Michael K. Young's Keynote Address at the 2012 Pyle Center Conference

About the Speaker

Michael K. Young is President of the University of Washington, as well as a tenured Professor of Law. He was previously President and Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Utah, Dean and Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at the George Washington University Law School, a professor at Columbia University for more than 20 years, and a law clerk to the late Justice William H. Rehnquist of the United States Supreme Court. President Young has held numerous government positions, including Deputy Under Secretary for Economic and Agricultural Affairs and Ambassador for Trade and Environmental Affairs in the Department of State. He also served as a member and chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. President Young earned his BA from Brigham Young University and his JD from Harvard Law School.

All the major Northeast Asian countries, as well as the United States, have recently undergone or are preparing for elections or other leadership transitions that will not only impact their domestic political landscapes but also shape their foreign policy priorities.

Russia, Taiwan, and the United States all held national elections in 2012; the recent 18th National Congress ushered in a new cohort of leaders for China; North Korean politics continued to be impacted by the succession of Kim Jong-un; and Japan will hold a general election on December 16, days before the December 19 presidential election in South Korea.

To examine the political, economic, and social issues affecting Northeast Asia amid these transitions, NBR invited a select group of experts to participate in a one-day conference comprised of several panel discussions. The conference was part of a series of events organized to celebrate the Henry M. Jackson Centennial, the hundredth anniversary of Senator Jackson’s birth.

In his keynote speech, Dr. Michael K. Young, President of the University of Washington, asks whether any of these transitions will bring about consequential change, and what that means for both the region and the world.

Learn more about the 2012 Pyle Center Conference: “Northeast Asia in Transition: New Leadership, New Dynamics.”