Syracuse Experts Available for Comment on Trump’s Asia Trip

Syracuse, NY…From now until next week, President Donald Trump and members of his administration will be in East Asia touring five countries. He will be meeting with world leaders and engaging in some of the most important issues of today.

Syracuse University experts are available for comment or background material on issues regarding diplomacy, national and international security, Korean diplomacy, and relations with China.

To set up an interview, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, director of news and PR at Syracuse University, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu or 315.443.1897 or Keith Kobland, media manager at Syracuse University, at kkboland@syr.edu or 315.443.9038. Steven Pike, assistant professor of public relations and public diplomacy at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, spent more than 20 years with the U.S. Department of State as a diplomat and foreign service officer. He frequently comments on issues related to public diplomacy and the U.S. diplomatic efforts overseas. You can read recent op-eds and quotes in The Huffington Post, The Hill, PR Week, and The Associated Press.

“The key public diplomacy issue in East Asia is the American guarantee of regional stability. Asian publics need to know that the U.S. will keep that commitment. Conflicting signals from the President create anxiety and spur a dangerous reconsideration of strategy; it fuels pressure in Japan to rearm the country, and in other countries to yield to China’s political and economic hegemony.

Asian publics are used to incredibly measured and carefully-worded statements from U.S. leaders; slight changes of wording often signal changes in policy. They’re not at all accustomed to the President’s ‘shoot from the lip’ style, and casual outbursts could create significant anxiety and uncertainty, with strategic repercussions.”

Dimitar Gueorguiev, assistant professor of political science at the Maxwell School, teaches courses on Chinese politics and foreign policy. His work and research on China covers a broad range of topics broadly connected to governance and public relations. He is a co-author of new book China’s Governance Puzzle. Enabling Transparency and Participation in a Single-Party State and currently working on a new book that compares Chinese quasi-democratic institutions to their fully democratic analogues.

“During the trip to Asia, the US-China relationship looms large. Each side faces very similar yet sharply contrasted signaling challenges. For his part, Trump’s challenge is to signal that he is fully in charge in Washington, despite growing concerns about his administration, and that the US is fully committed to the region, despite growing signs of reticence. Xi Jinping’s challenge is to signal that the Peoples Republic of China brand is based on stable institutions, despite signs that power is being increasingly concentrated in his own office, and that China’s regional ambitions are benign, despite its `our way or the highway’ approach to dealing with anything from territorial disputes to regional infrastructure projects. Oddly, these contrasting objectives may actually help the two leaders get along, at least as far as the cameras are concerned. “

Robert Murrett, Vice Admiral (Ret.) professor of practice for public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell School and deputy director for the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism. A specialist in defense analysis, military intelligence, national security, and international relations, Murrett teaches popular courses in the Maxwell School on the “US Intelligence Community: Governance and Practice” and “US Defense Strategy, Military Posture, and Combat Operations.” Before joining Syracuse University, Murrett was a career intelligence officer in the US Navy, serving in assignments throughout the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East through 34 years of duty, retiring as a Vice Admiral. He is expertise has been seen in Politico, CNBC, USA Today, Fox News, CNY Central

“We have to understand that discussion of North Korea is not a two-sided fight between the US and North Korea but have to take into account how it effects our allies in the region. The Japanese are becoming more concerned about North Korea. Prime Minister Shinzō Abe has created a more assertive foreign policy and may be more inclined to non-defensive options relative to North Korea. In the long term, we should expect to see a more assertive defensive posture from the Japanese as they are losing patience with North Korea.” Frederick Carriere, research professor of political science, teaches seminars on contemporary foreign policy related to Korea. Currently, he also is a consulting professor at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. All of Carriere’s professional experience is Korea-related, including a fifteen-year career (1994-2009) as the executive vice president of The Korea Society in New York City. His expertise can been seen in CNBC, Foreign Policy and South China Morning Post. He recently offered comments on the North Korean missile launch earlier this summer.

“Under the so-called strategic patience policy of the Obama administration, the U.S. consistently declined to engage North Korea in official talks aimed at trying to find a way out of the potential threat to U.S. security posed by North Korea. Actually, despite past disappointments, it really shouldn’t be a difficult choice to return to talks since there is no other acceptable countermeasure. A preemptive military strike would have devastating consequences for everyone residing on the Korean peninsula – Americans as well as Koreans – and other coercive measures such as sanctions have not solved the problem so far and probably never will do so because it is not in China’s national interest to cooperate fulsomely in their implementation.