Events in Thailand and Implications for U.S. Policy toward Southeast Asia

NBR hosted a roundtable discussion with Ambassador Darryl N. Johnson on Friday, May 14, 2010, at its Seattle offices in the University District. Ambassador Darryl M. Johnson spoke and took questions about the recent political crisis in Thailand.

The roundtable discussion was organized by NBR’s Next Generation Leadership in Asian Affairs Fellowship Program as part of the Leadership Forum, a professional development program for NBR staff, fellows, and interns designed to cultivate leadership through a curriculum of seminars and discussion forums. The views expressed in Leadership Forum activities are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of NBR or institutions that support NBR.

Audio

Speaker Bio

Ambassador Darryl N. Johnson had a long and distinguished career as a Foreign Service Officer, culminating in his service as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand (2001-04). He retired from the Foreign Service in early 2005 and shortly thereafter began teaching part-time at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at his alma mater, the University of Washington in Seattle. He also served as acting Chief of Mission (Charge d’Affairs) at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines for several weeks in 2005.

Before joining the Foreign Service in 1965, Ambassador Johnson served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand. His first Foreign Service assignment was to the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai, India, then to the Consulate General in Hong Kong. His other overseas postings have included Moscow, Beijing, and Warsaw. He served as the first U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Lithuania, and later in Taipei as the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan. In Washington he held a variety of positions, including Yugoslav Desk Officer, PRC Desk Officer, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Deputy Coordinator for Assistance to the countries of the former Soviet Union, Deputy Director of the Bosnian Task Force, Political Adviser to the Chief of Naval Operations, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, responsible for China and Mongolia.