Asia Unscripted

This episode of US-Asia Institute's podcast, Asia Unscripted, features Mr. Michael Kugelman, the director of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute. He is also a columnist for the Foreign Policy Magazine. His primary research projects include geopolitics in South Asia, U.S.-India technology cooperation, and the role of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. Some of Mr. Kugelman's longer publications include Pakistan’s Interminable Energy Crisis: Is There Any Way Out? (Wilson Center, 2015), Pakistan’s Runaway Urbanization: What Can Be Done? (Wilson Center, 2014), and India’s Contemporary Security Challenges (Wilson Center, 2013). Kugelman has written and spoken for several news and media outlets including the New York Times, Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN and more. He received his M.A. in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and his B.A. from American University’s School of International Service.

Mr. Kugelman speaks to USAI Program and Communications Assistant, Priyasha Chakravarti, about Bhutan's sustainable development efforts, including concepts such as Gross National Happiness, sustainable development fee, and economic diversification. 

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This episode of US-Asia Institute's podcast, Asia Unscripted, features Dr. Courtney Work, who is an Associate Professor at National Chengchi Univeristy. Before joining National Chengchi University, Dr. Work completed her PhD at Cornell University, in Ithaca, NY in 2014, after which she spent five years on a research post-doc with the Institute for Social Studies, The Hague, and the Regional Center for Sustainable Development (RCSD) at Chiang Mai University. She researched the intersections of climate change policies and forest-based livelihoods in Cambodia and Myanmar.

Dr. Work speaks to USAI Program Assistant Tarang about Cambodia's past and future initiatives to mitigate climate change. 

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This episode of US-Asia Institute's podcast, Asia Unscripted, features Ambassador Scot Marciel, 
Ambassador Scot Marciel is the Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. From 2010 to 2013, Ambassador Marciel served as U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia and served as the first U.S. Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for  Southeast Asia from 2007 to 2010. Ambassador Marciel is a retired diplomat who has also served as U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar from March 2016 through May 2020. With over 35 years of experience in Asia, Ambassador Marciel is a career diplomat who has also served at U.S. missions in Turkey, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Brazil and the Philippines. 

Ambassador Marciel speaks to USAI Program Assistant Tarang about Thailand's foreign policy habits and its history with the United States. 

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This episode of US-Asia Institute's podcast, Asia Unscripted, features Dr. Alka Jauhari, who is a Practitioner In Residence at the Department of Human Sciences of the University of New Haven. Dr. Jauhari has obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Isabella Thoburn College, a Masters Degree in Political Science at Lucknow University, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Lucknow University as well. Dr. Jauhari’s research includes the South Asian Region, primarily highlighting the exploration of growth and development issues in India, which she has compared with those in the African Countries. Dr. Jauhari’s research also focuses on analyzing political, economic, and social issues within the African Continent.  

*Correction: Dr. Jauhari referred to the "British Crown," not the British Queen when answering Question 2. 

Dr. Jauhari speaks to USAI Program Assistant Tarang about current India and Pakistan relations along with history surrounding the partition. Click on the link in our bio to listen to the latest episode!

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This episode of US-Asia Institute's podcast, Asia Unscripted, features Nick Millward, who is the U.S. Co-Director of Friends of Mongolia. Nick Millward earned a bachelor’s in international studies at Virginia Military Institute. Upon graduating, he served as an Infantry Officer in the US Marine Corps for 7 years, where he was eventually stationed in Japan, enabling him to travel to Mongolia. He left the military in 2021 and is pursuing a Masters of Peace and Conflict Studies as a Rotary Peace Fellow at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Nick is developing advanced skills in conflict resolution with a background in Central and East Asian Studies; he has experience collaborating with multiple NGO’s and institutions and is eager to develop a robust network of volunteers and practitioners who strengthen community relations.

Nick speaks to USAI Program Assistant Tarang about the work that Friends of Mongolia does within the country to foster community-building. 

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This episode of US-Asia Institute's podcast, Asia Unscripted, features the Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, The Honorable Sade Bimantara. He is a career diplomat and graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, where he obtained his Bachelor and Masters in his focuses of interests: economics, finance, and communications. 

Mr. Bimantara speaks to USAI Program Assistant Tarang about the 75th anniversary of Indonesia-US relations and how they have changed over the decades. 

