Bernard Schwartz Fellows Program

The Bernard Schwartz Fellows Program sought to contribute to a better understanding of policy challenges and opportunities related to the growing importance of Asia in the international political arena and global economy. The program selected highly qualified professionals to serve as resident fellows at Asia Society’s headquarters in New York City for up to one year. During the course of their residencies, Schwartz Fellows direct a major and original policy project, including writing a policy-relevant publication for the Asia Society Policy Institute.

Additionally, Asia Society relies on Schwartz Fellows to provide in-house expertise via the media. Opportunities to present their work and/or participate in panel discussions, conferences, and other events at the Society’s Centers in the United States and Asia are also arranged. In these ways, Schwartz Fellows play an important role in the Society's mission of promoting policy dialogue and public education on Asia.

Past Schwartz Fellows

  • The historic meeting between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump

    13 Fearless Predictions About Asia in 2019

    Members of the Asia Society family tell us what they think is going to happen next year.
  • An Afghan policeman keeps watch as clergy men attend a gathering at the Shahi Doshamshira mosque where an Afghan woman, 27, was beaten to death and her body set alight by a mob, in Kabul on March 26, 2015. (Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images)

    Violence and Community Policing

    The world of privately run police forces in Iraq and Afghanistan
  • Jeffrey Kupfer
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    Jeffrey Kupfer

    Jeffrey Kupfer was the 2014 Bernard Schwartz Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, focusing on best practices in Asia’s energy sector and U.S.-Asia relations vis-à-vis energy security.
  • Alexander Evans
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    Alexander Evans

    As a 2012 Bernard Schwartz Fellow at Asia Society, Alexander Evans led an initiative focused on the U.S. and South Asia after Afghanistan.
  • Philip Shishkin
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    Philip Shishkin

    As a 2011 Bernard Schwartz Fellow at Asia Society, Philip Shishkin focused on the turbulent dynamics of Central Asia.
  • Hassan Abbas
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    Hassan Abbas

    Dr. Hassan Abbas was a 2010 Bernard Schwartz Fellow, focusing on U.S.-South Asia relations, especially in the context of political dynamics in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
  • Nobuyoshi Sakajiri
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    Nobuyoshi Sakajiri

    As a 2009 Bernard Schwartz Fellow, Nobuyoshi Sakajiri focused on Northeast Asian security and China's domestic economic, political, and social issues.
  • Simon Tay
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    Simon Tay

    Simon S.C. Tay, Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, served as a 2009 Bernard Schwartz Fellow.
  • Mira Kamdar
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    Mira Kamdar

    Mira Kamdar was a Bernard Schwartz Fellow at the Asia Society in 2008, working on issues of equity and sustainability and on a changing U.S.-Asia relationship.
  • Tion Kwa
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    Tion Kwa

    Tion Kwa was a 2008 Bernard Schwartz Fellow based at the Asia Society's Washington Center, focusing on trade issues between the U.S. and Asia and on regional security.

Past Fellows' Projects

  • report

    The U.S. and South Asia After Afghanistan

    This report offers new ideas on how to integrate competing U.S. interests in South Asia, encourage stronger interagency collaboration across the East Asia-South Asia divide, and expand expertise on South Asia in the U.S. government.
  • report

    Central Asia's Crisis of Governance

    This report describes critical governance and stability challenges in a region marred by staggering levels of corruption, human rights abuses, conflict, and civil unrest.
  • report

    Pakistan 2020: A Vision for Building a Better Future

    Asia Society’s Pakistan 2020 Study Group provides recommendations to address Pakistan's political, social, and economic challenges over the coming decade.