Big Dollars for Peace and Security in Asia

Asia is more powerful than ever, with countries across the continent developing rapidly and taking on more prominent roles on the world stage. The MacArthur Foundation says we need to make sure the region grows in peace and security and is putting its money where its mouth is. On June 1, MacArthur launched its seven-year, $68-million Asia Security Initiative, which will support practitioners and institutions around the world in researching and promoting regional cooperation, conflict-prevention and international engagement.   China’s Peking University Center for International and Strategic Studies will coordinate efforts to strengthen regional cooperation. Korea’s East Asia Institute will be in charge of working to prevent conflict in northeast Asia. And Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies will be focused on building international cooperation to respond to internal challenges.The initiative will also support policy research, inter-institutional communication, and dissemination of findings and analysis. Additionally, beginning next year, MacArthur will launch another aspect of the program: year-long, mid-career fellowships in which leaders from universities, government agencies, NGOs, corporations and the media will take on research projects that address policy for regional security challenges.For my part, I just hope the Asian countries will be kind overlords when they eventually rule the world. Hopefully this initiative will help point them in the right direction.