Asia Society France is delighted to present the fourth installment of our initiative, "Hot Take". This ongoing series aims to host engaging conversations that provide in-depth insights on a wide range of topics "d’actualité” on pivotal developments across Asia and the world.

For this session, we turn our focus to the South Asia foreign policy of soon-to-be-inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump, exploring its implications and legacy in the region. South Asia remains a dynamic and complex geopolitical arena, and understanding the nuances of Trump’s policy decisions is essential for contextualizing current and future developments.

Our distinguished speaker for this session is Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). She also runs ASPI's monthly South Asia Snapshot, a roundup of key geopolitical, economic, environmental, and social happenings in the region.

*This session is for Asia Society France & Asia Society members only. 

Speaker

Farwa Aamer is the Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York where she oversees the institute’s policy work and projects in South Asia.

Prior to ASPI, Farwa worked at the Stimson Center where she led research on the security, political, and socio-economic dimensions of transboundary river governance in the Himalayan region. Through her work, Farwa has organized and convened high-level Track II dialogues and discussions designed to facilitate greater inter and intra-regional cooperation on issues and opportunities concerning water, energy, climate change, and sustainable development in South Asia, MENA, and Central Asia. Farwa also worked on highlighting the disproportionate impacts of climate change and water insecurity on women. From 2017 to 2021, Farwa was with the EastWest Institute (EWI) and served as the Director of the South Asia program. At EWI, Farwa worked on promoting non-traditional channels of diplomacy and establishing multi-stakeholder platforms for shared economic, financial, and geopolitical interests by bringing together policy shapers, media influencers, thought leaders, and business experts from within South Asia and across the globe.

Farwa received her Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from University College London (UCL) and has a Masters in Management with Finance from BPP Business School, London.