U.S. Strategy Towards East Asia – the Role of “Troika”

ISDP FORUM with Professor Quansheng Zhao

Professor of international relations and Chair of the Asian Studies Program Research Council, American University

Wednesday, June 17, 2015, 10.00-11.30

In 2011, U.S. president Obama signaled a shift in strategic priorities for American foreign policy, calling for a “pivot to Asia” and identifying China and Japan as the key countries for U.S. foreign relations. However, the consequences of this shift and its exact objectives, and the extent of their implementation, still need further analysis. In light of this, Professor Zhao will address the goals and character of U.S. foreign policy towards several important countries in East Asia and judge how far they represent a coherent, unified strategy. In doing so, he will also place relations in their historical context and highlight the important role played by think tanks and individual decision-makers, known as Troika, in shaping U.S. foreign policy attitudes towards Asia.

Quansheng Zhao is Professor of international relations and Chair of the Asian Studies Program Research Council at American University in Washington, DC; serving as Director of the Division of Comparative and Regional Studies until 2008. He is also Guest Professor at Peking, Tsinghua, Fudan, Foreign Affairs, and International Business and Economics Universities in China, and Korea University in Korea. A specialist in international relations and comparative politics focusing on East Asia, Dr. Zhao is the author of Interpreting Chinese Foreign Policy and Japanese Policymaking, both of which have received accolades. Dr. Zhao is a member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, and has also testified at the U. S. Congress on China’s high-speed railway system, served as Coordinator for the Global Forum of Chinese Political Scientists and worked as a consultant for the United Nations.

Location: ISDP, Västra Finnbodavägen 2, Stockholm-Nacka. For a map and directions, please go here.

To attend: RSVP to Ms. Lisa Bäckman at news@isdp.eu