Asia & the Pacific

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany and on the eve of the anniversary of the meeting of Soviet and American troops on the Elbe, the Carnegie Moscow Center organized a conference held April 23, 2015 in Moscow to discuss the experience of Russian-American alliance during the Second World War, as well as the experience of cooperation and rivalry after the end of the Cold War. The Elbe meeting took place on April 25, 1945.

Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, director of the Belfer Center's Defense and Intelligence Projects and founder of The Elbe Group, spoke at the conference in Russian about the significance of the Elbe anniversary to U.S.-Russian relations today. His Russian remarks and English translation are available.

From Eastern Europe to South Africa to the Arab Spring, nonviolent action has proven capable of overthrowing autocratic regimes and bringing about revolutionary political change. In fact, recent research suggests that nonviolent movements are more than twice as effective in achieving their goals than violent ones. So why do some political movements nevertheless believe it necessary to take up arms? Can they be convinced otherwise?

The space exploration agendas of China and India have progressed rapidly in the last decade, spanning from human spaceflight to missions to the Moon and Mars.  Their growing economies have made it possible to fund these programs at a level unconceivable before now. This has therefore stimulated the scientific communities in both states to be more ambitious. In this presentation to the Harvard University South Asia Institute, MTA/ISP Fellow Jaganath Sankaran explores the intracacies of this delicate relationship.

Matthew Bunn presented "Expected – or hoped for – outcomes of the Seoul nuclear security summit" to the 10th Annual RoK-UN Joint Conference on Disarmament and Nonproliferation in Jeju, Republic of Korea.

Transcript of policy address on Oct. 12, 2011, by Zhang Yesui, China's Ambassador to the United States, at Harvard Kennedy School to an overflow audience at an event hosted by the Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and moderated by R. Nicholas Burns, director of the Future of Diplomacy Project in the Belfer Center.

The Chinese government consistently regards energy conservation as one of the most effective means to address its energy-related problems, such as energy security and greenhouse-gas emission reduction. Its energy-saving effect has been substantial since the government has implemented a series of policies in recent years. However, there is still debate about whether or not the current energy conservation policies can support the achievement of China's long-term goal of sustainable development.

The author analyses the implications of economic growth for removing poverty and inequity, in respect of the twin challenges of environmental sustainability and energy security in India.

In this talk, Chikkatur presents India's and China's key energy challenges, challenges specific to the electricity and coal sectors, an overview of coal resources and reserves, and current and future coal technologies. Finally, Chikkatur suggests some key takeaways from his research.

In this talk, Chikkatur provides some background on Indian coal-power, dives into India's current emissions and regulations, its key policy issues, and finally he proposes a way forward for meeting the many challenges associated with India's coal.

Jim Watson, Deputy Director of the Sussex Energy Group at the University of Sussex, U.K., presented work on a project funded by the U.K. Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to study "China's Energy Transition."