The Tea Leaves Podcast

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Arthur Sinodinos: The Future of U.S-Australian Relations With Canberra's Most Recent Man in D.C. May 18, 2023

Show notes

The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO is Partner and Chair of The Asia Group's Australia Practice. He most recently served as Australian Ambassador to the United States, where he was closely involved in Australia’s negotiations related to AUKUS, the Quad, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Ambassador Sinodinos previously worked as Australia’s Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and was a Senator for New South Wales in the Australian Parliament from 2011 to 2019. He also served as Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, as well as Chief of Staff and Senior Economic Adviser to Prime Minister Hon. John Howard AC.

Valerie Rozman: From Cajun to Asian Cuisine May 12, 2023

Show notes

Valerie Rozman recently joined The Asia Group as Director of Research and Analytics and as a Principal, co-leading the Southeast Asia practice. She served in the U.S. government for nearly two decades, primarily in the intelligence community. She was inducted into the CIA’s Senior Analytic Service and served in a number of senior Asia-focused positions, including as Deputy National Intelligence Manager at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and Deputy National Intelligence Officer for East Asia at ODNI. She has briefed numerous senior U.S. and foreign officials, including the U.S. President and U.S. and foreign Cabinet-level officials, on East Asia issues.

Wendy Cutler on the Future of Trade in the Indo-Pacific Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Wendy Cutler is Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and the managing director of the Washington, D.C. office. She joined ASPI after nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), where she served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. During her USTR career, she worked on a range of bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations and initiatives, including the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), U.S.-China negotiations, and the WTO Financial Services negotiations.

Author Charles Dunst on Strengthening Democracy Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

Charles Dunst is the deputy director of research and analytics at The Asia Group and an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A former foreign correspondent, he has reported from countries including Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Israel and the Palestinian territories, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Romania, and Hungary. He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The Telegraph, among other publications. His first book, Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman, was published by Hodder & Stoughton in February 2023.

Best-Selling Author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai on Vietnamese Literature Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is an award-winning Vietnamese writer. She is the author of eleven books of poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction. Her books in Vietnamese have won the 2010 Poetry of the Year Award from the Hanoi Writers Association and first prize in the Poetry Competition celebrating 1,000 Years of Hanoi. Her debut novel and first book in English, The Mountains Sing, is an international bestseller and won the 2021 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. She regularly writes for Vietnamese newspapers and her writing has appeared in outlets including The New York Times, BBC Vietnamese, LitHub, and Poets & Writers Magazine. Her second novel in English, Dust Child, is forthcoming from Algonquin Books.

Dr. Evan Medeiros on the Balloon Incident and the State of U.S.-China Relations Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of the Tea Leaves Podcast, Dr. Evan S. Medeiros provided his unique insight into the state of U.S.-China relations following the Chinese surveillance balloon incident, why the incident matters, and the outlook for re-engagement. Dr. Medeiros and Rexon also explored how China’s domestic economic imperatives are shaping its foreign policy, expectations for the upcoming Two Sessions parliamentary meetings, how Washington can use its diplomatic and economic leverage over Beijing, and more.

Dr. Medeiros is the Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a Senior Advisor at The Asia Group. Dr. Medeiros served on the National Security Council for six years under U.S. President Barack Obama, first as Director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, and then as President Obama’s top advisor for U.S. policy in Asia.

Ashok Malik on India’s Economic and Strategic Outlook Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

Ashok Malik is a Partner at The Asia Group and Chair of its New Delhi-based subsidiary in India where he leads the firm’s in-market business strategy and services. Prior to joining the firm, Ashok served for three years (2019-22) as Policy Advisor/Additional Secretary in India’s Ministry of External Affairs. In that capacity, he worked closely with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and others in the senior leadership of the Ministry to help shape and explain India’s foreign policy in a crucial and eventful period for the international system. Between 2017 and 2019, Ashok served as speechwriter and spokesperson for the 14th President of India, President Ram Nath Kovind. Before joining the government, Ashok was a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, one of India’s preeminent think-tanks, where he analyzed India’s foreign policy and political economy. For nearly two decades, Ashok also had a distinguished career as a writer and editor at The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express and numerous other leading Indian publications. He became one of India’s best-read columnists and commentators, and was in 2016 awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors.

Former USINDOPACOM Commander Adm. Philip S. Davidson Examines Taiwan’s Deterrence Capabilities Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Admiral Philip S. Davidson served as the 25th Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command from 2018 to 2021. Before leading USINDOPACOM, Admiral Davidson held U.S. Navy leadership roles in North America, Europe, and Africa, and served ashore in multiple policy, strategy, and operations roles; these included service as senior military advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) at the State Department, deputy director for Strategy and Policy in the Joint Staff, and as the Navy’s military aide to the vice president of the United States. On this episode, Admiral Davidson examined China's strategic objectives in the Indo-Pacific region, assessed the strengths and weaknesses of Taiwan's deterrence capabilities, and underscored the value of U.S. engagement and cooperation with allies and partners in the region.

Hon. Kevin Rudd Details a Strategic Framework to Protect U.S.-China Stability May 24, 2022

Show notes

Hon. Kevin Rudd served as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2013, and as its Foreign Minister from 2010 to 2012. Today, Kevin is global President and CEO of the Asia Society in New York, and President of the Asia Society Policy Institute. On this episode we discussed Kevin's new book, The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict Between the U.S. and Xi Jinping’s China, which is available now everywhere books are sold. Kevin and Rexon explore the risk of conflict between the United States and China, and Kevin's recommendation for a strategic framework to maintain stability between Washington and Beijing.

Dr. Amy Searight on the Issues Driving the 2022 U.S.-ASEAN Summit May 10, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Amy Searight is a leading U.S. expert on Southeast Asia and U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific region. Dr. Searight served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia from 2014 to 2016, before which she served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, USAID, and on the State Department's Policy Planning Staff. Today, Amy is a senior associate for Asia at CSIS. On this episode, Amy offered a preview of the historic U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit, which U.S. President Joe Biden will host in Washington on May 12-13. In addition to expectations for the summit, we discussed the challenges facing ASEAN, its members' views on the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy and economic framework, China's relations with the bloc, the Philippines election, and more.

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