Moderator: Dr. Sugam Bhatnagar
Certain individual leaders stand out for having brought great prosperity or having wreaked great havoc upon their nations. Structuralists claim that the international structure matters so much that individual leaders do not make much of a difference. Yet what we notice in Asia is a number of political leaders who are able to skillfully guide their nations through times of trouble and times of opportunity. In this workshop, delegates are expected to analyze the origins and evolution of various political leaders in Asia. We will examine and evaluate the most prominent political science theories, scholarly debates, and public controversies about the power of leaders in Asia. What changes have they brought? What changes have they been unable to implement? How much does individual leadership matter in international relations?
We turn our attention in particular to Asian leaders who offer the most dynamic examples of leadership in politics, economics, and society in general. Specifically we will analyze styles of leadership in the most populous country in the world - China - and in the largest democracy in the world - India.
Moderator: Yen Mooi
It is a unique time to be a student or observer of economics, in the midst of the crisis that is unfolding around the world. Given Asia's extensive linkages to the global economy, the impact of the crisis was certainly felt in the region, even though most countries were not directly exposed to subprime assets which were at the epicenter of the financial meltdown. This panel will examine the impact of the global financial and economic crisis on Asia. How badly was the region affected, and why? How different is it this time, compared to the 1997-1998 crisis? Importantly, how did Asian countries deal with the crisis? We will draw lessons from both current and historical perspectives, and examine policy responses at the national and regional levels. Looking ahead, we will also assess the challenges that Asia faces in a post-crisis world. As growth sustainability is crucial for the region to continue playing a significant global role, we will think critically about what Asia's future growth model looks like, and explore the need for new growth strategies in Asia.
Moderator: Tao Zhang
This panel will provide a forum for professors, practitioners, and students from around the world to share their views on the security challenges facing the Asian continent. While there is now a general acknowledgement that Asia is becoming the new center of gravity in international politics, it is also true that the present juncture represents a period of uncertainty. A variety of key security challenges have recently been converging in Asia that include North Korea nuclear threat, territorial dispute between China and India, continued tensions between Pakistan and India, and a resurgent Russia. Though growing economic interdependence has the tendency to help maintain an equilibrium among these nations, potential sources of conflict cannot be easily ignored when striving for a peaceful, stable future for the continent.
Moderator: Yu Lei
The threat of global warming, if unaddressed, promises disastrous consequences for all of human civilization. Due to increased temperature, the sea level is rising; the North Pole ice cap is disappearing; countless species are becoming extinct; humanity is facing a greater risk of environmental disasters. As the newest and fastest developing region in the world, Asia is already emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases to the global atmosphere. Asian countries should take responsibility and attempt to combat the problem by taking initiative in climate change policy and international relations. China has surpassed the US as the primary emitter of carbon, but its carbon emissions have not been restricted by any international agreements. The Kyoto Protocol undertook some effort to curb carbon emissions by developing countries, and the imminent Copenhagen conference is expected to have a greater effect on all nations, especially Asian countries. Developing renewable energy could be a sustainable strategy for Asian countries as part of a long term plan to reduce their carbon emission. However, burdened with large initial capital costs, long payback time, and low conversion efficiency in the renewable sector, Asian countries have hesitated to produce large scale renewable energy and continue to build "dirty" fossil fuel-based power plants. The Global Environment panel will focus on discussing global warming and renewable energy issues and their related effects on health and the economy in Asia. Approaching the issue from the vantage point of policy makers, delegates will be able to understand and interpret the intertwined relationship between economics, environment, energy, and national security. In applying what they learn over the course of the workshop, delegates will be able to propose more effective policies on the environment and energy.
Moderator: Josh S.C. Ryoo
Since the time of ancient philosophers in China and (much later) in Greece, the importance of education has been recognized as a way of realizing social, political, and individual ideals. This can be seen in Confucius' extensive arguments on the centrality of education in shaping a better individual in his Analects and in Plato's treatise on systematized educational practices in The Republic. With a long-held common belief in the importance of education at both the societal and the individual levels, a number of Asian countries are currently facing serious challenges to their self-proclaimed need to succeed in the international scholarly competitions. Though the origins of such a strong sense of competition are unclear, it is a well-established fact that the majority of educational conversation in Asia revolves around the concepts of competition, economic success, and international advancement. The delegates will investigate several key topics in the ongoing discussions on education in Asia and examine the theoretical and practical soundness of their competition-driven efforts.
Moderator: Xiaofei Ying
The panel sets out to examine historical manifestations of disparity, disagreement, and conflict from East, Southeast, and South Asia from different perspectives and to discuss how similar or different narratives have contributed to strengthen or weaken the regionalism in Asia. Setting history as the background, this panel will then move on to explore the security, economic and political dimensions of regional cooperation and further, its integration. Speakers and delegates will offer their insights on both the theories and practices of regionalism in Asia, and discuss its opportunities, obstacles and options. Case studies will be employed to discuss the proposed East Asian Community as well as to evaluate the existing regional institutions such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the East Asian Summit (EAS), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SOC). This panel will conclude by looking at the implications of the regional political economy, democratization, identity, the roles of multi-level actors and the institutional designs for regional integration. Delegates are encouraged to deconstruct stereotypes, to develop the skills of critical and creative thinking, and to gain a more sophisticated understanding of history and the development of regionalism in Asia.
