Scott Snyder, The Asia Foundation’s Senior Associate, International Relations, has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times on individuals and non-government groups tracking North Korean military activities. Read the full story “The information fortress known as North Korea.“
The Asia Foundation’s recently released report “Afghanistan in 2008: A Survey of the Afghan People,” was referenced in a U.S. News & World Report story about Afghan voter registration in advance of next year’s elections. Read the full story, “Afghanistan’s Voter Registration Drive Is Unexpectedly Peaceful and Successful”
Kim Ninh, The Asia Foundation’s Representative in Vietnam, was quoted in today’s Wall Street Journal story about the Miss Vietnam beauty pageant. Read “For Ex-Miss Vietnam, Uneasy Lies The Head That Quit High School.”
Ninh also wrote a full piece on this topic, “Beauty and Lost Innocence,” which appeared in the International Herald Tribune.
George Varughese, The Asia Foundation’s Representative in Afghanistan, spoke with Chicago Public Radio about the findings of the just-released “Afghanistan in 2008: A Survey of the Afghan People,” including why the Foundation conducts surveys in Afghanistan, the challenges of conducting the survey, and the findings and major trends in the survey. Listen to the interview, “Afghan Public Pessimistic About Future.”
The Asia Foundation’s fourth public opinion survey, “Afghanistan in 2008: A Survey of the Afghan People” is the largest and broadest survey ever conducted at one time in Afghanistan reports public opinion on security, reconstruction and governance. The poll garnered significant media coverage, including the following media outlets, and many more:
See The Asia Foundation’s press release, “The Asia Foundation Releases 2008 Afghan Public Opinion Poll.”
Tom Coghlan of the Times of London has published a piece focusing on The Asia Foundation’s survey of the Afghan people, “Afghanistan in 2008.” Read the full story, “Afghans losing faith in West’s reconstruction efforts.”
The Agence France-Presse was among the many media outlets to cover The Asia Foundation’s release of its fourth public opinion survey, the largest and broadest survey ever conducted at one time in Afghanistan. Read the AFP story, “Afghans increasingly pessimistic: survey.”
See The Asia Foundation’s press release, “The Asia Foundation Releases 2008 Afghan Public Opinion Poll.”
Largest and broadest survey ever conducted at one time in Afghanistan reports public opinion on security, reconstruction and governance.
Today, The Asia Foundation released findings from its most recent public opinion poll in Afghanistan, which covers the largest population sample ever surveyed at one time in all 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces. “Afghanistan in 2008: A Survey of the Afghan People” is the fourth poll conducted by the Foundation, which released previous polls in 2004, 2006, and 2007. Collectively, the four surveys establish an accurate, long-term barometer of public opinion across Afghanistan to help assess the direction in which the country is moving in the post-Taliban era.
A copy of the 2008 survey can be accessed in its entirety, here.
Despite slow and steady gains in amenities and services for Afghan citizens and signs of success in reconstruction efforts, the situation on the ground in Afghanistan has grown increasingly difficult during the past year. Significantly higher civilian and military casualties, severe food shortages, and rising inflation and unemployment characterize the situation for the past several months. It is within this context that the 2008 survey captures the Afghan public’s perceptions of reconstruction, security, governance, and attitudes towards government and informal institutions, as well as poppy cultivation, the status of women, the role of Islam, and the impact of media.
The fieldwork for the survey was conducted during June 12-July 2, 2008. In-person interviews were conducted with a multi-stage random sample of 6,593 Afghan citizens 18 years of age and older, both women and men, from different social, economic, and ethnic communities in rural and urban areas in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
The survey report opens with findings on the overall national mood in Afghanistan in 2008, which states that 38 percent of Afghans think the country is headed in the right direction (compared to 42% in 2007, 44% in 2006, and 64% in 2004); 32 percent feel it is moving in the wrong direction (24% in 2007, 21% in 2006, 11% in 2004). The remaining 23 percent have mixed feelings (25% in 2007, 29% in 2006, 8% in 2004). In the 2004 data, it is important to note that the sample size was 804 Afghans; since 2006, the sample size has been over 6,000 Afghans.
The 2008 survey — which was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development — was designed, directed, and edited by the Foundation, with all interviews completed in person by 543 Afghan men and women employed by the Afghan Center for Socio-economic and Opinion Research (ACSOR) in Kabul. Similar surveys are planned for 2009, 2010, and 2011.
The Asia Foundation’s Kabul office was re-established in February 2002 to launch programs in areas vital to the political, social, economic, and intellectual development of post-Taliban Afghanistan. Since then, the Foundation’s Kabul office has assisted Afghans in their efforts to rebuild the country through the establishment of an interim government, the development of a new constitution, and the provision of support to implement national voter registration, civic education, media monitoring, and technical planning for the 2004 Presidential and 2005 National Assembly and Provincial Council elections. Since these elections, the Foundation has also been providing long-term critical support to key institutions within the executive branch of government at the central level. Other Foundation programs have focused on creating educational and training opportunities for women and girls, supporting development of higher education, and promoting exchanges to foster improved international relations.
Today, The Asia Foundation announced the appointment of Dr. Robin Bush as Country Representative in Indonesia, effective November 6. Dr. Bush has served as Deputy Country Representative for the Foundation in Indonesia since 2006. Dr. Bush replaces Dr. Douglas Ramage, who, since 1996, has expanded the scope of the Indonesia country program to include an international and national staff of over 60 and a grants and technical assistance portfolio of over $50 million from a diverse range of multilateral and bilateral donors.
