Asia

  • International Law
    Eastward, Westward
    Few Americans have done more than Jerome A. Cohen to advance the rule of law in East Asia. The founder of the study of Chinese law in the United States and a tireless advocate for human rights, Cohen has been a scholar, teacher, lawyer, and activist for more than sixty years. Moving among the United States, China, and Taiwan, he has encouraged legal reforms, promoted economic cooperation, mentored law students—including a future president of Taiwan—and brokered international crises. In this compelling, conversational memoir, Cohen recounts a dramatic life of striving for a better world from Washington, DC, to Beijing, offering vital first-hand insights from the study and practice of Sino-American relations. In the early 1960s, when Americans were not permitted to enter China, he met with émigrés in Hong Kong and interviewed them on Chinese criminal procedure. After economic reform under Deng Xiaoping, Cohen’s knowledge of Chinese law took on a new importance as foreign companies began to pursue business opportunities. Helping China develop and reconstruct its legal system, he made an influential case for the roles of Western law and lawyers. Cohen helped break political barriers in both China and Taiwan, and he was instrumental in securing the release of political prisoners in several countries. Sharing these experiences and many others, this book tells the full story of an unparalleled career bridging East and West.
    Book by Jerome A. Cohen March 4, 2025
  • Taiwan
    Trump Is Making Taiwan More Vulnerable
    While Taiwan has largely stayed out of the spotlight, Trump’s actions have already made it more vulnerable.
    Post by David Sacks February 21, 2025 Asia Unbound
  • United States
    The President’s Inbox Recap: Modi Meets Trump
    Modi and Trump seek closer ties even as policy and politics constrain what they can accomplish.
    Post by Oscar Berry February 20, 2025 The Water's Edge

Experts in this Region

Alyssa Ayres
Alyssa Ayres

Adjunct Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia

Jerome A. Cohen
Jerome A. Cohen

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asia Studies

Rush Doshi Headshot
Rush Doshi

C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative

Matt Goodman CFR pic
Matthew P. Goodman

Distinguished Fellow, Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, and Director of the CFR RealEcon Initiative

Jonathan Hillman Headshot
Jonathan E. Hillman

Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics

Yanzhong Huang

Senior Fellow for Global Health

Kenneth I. Juster

Distinguished Fellow

Joshua Kurlantzick

Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia

Zoe Liu Headshot
Zongyuan Zoe Liu

Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies

Shuxian Luo

Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow

Manjari Chatterjee Miller

Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia

Carl Minzner Headshot
Carl Minzner

Senior Fellow For China Studies

David Sacks

Fellow for Asia Studies

Adam Segal

Ira A. Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and National Security and Director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program

Sheila A. Smith

John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies