East-West Center in the News

(2012-09-03) Satu Limaye, director of the East-West Center in Washington, outlined four challenges for the US in its pivot toward Asia, including how to sustain attention in this region and make multilateralism work and stretch all the way to the Asian subcontinent.

Although it's widely believed countries in this region depend on the US mainly for security, the countries actually have complex ties to its economy, too, Limaye said.

Limaye noted that the US should keep balance in its foreign policy, including its relationship with China, which should be "not too hot, not too cold".

"If we don't have constructive US-China relations, we cannot have constructive relations with our allies and partners because our allies and partners depend on US-China stability," Limaye said.

-- Also appears in: China Business News, China.org.cn

(2012-09-02) Rick Brian Tsujimura, chairman of the EWC board of governors, told conference participants that "everybody here is an 'ambassador', the relationships forged between each of you are the keys to mutual understanding and help to solve to the struggle we each face in the world".

-- Also appears in: Asia News Network, GMW.cn, Sina English

(2012-09-13) Deane Neubauer, of the East West Centre at the University of Hawaii, said there were still significant barriers to cooperation and student and faculty mobility. “We have to find a way to recognise each others’ institutions.”

This included an efficient credit transfer system and “even ASEAN is moving very slowly on this”, said Neubauer, who is also co-editor of Mobility and Migration in Asian Pacific Higher Education, published this year.

Neubauer pointed to significant overlaps between ASEAN initiatives and APEC, and said mutual recognition was as important as measures to set up partnerships.

(2012-09-12) Dr Gerard Finin, who co-directs the Pacific Islands Development Programme at Hawaii’s East-West Centre, agrees.

“It’s mutually beneficial and of critical importance to both Palau and the United States and so that’s why even though there has been this delay I don’t think it alters the fundamental basis for the relationship which has really gone pretty well since the time of Palau’s independence.”

However Dr Gerard Finin says the delay places Palau in a financial bind.