Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Philippine Foreign Relations in the 21st Century: Challenges and Prospects | A Public Forum

Details

The Asian Center, in partnership with the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), will hold a conference/forum, Philippine Foreign Relations in the 21st Century: Challenges and Prospects,” on Tuesday, 5 May 2015, 8:00 a.m to 12:00 noon at the China Hall, Hall of Wisdom, GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center, Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. The conference/forum is free and open to the public; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The conference, viewed against the backdrop of strategic uncertainties characterizing a re-emergent or ascendant Asia, or as some pundits claim, as an “Asian Century,” aims to provide an in-depth analysis and assessment of the political-security, economic, and sociocultural challenges and opportunities facing Philippine foreign policy.

Invited practitioners and scholars will impart their insights and policy inputs towards the better conduct of the country’s foreign relations in pursuit of its national interests in the 21st century. The conference/forum hopes to address the need for a high-level, policy-relevant discourse on how to craft and implement an effective foreign policy that will truly respond to the long-term needs and realities of the Filipino people.

The presentations for the forum are as follows:

  • Beyond the Nation-State: Rethinking Our Politico-Security Concerns in the 21st Century | Dr. Clarita Carlos
  • The Strategic Environment as a Context of Philippine National Security | Julio Amador III
  • Factors Affecting Philippine Trade Negotiation Agenda | Dr. Ceferino S. Rodolfo
  • Challenges and Opportunities Facing Philippine Foreign Relations in the 21st Century: Labor Relations and Migration | Dr. Jonathan P. Sale
  • Student Exchange Program: Opportunities and Challenges | Marian F. Gongora

The conference/forum organized by students of a graduate course, Philippine Studies 264 (History and Development of Philippine Foreign Relations), taught by Dr. Henelito A. Sevilla, Jr. Assistant Professor at the Asian Center. For inquiries, please contact Ms. Penny Laine N. Sokoken at 0927-443-5496 or via email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. The Asian Center maintains the Forging a New Philippine Foreign Policy website and publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded here.