Overview

Northeast Asia is a sub-region that remains plagued by negative historical legacies and ongoing political rivalries. Despite its remarkable economic growth and nascent attempts at political and economic integration, Northeast Asia is likely to be volatile in the short to mid-term (5-10 years) due to the destabilizing effects of some of the dominant trends impacting security dynamics in the sub-region. Within this context, we will examine some of the major factors affecting security dynamics in Northeast Asia

Objectives

• Examine major features and currents that shape geopolitical landscape in the Indo-Pacific.
• Examine key factors influencing great power competition in the Indo-Pacific.
• In seminar, identify & evaluate options for US policymakers to effect strategy in the Indo-Pacific.

Speaker's Bios

Professor Michael Burgoyne U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (retired) joined the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in July 2016 as a Military Professor. His areas of focus at DKI APCSS are Security Cooperation, International Affairs, Taiwan, and China. His experience in the Asia-Pacific includes most recently serving as the Army Programs Officer at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Taipei. Before that, he was a university student in Beijing, an intern in the Defense Attaché Office in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and an intern in the Liaison Affairs Section at AIT.

Email:  burgoynem@apcss.org
Prof. Mike Burgoyne's Bio

Lieutenant Colonel Sila Pang joined the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) in July 2020 as a military faculty member.  Prior to her arrival at the Center, Lieutenant Colonel Pang served as the Director of Manpower, Personnel, and Services for Seventh Air Force in Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea where she oversaw key programs supporting 8,900 Air Force personnel on the Korean peninsula. She spent most of her military career operating and traveling throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Her experiences include: Commander for Eighth Force Support Squadron in Kunsan Air Base, South Korea; Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Planner for  Defense Threat Reduction Agency at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and Staff Officer for the Manpower, Personnel and Services Directorate in the Pacific Air Force Command at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Lieutenant Colonel Pang holds a Master’s degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School, Masters in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Texas.

Email: pangs@apcss.org
Lt Col Sila Pang's Bio

Resources:

• Yasuyo Sakata, “Japan-South Korea Relations and the Biden Factor,” Council on Foreign Relations, December 21, 2020. 
• Nick Aspinwall, “US Brushes Off Chinese Threat That Taiwan Independence ‘Means War,’” The Diplomat, February 1, 2021. 
• William Pesek, “US Sidelined as China, Korea and Japan Unite,” Asia Times, November 20, 2020. 
• Kyle Ferrier, “Could RCEP Help Improve South Korea-Japan Relations,” The Diplomat, November 24, 2020. 
• Trilateral summit in China brings together South Korean and Japanese leaders for the first time in over a year