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Center for Strategic and International Studies
Nicholas Szechenyi is Deputy Director and fellow of the Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.
PROFILE
Nicholas Szechenyi
Guest
FROM Nicholas Szechenyi
To the Point
A Japanese prime minister to Visit Pearl Harbor for first time This is the 75th anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the US into World War II. Later this month, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will become the first leader of his country to visit there. Just this past May, Barack Obama was the first US President to visit Hiroshima, the city destroyed by an American nuclear weapon. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Barack Obama shake hands at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on May 27, 2016 Official White House Photo We hear more about the significance of this visit from Jennifer Lind, Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, and Nicholas Szechenyi, Deputy Director on Japan at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
To the Point
The Big One Hits Japan The death toll from today's massive 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan has already reached into the hundreds and is expected to rise. Thousands have been evacuated around a nuclear power plant. We learn about possible problems with nuclear power plants and other angles on the most severe earthquake in 100 years.
Which Way, L.A.?
The President's Trip to Asia: Substance and Symbols President Obama has left for a week in Asia as American influence has been on the decline, while China's influence is increasing. So "the overarching theme" of the President's trip will be that the US is a Pacific nation engaged with Asia "in a very comprehensive way." That's what the National Security Council's been telling reporters.
To the Point
The President's Trip to Asia: Substance and Symbols As the US continues to struggle out of recession, Asia currently is regarded as the most economically dynamic place in the world. In high-profile visits to four countries in eight days, President Obama will express what the State Department calls "strategic reassurance." We hear what that means to allies, including Japan and South Korea, and to China, which the President describes as both a competitor and a "vital partner," one whose influence is increasing. We also hear about conflicts with different countries and broader issues of human rights, global warming, Iran and Afghanistan.
To the Point
A New Era in Japanese Politics? Japan's Liberal Democrats have governed the country almost continuously since democracy was established after World War II. Now the new Democratic Party has won in a landslide, based partly on doing away with American-style pro-market reforms. During the recent election campaign, the likely new Prime Minister railed against American-style capitalism as "void of morals or moderation." Now he says he "did not present an anti-American way of thinking over all." Nicholas Szechenyi is Assistant Director on Japan at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
To the Point
Secretary Rice in Japan to Discuss Response to North Korea North Korea's atomic test has raised the possibility of a nuclear arms race in Asia. In Tokyo today, on the first stop of a hastily planned trip to the region, Secretary of State Rice said the US will use the " full range " of its military might if necessary to defend Japan.
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To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.