Smart Q&A: [Stephan Haggard] North Korea Human Rights at the UN
On the first year anniversary of the UN Commission of Inquiry's report into human rights abuses in North Korea, Professor Stephan Haggard from the University of California San Diego, argues for the U.S. to take a step back in allowing other actors such as the EU to take the lead. In doing so, he emphasizes the need to understand the complementary nature of pressure and engagement; endorsing Park Geun-hye's trustpolitik and urging South Korea to create greater initiatives to engage the North further.
Where to From Here? The Future of MIKTA
EAI played host to special guests from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on February 25th. Organized by EAI at the request of Australia's DFAT, it was attended by the Assistant Director of the Investment and Economic branch of DFAT and representatives of the MIKTA division.
"Conceding-to-Thrive" - Joseph Wong Challenges Conventional Wisdom
In his special expert roundtable panel titled: "The Strength to Concede: "Ruling Parties and Democratization in Developmental Asia," Professor Joseph Wong introduced his "democracy-through-strength" theory. Wong's theory diverges from the widely accepted notion that autocratic regimes concede to democratic change as their power base is eroded, rather, within the context of Asia, autocratic regimes often chose democratic reform as they saw an opportunity for further consolidation of their authority.
Middle Powers Wield Unprecedented Influence on the Contemporary Global Order
The emerging structure in the global system requires a fundamental shift in strategy of middle powers according to Professor Andrew Cooper of the University of Waterloo. In the latest paper in the EAI's MPDI Working Paper Series, Cooper places Korea and Canada in a comparative light. He argues that traditional middle powers will "accent away" from the "soft" brand paving the way for new middle powers to fill this gap and potentially remodel middle power identity, a phenomenon that Korea is already helping to advance.
A New Year with Lingering Problems - UCR January 2015 Edition Available Now
The continued influence of ISIL and issues in the Middle East and Africa dominates the focus of the U.S. in particular. In this issue Taiwan becomes a major talking point for both countries, a more peaceful approach to South China Sea disputes emerges, human rights violations in North Korea and abroad as well as cyber security and the renewed vigor in U.S. and Chinese policy toward climate change mitigation.
EAI Helping to Grow Korea's Global Leaders
The EAI is proud to announce the recipients of the EAI Young Leaders Scholars Award for 2015. This year's recipients attended a special mentoring camp on February 27th, and were officially bestowed their scholarships at the EAI on March 2nd in an award ceremony that coincided with the beginning of the new university semester in the Republic of Korea.
In Search of Robust Policy: the MPDI Research Panel Release First Set of Policy Recommendations for South Korea
The Middle Power Diplomacy Initiative Research Panel has released the first four of a series of eight policy, relating to middle power diplomacy in the context of U.S.-China relations. Sungjin Kim's recommendations for Korea's Climate Change policy, Seungjoo Lee's paper on Development Cooperation, Yong Wook Lee's insights into Finance and Dong Ryul Lee's recommendations on Korea-China relations have now been published. The remaining set of four policy recommendation papers will be released in March and all papers, both published and forthcoming, will be available for free access on the EAI website.
