Stanford Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center

06/08/2026

“Whatever is wrong with Thailand can be fixed with what is right with Thailand,” says Pita Limjaroenrat - พิธา ลิ้มเจริญรัตน์, Thailand’s “almost prime minister” and a leading voice for democratic reform.

It was a pleasure to welcome Pita back to APARC for a timely conversation on Thailand’s future and the evolving dynamics of Southeast Asia. Pita offered a candid assessment of the recent electoral defeat of the progressive People’s Party, discussed Thai-Cambodian border tensions and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, examined the challenges facing middle powers in an increasingly fragmented international order, and reflected on the possibility of his own political return.

Though currently barred from political office, Pita remains a compelling example of political resilience and strategic leadership. His analysis offers valuable insights into the future of democracy, governance, and regional cooperation in Southeast Asia.

🔗 Watch the complete conversation: https://youtu.be/ViQMs4V39hQ

06/05/2026

South Korea’s local elections this week offered the first nationwide test of President Lee Jae Myung’s administration, APARC's Gi-Wook Shin tells AFP News Agency. The ruling Democratic Party won most contests, while the conservative People Power Party remains without unified leadership.

The Democratic Party, however, lost the high-profile Seoul mayoral seat, which is viewed as a launching pad to the presidency. On the presidential prospects of the re-elected conservative mayor Oh Se-hoon, Shin notes that he offers "no new agenda to anchor a national candidacy."

🔗 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/south-korea-s-ruling-party-heads-for-local-election-sweep/ar-AA24KsBT
🔗 https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/south-koreas-ruling-party-fails-050826083.html

South Korea's ruling Democratic Party swept most seats in local elections but failed to flip the crucial Seoul mayoral seat, official results showed Thursday, in a sign that voters sought to keep a ch...

06/04/2026

Growing up in the Philippines, Gaea Morales experienced how disaster-driven resource scarcity can fuel conflict and, at the same time, witnessed the value of community engagement in effective public service delivery.

For Gaea, our 2025-26 Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow on Contemporary Asia, those early experiences sparked the central question of her research: What happens between "thinking globally" and "acting locally"?

Gaea’s fieldwork in Bangkok, Jakarta, and Metro Manila reveals a powerful trend: cities are the new leaders in climate action. They are stepping up to fill in the gap in environmental governance and drive policy implementation where national and international efforts have stalled.

We're thrilled to see Gaea take her expertise to Loyola University Chicago this coming fall as the Helen Houlahan Rigali Assistant Professor of Political Science! Congratulations, Gaea! 🎉

🗞️ We spoke with her about her fascinating research and her fellowship experience at APARC this year. Meet Gaea > https://stanford.io/4fm4FK1

05/29/2026

🌏 What can Islamic Singapore teach us about the Indian Ocean world, climate ethics, and multispecies responsibility?

💡 In a new APARC Q&A, historian and anthropologist Teren Sevea reflects on his research into Southeast Asian Islam, Sufi networks, ecological vulnerability, and the intertwined histories of humans, animals, waters, and landscapes. Drawing from archives, oral traditions, and site-based research across Southeast Asia, Sevea explores how overlooked religious worlds challenge dominant narratives about modernity, development, and environmental futures.

📚 As APARC’s Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Fellow on Southeast Asia, Sevea also discusses how interdisciplinary conversations at Stanford shaped his thinking on religion, political economy, climate change, and “green developmentalism” in Asia. After his time at APARC, Sevea returns to Harvard Divinity School, where he is the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Associate Professor of Islamic Studies.

🔗 Read the full interview: https://aparc.fsi.stanford.edu/news/insights-rich-worlds-southeast-asian-islam

05/28/2026

❗️ Job Alert! We're hiring a temporary editor to serve as the operational backbone of The Journal of Korean Studies

📚 This highly autonomous role oversees all aspects of the journal's editorial workflow, manuscript management, and publication production, requiring familiarity with academic publishing processes, editorial standards, and scholarly communication.

🌏 Housed at APARC's Korea Program, The Journal of Korean Studies is one of the leading peer-reviewed publications in the field. The role is a temporary hourly position eligible for a hybrid work schedule.

🔗 Learn more and join our team! https://aparc.fsi.stanford.edu/jobs

05/27/2026

💡 In this final installment of our spring quarter Global Affiliates Program scholar spotlight series, we're happy to introduce Noriaki Wada, who brings extensive policy experience in energy and electricity markets to the program. His research examines how governments can ensure a stable electricity supply while working toward carbon neutrality.

⚡️ Before coming to Stanford, Noriaki held several leadership positions at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry, where he worked on policies to expand the use of renewable energy and electricity market reforms. At Stanford this year, he is examining California’s energy policies to identify lessons that could help inform Japan’s future energy transition.

🏌️ Fun fact: Outside of research, Noriaki enjoys spending time with his daughter, playing golf, and exploring California.

His advice for future participants in the Global Affiliates Program is to take advantage of the opportunities APARC offers to engage with colleagues and researchers from diverse backgrounds and gain new perspectives. "I highly encourage you to reach out to people across campus," he says.

🔗 Learn more about the Shorenstein APARC Global Affiliates Program:

📸 Rod Searcey

05/27/2026

🇯🇵 How are frontier defense technologies reshaping U.S.-Asia-Pacific alliances?

