During his first trip to Asia, President Trump urged Asian leaders to build unity and cooperation against the North Korean threat. Soon after his return to Washington, D.C., he placed North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Pyongyang denounced President Trump’s decision, calling it a “serious provocation.”
In early June, the Mansfield Foundation, in collaboration with the Korea Foundation, convened a group of young scholars to take a fresh look at Republic of Korea-U.S. policy coordination on the Korean Peninsula in light of increasing challenges presented by North Korea. On December 15th, The Mansfield Foundation will host two of those scholars – Dan Aum and Olivia Enos – as well as senior advisor Robert Carlin for a wide-ranging discussion on the current situation and the group’s findings on realistic policy options.
Please RSVP to [email protected] or 202-347-1994 by Wednesday, December 13th to let us know if you will join us. A full lunch will be provided. This event will be held in Russell 188. Registration will open at 12:00.
Speakers
Dan Aum is Director, Government and Media Relations, at NBR. In this capacity, Mr. Aum leads NBR’s engagement with the U.S. Congress and the media. He works closely with NBR’s research group leaders and NBR’s executive team to develop and implement nonpartisan outreach strategies that integrate congressional needs and perspectives. Mr. Aum comes to NBR from Capitol Hill, where he managed a portfolio of thematic and regional issues related to foreign policy, international law, and human rights on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Previously, at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Mr. Aum was on a strategic litigation team that brought cases before international and regional bodies, and led policy initiatives that involved regular engagement with government bodies and the media. He holds a JD from the George Washington University Law School and a BA in Philosophy from Baylor University.
Olivia Enos, policy analyst in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, specializes in human rights and transnational criminal issues. These include human trafficking and human smuggling, drug trafficking, religious freedom, refugee issues, and other social and humanitarian challenges facing Asia. Ms. Enos, who joined Heritage in 2013, has published numerous papers on human trafficking in Asia, human rights in North Korea, and reforming the U.S. refugee program, among other subjects. She contributes to the Asian Studies Center’s Asia Update, a book of charts detailing why Asia matters to America. Ms. Enos has a bi-monthly column in Forbes where she writes on the intersection between human rights challenges and national security concerns. Her commentary has also appeared in The Washington Post, The National Interest, The Diplomat, and Real Clear World, among other publications. Enos has written for scholarly publications, including Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Providence: A Journal of Christianity and Foreign Policy, and the Population Research Institute. In 2014, she cofounded the Council on Asian Affairs, a group for young Asia policy professionals in Washington, D.C. The group meets monthly and provides a networking, brainstorming, and publishing platform for up-and-coming Asia experts. Ms. Enos received a bachelor’s degree in government from Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Va., and received a master of arts degree in Asian studies at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Bob Carlin is a Visiting Scholar at CISAC. From both in and out of government, he has been following North Korea since 1974 and has made 25 trips there. He recently co-authored a lengthy paper to be published by the London International Institute of Strategic Studies, entitled "Politics, Economics and Security: Implications of North Korean Reform." Mr. Carlin served as senior policy advisor at the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) from 2002-2006, leading numerous delegations to the North for talks and observing developments in-country during the long trips that entailed. From 1989-2002, he was chief of the Northeast Asia Division in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State. During much of that period, he also served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Special Ambassador for talks with North Korea, and took part in all phases of US-DPRK negotiations from 1992-2000. From 1971-1989, Carlin was an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he received the Exceptional Analyst Award from the Director of Central Intelligence. Mr. Carlin received his MA in East Asian regional studies from Harvard University in 1971 and his BA in political science from Claremont Men's College.