Wednesday, December 6, 2023, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM (ET)
The Pierce Room, Willard InterContinental Hotel
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
In-Person (RSVP here) and Webcast
Event Description:
The Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) is very pleased to invite you to a release event for a new report produced by GTI’s Task Force on US-Taiwan Relations, entitled “Advancing the US-Taiwan Partnership in a Changing Global Landscape.” For decades, the US-Taiwan relationship has served as a cornerstone of the US policy approach to the Indo-Pacific. Despite substantial geopolitical headwinds, Washington and Taipei have been able to forge a strong and enduring partnership, based on shared values and interests. However, these ties have faced increasingly pressing challenges in recent years. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has shown a growing willingness to upend the norms and greater stability of earlier decades by engaging in both overt military coercion and political warfare subversion directed at Taiwan. Meanwhile, wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East have significantly destabilized the international system, potentially paving the way for further authoritarian aggression. Amid these challenges, reinforcing and expanding the US-Taiwan partnership has become more critical than ever.
Recognizing this, GTI assembled an expert Task Force on US-Taiwan relations, with the goal of evaluating the current state of the relationship and providing recommendations for strengthening it. The bipartisan Task Force includes a diverse range of policy experts and practitioners, hailing from the government, private businesses, and academia. Together, its members possess a wealth of experience on Taiwan, China, and the broader Indo-Pacific region. Each member participated in a personal capacity; their views do not represent or necessarily reflect the views of their respective organizations and affiliations.
This report is the product of more than a year of discussions and briefings, during which participants engaged on a range of issues, including Taiwan’s diplomatic status, role in the global economy, military capabilities, and efforts to combat Chinese coercive measures, among others. The report was also informed by a task force delegation visit to Taiwan, which featured top-level meetings with Taiwanese government officials, military leaders, business leaders, and civil society groups. These meetings provided invaluable insights into Taiwan’s economic, political, and security priorities, as well as key areas in which the US-Taiwan relationship could be bolstered.
To commemorate the report’s release, GTI will be hosting a conversation with the chair of the Task Force, Amb. (ret.) Robert C. O’Brien, the 27th United States national security advisor. The event will be moderated by task force member Allison Hooker.
The event will be held in the Pierce Room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel. Doors will open at 1:30 PM (ET), and the event will begin at 2:00 PM (ET). If you plan on attending in-person, please RSVP by December 4, as seating is limited. Light refreshments will be provided. Please direct questions or concerns to Program Manager Marshall Reid at mreid@globaltaiwan.org.
**Media: Please contact Marshall Reid at mreid@globaltaiwan.org if you would like to bring additional crew members or equipment, so that we can be sure to accommodate you.
Speaker:
Ambassador (ret.) Robert C. O’Brien is co-founder and chairman of American Global Strategies LLC. He was the 27th United States national security advisor from 2019 – 2021. Ambassador O’Brien served as the president’s principal advisor all aspects of American foreign policy and national security affairs. During Ambassador O’Brien’s time as national security advisor, the United States orchestrated the historic Abraham Accords in the Middle East, brokered economic normalization between Serbia and Kosovo, achieved significant defense spending increases among our NATO allies and increased cooperation with America’s allies across the Indo-Pacific. Prior to serving as NSA, O’Brien was the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs with the personal rank of ambassador. He was directly involved in the return of over 25 detainees and hostages to the United States. Ambassador O’Brien previously served as co-chairman of the US Department of State Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan under both Secretaries of State Rice and Clinton. Ambassador O’Brien is partner emeritus at Larson LLP in Los Angeles, a nationally recognized litigation boutique that he co-founded in 2016. Over his career, he has served as counsel and arbitrator in dozens of international proceedings. Ambassador O’Brien holds a JD from the UC Berkeley School of Law. He received his BA in political science, cum laude, from UCLA.
Moderator:
Allison Hooker currently serves as senior vice president at American Global Strategies, handling the firm’s Indo-Pacific practice. In addition, she serves as the vice chair of GTI’s US-Taiwan Task Force. Prior to this, Ms. Hooker served at the National Security Council as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for Asian affairs, where she led the coordination and implementation of US policy toward the Indo-Pacific region and coordinated policy approaches with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific and Europe. Prior to that, she served as special assistant to the president and senior director for the Korean Peninsula, where she focused on US policy toward the Koreas. Before her service at the White House, Ms. Hooker was a senior analyst for North Korea in the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research from 2001 to 2014. She was the 2013-2014 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow in South Korea. She is a graduate of the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and has studied at Keio University and Osaka University in Japan.
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