Our Japan Program’s recent conference opened with an expert panel addressing the current state and future of Pacific alliances. Speakers included Victor Cha of School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University and CSIS | Center for Strategic & International Studies CSIS Korea Chair; Rui Matsukawa, a member of Japan’s House of Councillors and the Liberal Democratic Party; former U.S. Ambassador to Australia and Japan J. Thomas Schieffer; and moderator Katherine (Kemy) Monahan, former U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission in Japan.

🗾 Matsukawa described the current moment as an era of crisis and said that a stronger, more independent Japan does not contradict the alliance with the U.S. but rather supplements it, allowing Japan to better serve the region.

🌏 Cha highlighted opportunities for allies to collaborate on establishing norms and rules for emerging technologies, especially military AI, as the international system faces growing instability and alliances evolve toward layered coalitions.

🤝 Ambassador Schieffer stressed that diplomacy and trust remain essential, even in increasingly digitized conflicts.

🔗 Watch the full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbN0n_bK7nk&t=0s

05/22/2026

🇹🇼 Our recent Taiwan Program conference opened with a panel on Taiwan's efforts to sustain democratic resilience, featuring Kai-Ping Huang, Associate Professor of Political Science at 國立臺灣大學 National Taiwan University; Kai-Shen Huang, Research Fellow at 科技、民主與社會研究中心; Kharis Templeman, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution; and moderator Larry Diamond, Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

📊 Drawing on data from the Asian Barometer, Kai-Ping Huang highlighted Taiwan’s relatively high democratic resilience score, but noted the challenges posed by rising political polarization and argued that the island's democratic future will depend in part on how political institutions navigate divided government and legislative constraints.

🗳️ Kai-Shen Huang examined Taiwan’s response to foreign disinformation and election interference, arguing that Taiwan and other democracies should focus less on eliminating disinformation and more on addressing the broader “system of instability” created by the convergence of lightly regulated digital platforms, external influence operations, and local amplification networks.

🏛️ Templeman emphasized the importance of institutional durability, noting that despite heightened political conflict, several Taiwanese institutions – including the Central Election Commission and Central Bank – continue to maintain broad public trust.

🔗 Watch the full conversation: https://bit.ly/4dZkOE0

05/21/2026

At our recent Japan Program conference, which explored the impacts of new defense technologies on U.S.-Asia-Pacific alliances, we welcomed two former national security advisors for a keynote fireside chat: Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, the 25th U.S. national security advisor, and Masataka Okano, former national security advisor and vice minister for foreign affairs of Japan.

The conversation, moderated by Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) Director Colin Kahl, explored how AI, cyber capabilities, space, and critical infrastructure are reshaping modern conflict and international cooperation. McMaster, the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, emphasized the growing need for democratic allies to strengthen resilience and coordination. Okano highlighted how interconnected digital systems, semiconductors, transportation networks, and energy access have become central to national defense.

🎥 Watch the full conversation on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6NPwAvLYN8&t=96s

05/20/2026

Session recordings from our recent conference, Visions of Taiwan's Future, are now up on our YouTube channel! WATCH > https://bit.ly/3PgeyOV

Presented by APARC’s Taiwan Program, the conference convened scholars, practitioners, and cultural leaders to explore Taiwan's efforts to build a resilient future and an enduring innovation edge amid global turbulence. Panelists examined how Taiwan is responding to political polarization, disinformation, AI transformation, and global economic restructuring, while growing its global cultural presence in film, media, and storytelling.

The conference included presentations by:
🔹 Kai-Ping Huang, Associate Professor, 國立臺灣大學 National Taiwan University National Taiwan University
🔹 Kai-Shen Huang, Research Fellow, 科技、民主與社會研究中心 (Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology)
🔹 Kharis Templeman, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
🔹 Jonathan Liao, Managing Director, Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office
🔹 Dominic Rizzo, CEO & Founder, ZeroRISC Inc.
🔹 Tony Wang, Managing Partner, 500 Global
🔹 Nikki Pham, Co-Founder, Boba Bliss
🔹 Brian Hu, Associate Professor, San Diego State University
🔹Shih-Ching Tsou, Director, LEFT-HANDED GIRL
🔹Jane Wu, Director & Producer

Plus remarks and moderation by:
🔹 Larry Diamond, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Hoover Institution, Stanford University
🔹 Steve Chen, Co-founder, YouTube, and Taiwan Gold Card Holder #1
🔹 Ruo-Fan Liu, Postdoctoral Fellow, APARC
🔹 W. Brent Christensen, Former Director, 美國在台協會 AIT
🔹 Kiyoteru Tsutsui, Director, APARC
🔹 Gi-Wook Shin, Director, APARC Taiwan Program

💡 Some key takeaways:
• Taiwan is emerging as a real-time test case for democratic resilience, AI governance, and technological competition
• Countering disinformation requires strengthening platform accountability and infrastructure resilience, not only fact-checking
• Taiwan’s innovation ecosystem extends beyond semiconductors into AI, cybersecurity, healthcare, and entrepreneurship
• Cultural storytelling and creative industries are becoming increasingly important sources of Taiwan’s global influence and soft power
• Taiwan’s long-term strength lies not only in technology leadership, but also in democratic legitimacy, adaptability, and cultural openness

🔗 Full story > https://stanford.io/4tSfN51

📸 Ken Hamel