RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture by Professor Joseph Fewsmith, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, RSIS; and Professor of Political Science and International Relation, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

Lecture Abstract

“Engagement” has been the cornerstone for U.S. relations with China, but that notion has come into serious question recently as critics – from policy makers, academics, and Congress – believe that China has taken advantage of the policy to make advances that threaten the United States. What is “engagement”? How has it been understood in the past and is it really a failure? If engagement is abandoned, what replaces it? Can engagement be adjusted to make it a viable policy going forward?

About the Speaker

Joseph Fewsmith is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. He is the author or editor of eight books, including most recently The Logic and Limits of Political Reform in China (Cambridge University Press, 2013) and China since Tiananmen (2^nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2008). From 2001-2015 he was one of seven regular contributors to China Leadership Monitor, a quarterly web publication analysing current developments in China. He has written over 100 scholarly articles and book chapters, with articles appearing in such leading journals as The China Quarterly and Asian Studies.