CIGS and Stimson Joint Seminar "Policy vs. Politics: Tackling the myth that voters are disconnected from foreign policy"

Seminar outline
Title: "Policy vs. Politics: Tackling the myth that voters are disconnected from foreign policy"
Speakers:
Stephen J. Yates, CEO, DC International Advisory, former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President
Kuni Miyake, Research Director for Foreign and National Security Affairs, CIGS
Yuki Tatsumi, Co-Director of Stimson's East Asia Program and Director of the Japan Program, and Senior Research Fellow, CIGS

Summary of Seminar
Summary of SeminarPDF： 178KB

Abstract of the Speech
Both the United States and Japan are deep in their political campaign seasons ahead of elections. With so much happening in many foreign policy areas ranging from Iran and North Korea, to U.S. - China tension over trade, there is much to discuss in foreign policy circles. On the other hand, there is a "myth" that foreign policies do not buy votes. Do the U.S. and Japan experience a similar disconnect between policy and politics? Is there a way to bridge understanding on foreign policy between policymakers and voters?

Speaker's profile

STEPHEN J. YATES, CEO, DC International Advisory, former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President
Stephen J. Yates was Deputy National Security Advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney (2001-2005) and Idaho Republican Party Chair (2014-2017). He was also a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation (1996-2001). He was co-chair of the Republican national platform subcommittee on national security at the 2016 convention. He has advised multiple presidential campaigns on national security and foreign policy.

KUNI MIYAKE, Research Director for Foreign and National Security Affairs, CIGS
Kuni Miyake joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan (MOFA) in 1978. Until he left MOFA in 2005, he served in several senior positions including at the Middle East Bureau and the Embassies of Japan in Iraq and China. He graduated from the Law Faculty of the University of Tokyo.

YUKI TATSUMI, Co-Director, East Asia Program, Stimson and Senior Research Fellow, CIGS (Moderator)
Yuki Tatsumi is an expert on U.S. - Japan political military relations and is the author of numerous books and reports. Tatsumi holds a B.A. in liberal arts from the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan and an M.A. in international economics and Asian studies from Johns Hopkins University SAIS.