Mapping change in the Asia Pacific region : geopolitics, economics, and diplomacy

Abstract

The Senior Policy Seminar brings together senior foreign policy officials, private sector leaders, and analysts from countries around the region for nonofficial, frank, and non-attribution discussions of security issues in the Asia Pacific region. The 2007 Senior Policy Seminar at the East-West Center was the eighth in an annual series. In view of the profound changes that have been occurring in the Asia Pacific region over recent years and in anticipation of a 2008 presidential election in the United States that will shape the nature of the next U.S. administration if not its specific policies, this year’s seminar focused on a retrospective on the ongoing “tectonic shifts” in various dimensions of power within the region. The three subareas were strategic/geopolitical power, economic power, and the more recently articulated concept of “soft power.” In addition, the opening and concluding sessions considered a somewhat broader and more topical range of regional issues including implications and challenges for U.S. policy. The principal value of the seminar is always found in the insights and contributions of the participants both those who made opening presentations at the various sessions and those who participated in the frequently lively discussions. It is their observations that provide the analysis and judgments recorded in this report. All views expressed in this report are those of the participants and do not necessarily represent either a consensus of all views expressed or the views of the East-West Center.