The Asia Society Policy Institute is pleased to present an AsiaConnect briefing exploring the implications of the recent Taiwan elections. With Saturday’s historic presidential elections, Taiwan’s voters not only elected their first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, but also offered the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) its first opportunity to control the legislative agenda. National security experts will be closely observing developments in the coming months to see how the new DPP government develops its platform. How forward-leaning will the DPP administration be in its pursuit of a new foreign policy? And how will Beijing respond? What does Dr. Tsai's win suggest for the trajectory of cross-strait relations in 2016? And how might it influence U.S. foreign policy in Asia? Douglas Paal, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and former Director of the American Institute in Taiwan, will offer his perspectives, drawing on decades of experience managing and observing cross-strait dynamics.

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ASPI’s AsiaConnect is a telephone briefing series on pressing issues in Asia and U.S.-Asia relations, made possible through the generous support of Asia Society Trustee Mitch Julis.

Douglas H. Paal is Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He previously served as Vice Chairman of JPMorgan Chase International (2006–2008) and was an unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (2002–2006). He was on the National Security Council staffs of Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush between 1986 and 1993 as Director of Asian Affairs and then as Senior Director and Special Assistant to the President. Paal also held positions in the policy planning staff at the State Department, as a Senior Analyst for the CIA, and at U.S. embassies in Singapore and Beijing.