Lecture Abstract:

International relations in Asia have become exceeding complex and complicated.  No region of the world has the same mixture of geopolitics, economic prowess, security challenges, domestic political systems, and irredentist issues. In Asia major powers interact with middle powers while multilateral institutions play an increasing role in ameliorating regional tensions and shaping a new regional order. Yet, stability and regional equilibrium remain elusive. What conceptual models are appropriate for scholars in analyzing and understanding the complexities of Asia today? All of these issues will be explored in the lecture by Professor David Shambaugh of George Washington University and The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.

About the Speaker:

David Shambaugh is an internationally recognized authority and author on contemporary China and the international relations of Asia. He is presently Professor of Political Science & International Affairs and the founding Director of the China Policy Program in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. He is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program, Center for East Asian Policy Studies, and John Thornton China Center at The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. He was previously Reader in Chinese Politics in the University of London’s School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), where he also served as Editor of The China Quarterly. He has served on the Board of Directors of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and has been a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, U.S. Asia-Pacific Council, and other public policy and scholarly organizations. Professor Shambaugh is also a frequent commentator in the international media, serves on a number of editorial boards, and has been a consultant to various governments, research institutions, foundations, and private corporations. As an author, he has written or edited thirty books, including China Goes Global: The Partial Power (2013 and selected by The Economist, Foreign Affairs, and Bloomberg News as one of the “Best Books of the Year”). His new book China’s Future will be published in March 2016 by Polity Press.