Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab Activities and News
SNAPL Research Activities
Policy-Engagement Funding II
Description
Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab (SNAPL) will continue its policy engagement activities with policymakers from Washington D.C., inviting them to Stanford in the spring of 2025. With generous funding from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), we traveled to Washington D.C. in September 2024 to share our myth-breaking research findings about the U.S.-China rivalry. During this visit, we co-hosted a symposium on “A New Cold War? Congressional Rhetoric and Regional Reactions to U.S.-China Rivalry” with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). We also organized several closed-door meetings with the U.S. Department of State, Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), Congressional Research Service (CRS), and think tanks such as the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) and Center for a New American Security (CNAS), to offer a new direction for more effective U.S. foreign policy strategies, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
Research findings
As a continuation of our policy engagement activities, this time, we plan to host policymakers and think tank experts on Stanford’s campus in May 2025 to discuss our new research findings. While our previous studies focused on the myth of a new Cold War and warned of its unnecessary and unintended consequences, the new research not only looks deeper into the sources of the myth but also presents evidence for the limited effectiveness of the current U.S. foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific. In particular, given the inauguration of a new U.S. administration in January 2025, hosting meetings with policymakers in May on our campus will allow us to share our new research findings and offer a proper direction for U.S. foreign policy. We plan to hold a symposium, “Beyond a New Cold War with China: The Next U.S. Foreign Policy in the Asia-Pacific Region,” consisting of two panels and a roundtable. In each panel, we will present our new research findings with two experts as discussants. We will then hold a roundtable discussion with all the participants, sharing guidance for the next direction of U.S. foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific based on our findings.
We expect two core findings to inform our suggestions for U.S. foreign policy strategies. The first is “Who’s Leading Whom: Issue Attention and Rivalry Framing by Legislators, Presidents, and the Media.” We use advanced computational and causal inference methods to analyze Congressional debates, presidential speeches, and media coverage of China from 2009 to 2023, unraveling how these three channels shape the United States' construction of rivalry with rising powers. We aim to investigate whether political leaders primarily drive the media’s narrative (or vice versa), thus clarifying the role of political elites’ discourses in the evolution of framing of perceived threats, specifically regarding who leads whom in agenda-setting and framing rivalries.
Our second project, “Democracy Versus Autocracy in Foreign Policy: Public Views of China in the Asia-pacific Region,” challenges the effectiveness of U.S. diplomacy based on liberal values in the Asia-Pacific. While the U.S. frames the growing geopolitical tensions with China as a competition between democracy and autocracy, such value diplomacy has not been as effective in promoting liberal values as expected, especially in non-western regions. This is, we argue, because citizens in these countries, due to a relatively short democratic history, tend to understand democracy in terms of electoral institutions rather than liberal values, thereby limiting the effectiveness of U.S. value diplomacy. To test our proposition, we analyze public attitudes toward China in the Asia-Pacific region, where the U.S.-China competition is most acute. Using a country-level cross-national analysis and an original survey experiment in South Korea, we find that China’s perceived threats to electoral institutions are more likely to generate unfavorable views toward the country than its perceived threats to liberal values. Our findings not only advance our understanding of the role of democracy in forming public opinion on foreign policy but also offer important policy implications for U.S. value diplomacy.
FSI Policy-Engagement Funding
Description
Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab (SNAPL) plans to engage with academic and policy communities in Washington D.C. such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in September 2024 to share our myth-breaking research findings about the U.S.-China rivalry and, thus, to provide a new direction for more effective U.S. foreign policy strategies, particularly in the Asia Pacific region.
Research Findings
The rise of China for the last several decades has led many experts and pundits to claim that we have entered or are entering a new Cold War. However, our findings challenge this trope of a new Cold War, demonstrating that U.S.-China relations of today are vastly different from U.S.-USSR relations of the past. Treating the current situation like a new Cold War could lead to unnecessary and unintended consequences for the U.S., China, and the world.
