Center
for Asian Studies celebrates 100th forum
By
Sally Acharya
(From American Weekly Web
News, Dec. 19, 2006)
1 of 2 pages
Asia has more than 60 percent of
the world’s population,
four of the world’s five largest economies, and its
most news-grabbing political and military flashpoints. Clearly,
it offers a lot to talk about. Perhaps that’s one reason
the Center for Asian Studies in the School of International
Service (SIS) took less than six years to reach a major milestone:
its 100th Asia Forum.
Every two weeks or so during the academic year, ambassadors,
policymakers, and scholars are invited to the SIS to speak
on their research or reflect on pressing topics.
One week may bring the South Korean ambassador, sharing
his thoughts on North Korea. Another week may usher in a
discussion of the role of Japan in Iraq, or recent directions
in Chinese foreign policy.
Last semester ended with an international gathering of scholars
for a conference called “Japanese Foreign Policy: Perspectives
from Chinese Scholars.” “We knew that would draw
interest not only among [China’s] Asian neighbors,
but also from Japan itself, because Japan has paid special
attention to other societies’ comments,” said
Quansheng Zhao, director of the Center for Asian Studies.
Like many of the center’s events, the conference combined
a theoretical scholarly perspective with the practical, empirical
ideas of diplomats, including Masafumi Ishii, head of the
political section of the Embassy of Japan. The dialogue wasn’t
limited to the forum and conference, but continued the next
day at a luncheon hosted at a Dupont Circle sushi restaurant.
The forums are comparatively new, but their striking success
is built on a foundation that dates back several decades.
The Center for Asian Studies was founded over 20 years ago
by Warren Hunsberger, a prominent scholar on the Japanese
economy. After he passed away in 1997, the center launched
the Hunsberger Lecture Series, which became the inspiration
for the series of regular forums. By the end of 2006, the
center had not only celebrated its 100th forum, but raced
ahead to its 111th.
The center has been able to sustain such a continuous level
of activity in part because of its strong foundation. “The
Center has a long history at AU. There were distinguished
faculty members like Hunsberger and Milledge Walker and Llewelyn
Howell who formed the basis,” says SIS dean Louis Goodman, “and
now Professor Zhao is very dynamic—reaching out to
the broader Asian community around Washington, and with his
energy, bringing people here from around the world.”
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