SEAF Director Donald K. Emmerson debates "Islamism" in new book

Islamism: Contested Perspectives on Political Islam was published by Stanford University Press in November 2009. But the story behind the book dates back five years to November 2004. It was then that Donald K. Emmerson and Daniel Varisco -- who have each contributed a lead essay to this volume -- agreed to disagree.

Fresh Dynamics in US-Burmese Relations?

Several developments have come together to trigger renewed media interest in the "Myanmar problem." These developments include: (a) changes in US policy toward the military junta that rules Burma/Myanmar; (b) rumors of possible shifts in the stances taken by the junta and its iconic opponent Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; (c) President Obama's scheduled November 2009 summit with all ten ASEAN leaders including Myanmar's own Senior General Than Shwe; and (d) the prospect of an "election" in Myanmar in 2010.

SEAF Director Named to Task Force on Burma/Myanmar

The Asia Society has organized a Task Force on U.S. Policy toward Burma/Myanmar, co-chaired by retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark and Holsman International Chair (and former USAID Administrator) Henrietta H. Fore. The panel comprises a dozen or so individuals from various occupations and backgrounds, including SEAF's director, Don Emmerson. Assisting the Task Force is an also diverse Advisory Group of some thirty experts in Southeast Asian and other countries. The Asia Society expects to release the Task Force's final report early in 2010.

Where Did They Go and What Have They Been Up To? John Ciorciari

John D. Ciorciari was a Shorenstein Fellow at APARC in 2007-08 and an affiliate of APARC and SEAF in 2008-09 while a National Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Upon leaving Stanford he took up a position as an assistant professor in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

SEAF Scholars Traveling to Philadelphia despite Old Joke

Past, present, and future Southeast Asianists linked to SEAF have ignored the hoary joke about the contest whose first prize is one week in Philadelphia and whose second prize is two weeks in that city. Several of them are on the program of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) to be held, yes, in Philadelphia on 25-28 March 2010.

Morada and Jones on Hard Choices

Edited by SEAF Director Don Emmerson and co-published in 2008-09 by APARC at Stanford and ISEAS in Singapore, Hard Choices: Security, Democracy, and Regionalism in Southeast Asia continues to attract attention. Excerpted below are two differing but equally thoughtful recent reviews:

June 15, 2009
What's Up with Southeast Asian Studies at Stanford? Recap, Prospect, Controversy

August 1, 2008
Indonesian economist named Shorenstein APARC/Asia Foundation Visiting Fellow for 2009-2010