About the Washington, DC Center

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The United States Capitol Building in Washington, DC. (Flickr)

In “America’s Pacific Century,” as Asia moves to the center stage of global affairs, Asia Society has recently made the decision to redouble its efforts in Washington to connect our work in the fields of policy, business, education and arts and culture to Washington’s Asia policy discussions and debates.

We are pleased to announce that, beginning in January 2012, we are launching a new series of programs to advance these important goals.  Our new programs will span a broader range of formats – including both our traditional public and members-only programming, as well as a new stream of in-house policy research and policy briefings for both our members and practitioners of U.S. Asia policy.  

To ensure that the voice of Asia Society and its members is heard more and more in the nation’s capital, the Asia Society’s Washington Office seeks to influence public policy debates in Washington, with the goal of supporting and expanding U.S. policies that “strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of the United States and Asia.” 

As a first step in this direction, we are expanding the Society's long-running Diplomatic Dialogues and Ambassadorial Briefing Series.  We will also establish our first Congressional outreach program.

Our members are critical partners in this effort.  They help guide our thinking, provide us with new ideas, work with us to build connections among the many people in Washington who care deeply about U.S. relations with Asia, and sustain us in advancing our mission.  As we announce new programs, members should feel free to contact Washington Director Matt Stumpf with your thoughts and suggestions.  Matt is always available to our Washington members at 202-414-2801 and mstumpf (at) asiasociety (dot) org.

These new efforts will build on a long, successful history in Washington.  Asia Society established its office in Washington in 1985 to provide a forum in the nation's capital for diplomats, members of Congress, government officials, journalists, scholars, artists, business executives, and other interested individuals to exchange views on a wide variety of subjects concerning Asia and the increasingly important U.S.-Asian relationship.