AN INFORMATIVE TALK ON US-ASEAN RELATION BY PROF. SHAWN F. MCHALE, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

On the morning of June 19, 2008, Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies welcome Associate Prof. Dr. Shawn Frederick McHale – George Washington University as the speaker of the talk on “US and Southeast Asian Relations – Past and Future”. The presentation was made at room A001.

Those who attended the talk were Associate Prof. Hoang Van Viet – Dean of Faculty of Oriental Studies, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tuan M.A. – Vice Dean of Faculty of Oriental Studies, Dr. Nguyen Tien Luc – Director of Center for Japanese Studies, Associate Prof., Dr. Tran Thi Thu Luong – Vice Director of Center for Korean Studies, and Dr. Tran Dinh Lam – Director of Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies. Furthermore, Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Linguistics, Faculty of Journalism and Communications, Department of International Relations, and Center for Consultancy of Social Development also appointed their representative lecturers to attend the talk.

The talk attracted over 20 students from from the Department of International Relations, the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature, and the Faculty of History. In addition, there were quite a number of students from other universities – including HCMC University of Pedagogy and Ton Duc Thang University, and several journalists attending the talk and raising questions for the speaker.

The presentation comprised:

1. A general introduction to the speaker and the topic.

2. The foreign policy process in Washington, DC

3. American foreign policy on Southeast Asia

4. Forecasts on American foreign policy: What will happen?

5. Discussion and questions

The fact that Prof. Shawn F. McHale presented in Vietnamese was enthusiastically welcomed by the audiences. The discussion and questions raised for the speaker also emphasized the fascination and excitement of the talk.

In terms of factors influencing the nowadays American foreign policy, Associate Prof. Shawn F. McHale said that there are, at the time being, over 34,000 “lobbyists” belonging to either “interest groups” or “pressure groups” in Washington, DC – wishing to exert influences on American foreign policy on the world. ASEAN in general and Vietnam in particular have not had a crucial influence on Washington, DC, especially in the field of education. Korea, according to Prof. Shawn F. McHale, is a shining example to ASEAN within Asia, now that Korean Foundation has supported the Korean Studies Program in a number of universities, and established many a research institutes in Washington, DC. In the contemporary context, in which the USA and Vietnam have been closing ties with each other, and in which there have been several matters such as the lawsuit against catfish dumping, the professor’s comments are very remarkable. 

Note:: Full content of the discourse can be downloaded via the website of Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies at:

http://www.cvseas.edu.vn/media/images/2008/20080619_shawnmchale.pdf (Vietnamese)

Professor Shawn F. McHale at the talk

Overview of the talk

Participants concentrating on listening to professor Shawn F. McHale's personal experience of the September 11 event in New York

Professor Shawn F. McHale with lecturers and researchers within University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City

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