American Diplomacy in Asia and Who Will Shape It: Is the 21st Century Still the Pacific Century?

media release: This talk will be held at Pyle Center 313.

Global pundits over recent decades predicted the 21st century would be the “Pacific Century,” as the world’s strategic and economic center of gravity shifted toward Asia. American policymakers responded, with pivots and rebalances to Asia, with visions of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” and with a sharpening rivalry with a newly assertive, ambitious China. Now, in 2024, with multiple global and regional crises and realignments simultaneously occurring, the prospects for an American-dominated “Pacific Century” seem dimmer.

The American presence in Asia and the Pacific – military, economic, and diplomatic – was a major shaper of today’s Asia. Going forward, a new generation of Asia hands – deeply familiar with the region as well as of the wider global and domestic political context in the U.S. – is needed. What can we learn from the successes and failures of past “Asia hands,” and how do we nurture the next generation?

Speaker Biography:

Ambassador (ret) Kathleen Stephens was a career Foreign Service officer, 1978-2014. She was U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (2008-2011), and acting U.S. Ambassador to India (2014). Other overseas postings included China, Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia, and Portugal. She served in numerous State Department and White House positions in Washington. She is Board Chair of The Korea Society and Vice-Chair of The Asia Foundation. She was President of the Korea Economic Institute of America 2018-2023.

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