Title
The Impact of the U.S. Presidential Election on East Asian Politics
Abstract
CEAS faculty director Steve Ridgely moderated a panel of East Asian specialists to discuss how the U.S. presidential election might impact East Asia. Law professor John Ohnesorge said that policies coming out of China matter far more to East Asia than the U.S. presidential election, and summed up Donald Trump’s attitude toward trade with East Asian countries as one of non-reciprocity, in which the U.S. is “providing a security umbrella while they’re ripping us off.” Diplomatic historian David Fields stressed that tariffs proposed by the Trump campaign “would necessitate retaliations and unravel relations.” However, all the panelists agreed with historian Louise Young’s assessment that “there’s not as much difference between the two campaigns when you look at their policies from the perspective of East Asia.” The panel is part of a regular CEAS series to highlight UW-Madison expertise in topics related to East Asia.
Biography
Panel speakers:
- David Fields, CEAS Associate Director, and Historian of Korea
- John Ohnesorge, Professor of Law, East Asia
- Louise Young, Professor of History, Japan
Moderator:
- Steven Ridgely, CEAS Director and Professor of Japanese Literature