event

Philippines Votes 2016: What’s at Stake for U.S.-Philippines Relations?

Wed. May 4th, 2016
Washington, DC

On May 9, Filipinos will vote for a new president and vice president in arguably one of the country’s most consequential elections. While outgoing President Aquino has overseen a dramatic turnaround in his country’s economic fortunes, the Philippines still faces a range of important challenges, including an unfinished economic reform agenda, an internal security threat from Islamic militants, and potential confrontation with China over disputed islands in the South China Sea. A panel of Southeast Asia experts discussed how Aquino’s potential successor would handle these challenges and what’s at stake for U.S.-Philippines relations. Carnegie’s Vikram Nehru moderated.

This event was co-sponsored by the U.S.-Philippines Society and the Southeast Asian Studies Program of the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. 

William Wise

William Wise is practitioner-in-residence and senior associate director of Asian and Southeast Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Murray Hiebert

Murray Hiebert serves as senior fellow and deputy director of the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Michael Eiland

Michael Eiland is an independent foreign affairs consultant with several years experience in senior positions in the U.S. army and the U.S. intelligence community focused mainly on East Asia.

Marvin C. Ott

Marvin C. Ott is professorial lecturer and visiting scholar in Southeast Asia studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, lecturer in East Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, and public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Vikram Nehru

Vikram Nehru is a senior associate in Carnegie’s Asia Program where he focuses his research on the economic, political, and strategic issues confronting Asia, particularly Southeast Asia. Follow him on Twitter @VikramNehru

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

William Wise

William Wise is practitioner-in-residence and senior associate director of Asian and Southeast Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. A retired U.S. Air Force colonel, he is a member of the Myanmar-U.S. Retired Officer Military-to-Military Dialogue.

Murray Hiebert

Murray Hiebert serves as senior fellow and deputy director of the Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining CSIS, he was senior director for Southeast Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Michael Eiland

Michael Eiland is an independent foreign affairs consultant with several years experience in senior positions in the U.S. army and the U.S. intelligence community focused mainly on East Asia.

Marvin Ott

Marvin C. Ott is professorial lecturer and visiting scholar in Southeast Asia studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, lecturer in East Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, and public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Vikram Nehru

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Asia Program

Nehru was a nonresident senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program. An expert on development economics, growth, poverty reduction, debt sustainability, governance, and the performance and prospects of East Asia, his research focuses on the economic, political, and strategic issues confronting Asia, particularly Southeast Asia.