Northeast Asia and the New Congress
On January 8, 2019, Sasakawa USA and the Korea Economic Institute of America co-hosted "Northeast Asia and the New Congress" at the KEI Conference Facility. Congressman Charles Boustany, Counselor and Chair of the Center for Innovation, Trade, and Strategy at the National Bureau of Asian Research, Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, President & CEO at KEI, Ambassador James Zumwalt, CEO at Sasakawa USA, and Ambassador Joseph Yun, Senior Advisor to the Asia Center at the U.S. Institute for Peace, spoke at the event, which was moderated by KEI Vice President Mark Tokola.
In his remarks, Congressman Boustany said that politics will dominate the U.S. Congress for the two years leading to the 2020 presidential election. Constant media coverage and social media will likely accelerate this trend. While Congress' Democratic majority could restrain the President, Boustany expressed concern that many new members of the Congress have inadequate experience, which could weaken the institutional strength of the House of Representatives. Looking ahead to the 2020 presidential elections, Ambassador Stephens suggested that many democratic presidential candidates are likely to advocate for a shift in U.S. foreign policy.