Asia Studies Fall Party
September 2, 2010, 4:30-6:00pm
Rome 806
Fall Kick-Off Luncheon
September 1, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm
Rome 806
Burma's Army
April 21st, 12:30-2:00
Rome 806
Public Health and Public Security in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Challenges and Opportunities
April 7th, 12:30 - 2:00
Rome 806
News from Indonesia: Covering Obama and US-Indonesia Relations
March 31st, 12:30 - 2:00
Rome 806
The Arroyo Administration: Looking Back & Forward to the 2010 Election
March 24th, 12:30 - 2:00
Rome 806
Oral Examinations Preparation Crash Course woth Prof. Jackson
March 10th, 12:30 - 2:00
Rome 806 Vietnam Center Conference: Lessons Learned, Lessons Lost: Counterinsurgency from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan
March 4-5 Sponsored by:
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University
The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University SAIS Kenney Auditorium
1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
"You have to learn from history," President Obama recently observed. "On the other hand, each historical moment is different. You never step into the same river twice. And so Afghanistan is not Vietnam." [New York Times, September 13, 2009] Perhaps not. But Vietnam is certainly a reference point for many Americans as the war in Afghanistan approaches its ninth year. Comparing Vietnam and Afghanistan is a popular and sometimes lucrative undertaking for scores of historians, journalists and politicians. Google "Vietnam-Afghanistan" and you get about 36 million returns. Analogies abound; analysts debate. What are the lessons of Vietnam? What can we learn about counterinsurgency from our experience in Vietnam? Does Vietnam offer important insights to guide counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan? Have we already applied our Vietnam experience in these conflicts? Or are Iraq and Afghanistan so unique as to defy comparison with past insurgencies? This conference asks what we should have learned about counterinsurgency from Vietnam and whether, or how, these lessons are being exploited in today’s conflicts. Military experts and civilian analysts will debate these questions and more over two days at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies on March 4 and 5. You are most cordially invited to join the discussion.
Conference Agenda ***Registration is now closed. You may still attend either day without registering, however we will not be able to provide you with lunch.***
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The Politics of Islam and Insurgency in Southern Thailand (Thai Club)
February 24th, 12:30 - 2:00
Rome 806 Entangling Alliance: The United States and French Indochina, 1920-1950
February 17th, 12:30 - 2:00
Rome 806 Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines: Moving Forward
Februrary 3rd, 12:30 - 2:00
Rome 806 Spring Kick-off
January 27th, 12:30 - 2:00
Rome 806 2009
The Region that Ate Theory: Democracy and Democratization in Southeast Asia
December 2nd, 12:30 - 2:00
Rome 806
Southeast Asia and the Road to Global Peace with Islam Book Launch
November 11th, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Kenney Auditorium Thailand’s Crisis & The Failure of U.S. Policy
November 11th, 12:30 - 2:00 pm
Rome 806 Flawed Vision: Nigerian Development Policy in the Indonesian Mirror
November 11th, 12:30 - 2:00 pm
Rome 806
Myanmar/Burma: Outside Interests, Inside Challenges Forum
October 30th, 9:00 am - 12:15 pm
Kenney Auditorium Burma and North Korea: Conventional Allies or Nuclear Partners?
October 28th, 12:30 - 2:00 pm
Rome 806 The Business Environment and Economic Reform in Malaysia
October 21st, 6:30-8:00 pm
Rome 806
Thailand Update
October 12th, 12:30 - 2:00 pm
Rome 200
Summer Internship Report Presentations III
October 7th, 12:30 -2:00 pm
Rome 806
Southeast Asia in the 21st Century Prospects and Challenges
(Listen to audio recording of the event here)
October 5th, 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Kenney Auditorium
Anwar Ibrahim Indonesian Embassy Film Screening of Forbidden Door
http://www.pintuterlarang.com/
October 3rd, 6:00 pm (Saturday)
Kenney Auditorium Indonesia Update: What's Next on the Agenda?
September 30th
10:00 - 12:00 am, Kenney Auditorium Short Summary of Event Indonesia: Golden Opportunity or Gilded Lily?
September 23rd
12:30-2:00 pm Rome 200
James Castle James Castle, founder and president of CastleAsia, a Jakarta consultancy, and former professorial lecturer at SAIS, gave a luncheon presentation on “Indonesia: Golden Opportunity or Gilded Lily?” before a packed audience of students, faculty, alumni, and friends on September 23, 2009. Castle gave his candid views on reasons for optimism and pessimism about Indonesia. He cited the recent presidential election as a positive development with important implications for Indonesia. He also discussed corruption and the future of the Corruption Commission. The economic portion of his talk was particularly compelling, as he explained the role that decentralization has played in steadying economic growth and identified potential growth areas in trade and infrastructure development. He concluded that Indonesia’s relatively high GDP growth of over 4% this year was based on strong fundamentals and should provide a solid base for faster growth as the world economy recovers. (The weekly Southeast Asia Lunch is an invitation-only seminar series for SAIS students and Washington area alumni.) Reported by Justina Wong Philippines Roundtable: Lunch and Conversation with Philippines Senator Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel Jr. and Senator Manuel Villar
September 21st
12:00 - 1:45 pm, BOB 500 Speaking at the SAIS Philippines Roundtable on September 21, Philippines Senator Manuel “Manny” Villar, Jr. emphasized the critical need for political leadership in his country, and stressed that, if elected president, he would “lead from day one.” Senator Villar and Philippines Senator Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel, Jr. engaged in a wide-ranging discussion of issues with students, as well as participants from the business, government, and non-governmental sectors. Senator Villar talked about his qualifications for the Philippine presidency, focusing mainly on his leadership and managerial capabilities gained from both running a business and serving as Speaker of the House of Representatives (1998-2000) and President of the Senate (2006-2008). He laid out what he saw as domestic priorities and emphasized the need for economic growth, which could be promoted through increased investment in agriculture and encouragement of entrepreneurship. The Senators also discussed their views on Burma policy, US-Philippine military relations, the political and economic situation in Mindanao, and the role of Filipino-Americans in building the Philippine economy and society. They expressed confidence that the Philippines will enjoy a renaissance and be back on America’s radar in the coming years. (The SAIS Philippines Roundtable, co-chaired by Bill Wise and Gene Martin, meets periodically to discuss political, economic, security and development issues relating to the Philippines.) Reported by Justina Wong Summer Internship Report Presentations II
September 16th
12:30 - 2:00 pm, Rome 200 Summer Internship Report Presentations I
September 9th
12:30 - 2:00 pm, Rome 806 Asia Studies Party
September 4th
4:00 - 6:00 pm, Rome 6th Floor |
