featuring
Natalie Sambhi
Executive Director, Verve Research

Dr. Evan Laksmana
Senior Researcher, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia

Hosted in partnership with the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS)

Live Online Via Zoom

Thursday, July 23, 2020
HONOLULU: 2:30 PM
US EAST COAST: 8:30 PM
US WEST COAST: 5:30 PM

Friday, July 24, 2020
JAPAN / KOREA: 9:30 AM
PHILIPPINES / SINGAPORE: 8:30 AM
VIETNAM / INDONESIA: 7:30 AM

Evan A. Laksmana is a political scientist and senior researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, Indonesia. He has held visiting and research positions with the National Bureau of Asian Research, Sydney University’s Southeast Asia Centre, the Lowy Institute for International Policy, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. His scholarly research has appeared in the Journal of Contemporary Asia, Asian Security, Asia Policy, Asian Politics & Policy, Defense & Security Analysis, Defence Studies, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, Harvard Asia Quarterly, and others. His policy essays have been published by The New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, South China Morning Post, The Jakarta Post, East Asia Forum, The Strategist, and others. He has also written for RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, International Institute for Strategic Studies, East-West Center, Royal United Services Institute, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, and others. He earned his MA and PhD in political science from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs as a Fulbright Presidential Scholar. He also holds a MS in Strategic Studies from Nanyang Technological University and a BA in political science (Cum Laude) from Parahyangan Catholic University.

Natalie Sambhi is Founder and Executive Director of Verve Research, an independent research collective focussed on the relationship between militaries and societies. Natalie is a PhD scholar at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, the Australian National University, focussing on Indonesian military history. In 2018, the Royal United Services Institute awarded her the Leo Mahony bursary to support her doctoral research.

From 2016 to 2020, Natalie was a Research Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre. From 2012 to 2016, she also worked at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) as an Analyst and Managing Editor of ASPI’s blog, The Strategist. She has previously worked at the Department of Defence, University of Canberra and for the academic journal Asian-Pacific Economic Literature. In May 2014 and in January 2016, Natalie was a Visiting Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) in Washington, DC. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) (Hons) from the University of Western Australia and a Master of Arts (International Relations) and Master of Diplomacy from the Australian National University.

Natalie has been a guest lecturer and presenter at the Australian National University, Australian National Security College, Australian War College, Indonesian National Resilience Institute (LEMHANNAS), Indonesian Defense University, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canadian Department of National Defence and several international think tanks and universities. Her writing has appeared in Security Challenges journal, South China Morning Post, War On The Rocks, The Diplomat, The Interpreter and The National Interest.

Natalie has previously been involved with the Australian Institute of International Affairs ACT; the US-based Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) and was a founding member of the Women in Defence and Security Network (WDSN). Follow her on Twitter @securityscholar.

In partnership with Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS), Pacific Forum’s MARITIME DISCUSSION SERIES, features military and civilian leaders, international security experts, and scholars discussing the most pressing maritime issues in the Indo-Pacific Region.

To support this series, or for more information, contact Audrey Happ: [email protected]