Feb.18 Panel at WC to Discuss Importance of Asia to U.S. and Maryland

Satu Limaye

It is not difficult to see the economic sway Asia holds over the rest of the world. Pick up almost anything you own, and the “Made In” label on it will boast the name of an Asian country. But how does Asia directly affect Maryland? OnWednesday, February 18, at 5:00 p.m., a panel of experts will meet at Washington College to answer that question and more during a program titled  “The Growing Importance of Asia for the United States.”

The discussion, which is open to the public, will be held in Hynson Lounge. It is jointly sponsored by the College’s Goldstein Program in Public Affairs and the East-West Center, an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1960 to promote dialogue and greater understanding between the United States and countries in Asia and the Pacific.

Panelists will include:

• Satu Limaye, Director of the East-West Center, which is headquartered in Washington. Limaye, who earned his Ph.D. in international relations from Oxford, is also the creator/director of the “Asia Matters for America” program, and founding editor of the “Asia-Pacific Bulletin,” which analyzes and discusses various issues in U.S.-Asia relations.

• Ellen Frost, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Technology and Economic Affairs, and Counselor to the U.S. Trade Representative. Frost is now an adjunct senior fellow at the East-West Center and a distinguished research fellow at the National Defense University. She is author of several books on international trade, most recently Asia’s New Regionalism (2008).

• Matthew Daley, former president of the U.S.-ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] Business Council and past Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for Southeast Asian and Pacific Affairs. Daley’s career also has included work with the U.S. Foreign Service, Army, and Secret Service. He is now Senior Consultant at New Century US.

Andrew Oros, associate professor of Political Science and International Studies at Washington College, will serve as moderator. Panelists will offer their perspectives on Maryland’s trade, security and cultural relations with Asia, and respond to questions and comments from the audience.