East Asia Security and Rights

The rapid rise of China continues to have an extraordinary impact on its neighbors and the broader world, and promises to remain a central issue for American foreign policy for years to come. Abroad, an increasingly assertive China poses foundational questions for the American-led international order, while at home the combination of authoritarianism and growing technological prowess is leading to new forms of government control. In North Korea, meanwhile, totalitarianism continues to hold the North Korean people firmly in its grasp, while on-again, off-again nuclear tensions keep South Korea, Japan, the United States, and other allies on edge.

The Strauss Center’s East Asia program focuses on these parallel issues of international security and individual human rights. Through visiting speakers, conferences, research, and courses, we seek to enrich understanding of these dilemmas while bringing the world to the doorstep of UT students and the broader community that are interested in them.