Among others, we have two core projects providing guidance for U.S. policy. First, based on an analysis of over 41,000 Congressional speeches spanning more than 36 years that covered rivalry periods concerning China, Japan, and the USSR, we found that discourses on China are more similar to those on Japan than those on the USSR across social, economic, and even ideological dimensions. Moreover, over the years, rivalries have been increasingly strategically used as a rhetorical foil for U.S. domestic issues. Because the Cold War analogy is misleading, lessons from that era would misguide efforts to steer today’s U.S.-China relationship.
Second, relying on the conventional wisdom that democracy plays a central role in forming public opinion on foreign policy, the U.S. has emphasized democracy as a value. In particular, this perspective is based on the premise that ‘liberal values’ can work as deeply embedded beliefs and serve as one important source of shared identity. However, we challenge the conventional wisdom. Analyzing what aspect of democracy (i.e., procedural vs. substantive) leads citizens in the Asia-Pacific region to form a democracy-based shared identity, we demonstrate that ‘electoral institutions’ play a bigger role as a foundation of the shared identity rather than ‘liberal values.’ Thus, liberal values do not necessarily serve as a key lens through which Asia-Pacific citizens view China, Russia, and their own relations with the United States. Therefore, we plan to provide U.S. policymakers with a novel policy direction in the Asia-Pacific region: since democratic rhetoric does not work as effectively as expected in the region, the United States needs to shift gears, instead emphasizing its role in promoting mutual benefits in the economic/trade and military/security realms.
Activity Report
For a summary of SNAPL's activities in D.C., including a recording of the symposium we co-hosted with CSIS, view the news story on APARC's website >
Global Research Workshops
Description
This workshop series, organized by members of the Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab (SNAPL), brings together scholars and initiatives dedicated to addressing pressing social, cultural, economic, and political challenges in Asia through a cross-disciplinary and transnational comparative approach. With Asia assuming a central role in the global economy and cultural landscape, understanding and addressing its complexities are paramount for shaping future global developments. This series is committed to presenting evidence-based policy recommendations grounded in the Lab’s interdisciplinary research. By fostering collaboration with academic and policy research institutions across Asia, the series aims to generate comprehensive insights into the region's issues and propose structural reforms that pave the way for a more mature and innovative “Next Asia.” Key areas of focus include evaluating global talent development strategies in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, exploring the intersection of racism and nationalism and its impact on exclusion and intolerance, assessing U.S.-Asia relations, and examining the global decline of democratic governance. Providing an interdisciplinary platform for rigorous analysis and dialogue, the workshops aim to identify challenges and opportunities for fostering inclusive growth, tackling inequality, addressing geopolitical hazards, and strengthening democratic institutions. By promoting network-based collaboration, the series seeks to contribute to innovative interdisciplinary research and policy development and implementation, ultimately shaping a more dynamic and resilient global system in the 21st century.
With generous support from Stanford Global Studies, six workshops are offered in the 2024-25 academic year.
Location: Okimoto Room, Encina Hall East, Third Floor.
Schedule
Fall 2024
The U.S. Alliance and Public Attitudes toward China: Evidence from the Asia-Pacific Region
Date: October 17, 2024, 3-5 p.m.
Presenter: Gidong Kim
Discussants: Paul Y. Chang (Stanford University), Yusaku Horiuchi (Dartmouth College)
Deconstructing Racism “Denial” in Asia: Discourse Analysis of UN CERD State Party Reports, 1965-2023
Date: November 21, 2024, 3-5 p.m.
Presenter: Junki Nakahara
Discussants: Sharika Thiranagama (Stanford University), Vasuki Nesiah (New York University)
Winter 2025
A New Cold War? A Comparative Computational Analysis of Congressional Discourse on U.S. Rivals
Date: January 9, 2025, 3-5 p.m.