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This episode features Dr. David Dollar, who is a senior fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution and host of the Brookings trade podcast, Dollar&Sense. He is a leading expert on China’s economy and U.S.-China economic relations. From 2009 to 2013, Dollar was the U.S. Treasury’s economic and financial emissary to China, based in Beijing, facilitating the macroeconomic and financial policy dialogue between the United States and China. Prior to joining Treasury, Dollar worked 20 years for the World Bank, serving as country director for China and Mongolia, based in Beijing (2004-2009). He has a doctorate in economics from New York University and a bachelor’s in Chinese history and language from Dartmouth College.

David speaks to Amelie about the bilateral partnership between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the respective South East Asian nations, as well as the controversial designation of the infrastructure project as China’s tool for “debt trap diplomacy.” 

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This episode features James Borton and Rodger Baker, the co-authors of the South China Sea Maritime Survey, a survey that aims to “underscore the urgency to examine the benefits and prospects of science-led initiatives in light of the unfolding climate and ecological changes occurring in the region (Source: RANE Marcom blog).”

James Borton is a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Foreign Policy Institute. He is also an independent environmental policy writer and former foreign correspondent for The Washington Times, based in Hong Kong. He contributes regularly to Asia Sentinel, Asia Times, East Asia Forum, Geopolitical Monitor, Nikkei Asian Review, The South China Morning Post, Project Syndicate, and World Politics Review. He was a past National Endowment Humanities Fellow at Yale University. He has been a non-resident fellow at the Stimson Center and Tufts University Science Diplomacy Center and has participated in numerous South China Sea conferences. He also co-founded the Mekong Environment Forum in Can Tho, Vietnam. His latest book, Dispatches from the South China Sea: Navigating to Common Ground, was published in 2021. He has a B.A. and an M.A. with honors in American Studies from the University of Maryland.

Rodger Baker is the executive director of the Stratfor Center for Applied Geopolitics at RANE, a global center of excellence for geopolitical intelligence and analysis. Baker is one of the world's leading experts on North Korea and has dedicated extended periods of time living and working in and around the Korean Peninsula. His core emphasis is the multidisciplinary approach to geopolitics and the evolution of international relations to develop mid-and long-term forecasts to assist companies, governments, and other globally engaged organizations make informed decisions. Baker holds a master's degree in military history from Norwich University, the oldest private military university in the United States. He has studied and worked in South Korea and graduated with honors from Southampton College, Long Island University. 

Mr. Borton and Mr. Baker speak to Amelie about the underlying environmental factors involved in the South China Sea, and the necessity for science diplomacy and cooperation in the contested area.

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This episode features Dr. Dini Sejko, a Lecturer at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Business School, and a research affiliate at The Fletcher Network for Sovereign Wealth and Global Capital, Tufts University.

Dr Sejko’s research focuses on international economic law and the governance of state-owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds (or SWFs). For his research on the impact of UN sanctions on the governance of the Libyan SWF, Dr Sejko received the Society of International Economic Law PEPA Best Paper Award 2018. Dr. Sejko has recently published in the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law an article on “Sovereign Investors as ICSID Claimants: Lessons from the Drafting Documents and the Case Law.” His other publications can be found online on his SSRN profile. Dr. Sejko has obtained a Combined Bachelor and Master of Science in Law from Bocconi University, a Master of Laws in International Economic Law and a PhD in Laws from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Dr. Sejko speaks to Amelie about the the sovereign wealth fund landscape in South East Asia, as well as the challenges and risks associated with the funds’ management and governance. 

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This episode features Mark Manantan, the Director of Cybersecurity and Critical Technologies at the Pacific Forum. At the Forum, Mr. Manantan currently leads the Cyber ASEAN capacity-building initiative, and the US Cyber, Technology, and Security partnerships with Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and South Korea. Mr. Manantan is also a non-resident fellow at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, National Chengchi University, Taiwan, and formerly a research consultant at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Washington, DC. He has held visiting fellowships at the Japan Foundation, the Center for Rule-Making Strategies at Tama University in Tokyo, Japan, and the East-West Center, Washington, DC. Prior to that, he was a media, public relations, and advertising executive for Procter & Gamble, Wells Fargo, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, and UNICEF.

Mr. Manantan speaks to Amelie about the tech landscape in South East Asia, delving into the rise of AI businesses and policies within the region, as well as the role of cybersecurity in geopolitical conflicts, such as the South China Sea.  

Graphic by Sam Tran. 

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