“I am very confident that in the appointment of Dr. Robin Bush we have named a very capable and knowledgeable leader for our office in Indonesia” said Douglas Bereuter, President of The Asia Foundation. “Indeed, she already has played a major role in the development of the Indonesia program into one of the largest and most successful of the Foundation’s country programs. Through her knowledge about Indonesia and her strong experience and training in development activities she brings extraordinary strengths to this highly visible and important role.”
Prior to becoming Deputy Country Representative, Dr. Bush was The Asia Foundation’s Regional Director for Islam and Development, responsible for assisting Foundation offices Asia-wide in developing Islam-related programs. These programs included civil society, education, and anti-poverty programs implemented in collaboration with Muslim organizations. Dr. Bush has been with the Foundation since 1998, when she joined its Indonesia office as a Program Officer for the Islam and Civil Society program. In Indonesia, she facilitated programmatic innovations that led to police and Muslim clerics working together to improve community security, bringing civic education and student-centered teaching to madrasah and Islamic schools, and enabling Muslim civil society organizations to improve service delivery at local levels.
“The Asia Foundation is a special organization, and I’m honored to be a part of its unique approach to development in Indonesia,” said Bush, who has lived in Indonesia for over 20 years.
In addition to being an experienced development professional, Bush is an internationally recognized scholar of Indonesian politics and Islam in Indonesia. She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Washington and her MA in International Studies from Ohio University. She is the author of numerous articles on Islam and democracy in Indonesia, and her book, Nahdlatul Ulama and the Struggle for Power within Islam and Politics in Indonesia, is forthcoming next month from ISEAS press.
Kim Ninh, The Asia Foundation Representative in Vietnam, is quoted extensively in a recent PBS Frontline/World piece on the upcoming U.S. Presidential election and U.S.-Vietnam relations. The piece is by journalist Nguyen Qui Duc, former host of KQED’s Pacific Time and now a permanent resident of Hanoi. See the video dispatch and related article: “Vietnam: Forgive and Forget?“
Doug Ramage, The Asia Foundation’s Indonesia Country Representative, has been cited in a Newsweek article on Indonesia’s booming economy. The article references Ramage’s and Andrew McIntyre’s strategy paper for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on the challenges facing the new Indonesian economy. Read the full story, “Indonesia as the New India.“
Scott Snyder, The Asia Foundation’s Senior Associate, International Relations, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times on recent U.S.-North Korea relations. Read the full article, “U.S. tries to build consensus on North Korea deal.“
The Asia Foundation, The Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, and the Peninsula Chapter of the World Affairs Council of Northern California present
With Special Guests:
The Honorable Karl F. Inderfurth
Director, International Affairs Program, George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs. Former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs and U.S. Representative for Special Political Affairs to the UN
The Honorable Teresita Schaffer
Director, South Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies. Former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs
The Honorable Theodore L. Eliot, Jr.
Dean Emeritus of the Fletcher School. Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan; Former Executive Secretary and Inspector General of the State Department
Refreshments at 6:00 pm
Program from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Levinthal Hall at the Humanities Center
424 Santa Teresa Street,
Stanford University
Seating is limited, reservations required.
Please reply to rdrsvp@asiafound.org, reference “October 20th evening event” in the subject line.
The election of a new American president is an event of great importance to the entire world, not just the United States. From Japan to Afghanistan, the United States plays a crucial role in the security, political, and economic affairs of the region. America’s 44th president will face many challenges once in office including rebuilding trust in America, reviving the American economy without protectionism, and how to combat terrorism. Ultimately, the United States must effectively utilize and support multilateral institutions to uphold international law and foster the common interests such as international justice. Future U.S. relations with Northeast, Southeast, and South Asia depend on how these efforts unfold.
John Brandon, The Asia Foundation’s Director, International Relations and Associate Director, Washington, D.C., authored an op-ed which was published in this week’s edition of AsianWeek. The op-ed details how the Asian-American communities in California have strengthened both the state and the country’s economic and cultural fabric of life. Read the full piece, “California’s Role in Asia.”
Melody Zavala, Director of Books for Asia, was recently interviewed by Books Business Extra about The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program. Read the full interview, “An Alternative to Destroying Overruns.”
Bruce Tolentino, The Asia Foundation’s Director of Economic Reform and Development, has been quoted in an Agence France Presse article on Asia’s healthy economy. Read the full article, “Tables Turned: Resilient Asia watches US in turmoil” in AsiaOne Singapore. The article was also picked up by The Philippines Inquirer, Sri Lanka Business Online, Sri Lanka Daily Mirror, and the Bangladesh Daily Star.
The Council on Foreign Relations has published a backgrounder on North Korea, which mentions The Asia Foundation’s America’s Role in Asia report and quotes Ambassador Han Sung-Joo. Read the backgrounder “North Korea After Kim.”
The Washington Post today published the Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder on North Korea, which mentions The Asia Foundation’s America’s Role in Asia report and quotes Ambassador Han Sung-Joo. Read the story “North Korea After Kim.”
The Asia Foundation’s report, America’s Role in Asia: Asian and American Views continues to garner media coverage, including an article in the BBC which cites ARA extensively. Read the BBC article, “Re-engage with Asia, US is urged.”
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