Presenter: Xinru Ma
Democracy and Public Attitudes toward China in the Asia-Pacific Region
Date: February 7, 2025 (Thursday)
Presenter: Gidong Kim
Discussants: Kenneth A. Schultz (Stanford University), Sheena Chestnut Greitens (University of Texas at Austin)
Spring 2025
U.S. Rivalries: Diverging Perceptions Among the U.S., Its Allies, and China
Date: April 10, 2025 (Thursday)
Presenter: Xinru Ma
Elite Articulation of “Multiculturalism” in Australia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan
Date: May 1, 2025 (Thursday)
Presenter: Junki Nakahara
New Lab Members
Ruo-Fan Liu, Postdoctoral Fellow on Contemporary Taiwan
Brandon Yoder, Visiting Fellow
Ignazio Marco Widodo, Summer RA
SNAPL Research Abroad
Dr. Junki Nakahara
Korea, April 23, 2024
Event Title: Seminar (presentation followed by Q&A and discussions) at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea (ROK), hosted by the Comparative Constitution Research Society within the Court
Project Title: “No Racism in Asia? A Critical Analysis of UN CERD State Party Reports”
Project Description: Does racism exist in Asia? Or is it largely a Western, especially American phenomenon? To answer these questions, this presentation explores how nationalism and racism interact in the Asia-Pacific region, causing various forms of suppression and intolerance. More specifically, we analyzed reports from 16 Asian countries (including the Republic of Korea) submitted to the United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), focusing on different forms of racism “denial” and “downplaying.”
The Asian discourse of denial stems from fundamental conceptions of historical identity and dominant social, political, and religious values that shape the national understanding of race and racism. The real-world consequences of this denial, including discriminatory treatment of racial/ethnic minorities, are exacerbated by recent demographic challenges, social stratification, global migration, and geopolitical tensions.
This study urges Asian leaders to be aware of the blind spot that has hindered meaningful discussions about racism. The Constitutional Court’s initiative and consistent engagement are crucial in addressing these issues, considering their implications for constitutional principles of human rights, equality, and justice. We also highlight South Korea’s potential to lead critical dialogue and make progress in eliminating racial discrimination and promoting social justice within the nation and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
Korea, April 23, 2024
Event Title: Seminar (presentation followed by Q&A and discussions) at Ewha Womans University, School of Law
Project Title: “Unveiling the blindspot: A critical analysis of racism denial in Asia
Project Description: Does racism exist in Asia? Or is it largely a Western, especially American phenomenon? To answer these questions, this presentation explores how nationalism and racism interact in the Asia-Pacific region, causing various forms of suppression and intolerance. More specifically, we analyzed reports from 16 Asian countries (including the Republic of Korea) submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), focusing on different forms of racism “denial” and “downplaying.”
The Asian discourse of denial stems from fundamental conceptions of historical identity and dominant social, political, and religious values that shape the national understanding of race and racism. The real-world consequences of this denial, including discriminatory treatment of racial/ethnic minorities, are exacerbated by recent demographic challenges, social stratification, global migration, and geopolitical tensions.
This study urges Asian leaders to be aware of the blind spot that has hindered meaningful discussions about racism. We also highlight South Korea’s potential to lead critical dialogue and make progress in eliminating racial discrimination and promoting social justice within the nation and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
Mongolia, April 25, 2024
Event Title: “Addressing structural injustices and inequalities towards inclusive societies” at the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue (TASD) SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Activity Description: Dr. Junki Nakahara introduced the Lab (motivation, focus, goals, etc.) to a diverse audience at the TASD and highlighted the SNAPL research project: “Deconstructing Racism ‘Denial’ in Asia: Discourse Analysis of UN CERD State Party Reports,” aiming to raise awareness of the issue and initiate the conversation.
Dr. Gidong Kim
Japan, June 24, 2024
Event Title: The University of Tokyo Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI) Security Studies Unit Research Roundtable with Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab (SNAPL)
Activity description: At this roundtable, Professor Gi-Wook Shin introduced SNAPL and our research to seek potential collaborations with the IFI Security Studies Unit at the University of Tokyo. For this purpose, Dr. Gidong Kim shared one of our research projects, “The U.S. Alliance and Public Attitudes toward China: Evidence from the Asia-Pacific Region,” and had discussions with them.
