East-West Center in the News

(2012-01-30) Denny Roy, who is a senior fellow with the East-West Center, a Hawaii-based congressionally-funded think tank, said Friday that a potential military base in the Philippines should not be seen as an alternative to the Guam military buildup because the military does not have to choose one or the other.

However, if the Defense Department is able to push some of its Pacific forces into the Philippines, it could lessen the amount of military might that moves to Guam, Roy said.

"If the U.S. and Philippine governments decided to go ahead with a U.S. base or bases in the Philippines, it's possible this could take some of the burden off of Guam to host a lot more military facilities in the future," Roy said, adding later: "Probably (the Defense Department) would like to have both options and to use each for different purposes. But if this panned out, it's possible that some assets that would otherwise have been based on Guam could be based in the Philippines."

... In response, Roy said that American forces in the Philippines would have a "geographic advantage" of being close to the "potential flash points" of Taiwan and the South China Sea.

-- Also appears in: Association of Defense Communities

(2012-02-02) It is difficult to give the Kyodo article proper weight because it is unclear who said it and why, said Denny Roy, an expert on Asian-Pacific military affairs. Roy is a senior fellow at the East-West Center, which is a federally funded think-tank in Hawaii.

In an interview with the Pacific Daily News, Roy explained that it is "very unlikely" that the Defense Department would make statements that so bluntly portray China as an adversary, so the Kyodo source is probably not a military official.

Even if they are, they are likely expressing a "disgruntled, minority view" fueled by frustration that it is not being followed, Roy said.

Roy also said it was not truly surprising that the Pentagon would at least consider Hawaii as an alternative.

"The military considers all kind of things that never see the light of day and would probably shock the average member of the American public," Roy said.

"You would think that, if the original problem was how do we lighten the burden on Okinawa, that several wide range possibilities would be considering, perhaps including Hawaii, unless it was felt that Hawaii is simply too far away," Roy said. ... ...

(2012-02-03) Denny Roy, who is a senior fellow at the East-West Center think-tank in Hawaii, said it is "very unlikely" that the anonymous source cited by Kyodo news service is a U.S. Department of Defense official.

... That doesn't sound like a military official, Roy said, because the military would be hesitant to bluntly portray China as an adversary. Even if the source is from the military, they are likely expressing a "disgruntled, minority view," Roy said.

... "The military considers all kind of things that never see the light of day and would probably shock the average member of the American public," Roy said.

"You would think that, if the original problem was how do we lighten the burden on Okinawa, that several wide range of possibilities would be considered, perhaps including Hawaii, unless it was felt that Hawaii is simply too far away," Roy said.

(2012-02-02) Click HERE to listen to audio

Denny Roy, a senior fellow with the Hawaii think tank, the East-West Centre, says if the Philippines plan becomes a reality it could lessen the burden from Guam "to host more military facilities in the future".

-- Also appears in: Pacific Beat

(2012-02-26) A Senior fellow at the East West Center, Gerard Finin says he does not believe the territories are at the bottom of the Federal government's priority list and the Obama Administration is doing its best to support them.

"I think it's really a reflection of problems with the national economy that are the result of a housing bubble and many other large problems and challenges that the US has faced. So I don't think there has been any attempt to single out island territories in a way that would be disadvantageous to them."

(2012-03-05) "This Bridging Cultures project is part of our overall effort to ensure that every American college and university graduate has a working knowledge of Asian cultures and peoples and their remarkable diversity," said Peter Hershock, Asian Studies Development Program coordinator. "This is not just knowledge for knowledge's sake. An understanding of Asian societies can pay immense dividends in a future in which Asia is set to become progressively more influential on the global economic and political stage."

--Also appears in: Targeted News Service

(2012-03-01) "The regime gets paid again for a promise it already made in 2005. Also, Pyongyang gets an immediate, tangible benefit in food aid while making a temporary concession that can be withdrawn at any time," Denny Roy, senor fellow at the East-West Center said. "Although Washington is 'paying for the same horse' yet again, America gets a lull in North Korean provocations and weapons progress for the relatively cheap price of food aid."

-- Also appears in: Asia Pulse, Yonhap English News (subscription)