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AsiaSource Interview with Mohini Giri
Mohini Giri is a prominent women's rights activist in India. She has received several honorary doctoral degrees from universities in India and abroad, as well as numerous awards and distinctions. Dr. Giri was at the Asia Society in New York on October 11 to participate in a panel discussion following a screening of the film White Rainbow, which follows four women as they overcome the difficulties of widowhood in India.

AsiaSource speaks to the Governor of Aceh
Irwandi Yusuf was formally installed as Aceh's first democratically elected governor on February 8, 2007. In this interview, he talks about the transition he made from leading a movement for national liberation to serving in government. Governor Yusuf is hopeful that Aceh will be able to attract more foreign investment and will receive a fair share of revenues for its resources from the central government in Java as stipulated in the Helsinki agreement.

Asia Society Interview with Hong Kong Filmmaker Patrick Tam Ka-ming
Renowned Hong Kong filmmaker Patrick Tam Ka-ming was a key member of Hong Kong's New Wave of the late '70s and early '80s. Famous works include Nomad (1982) and The Sword (1980), and Tam's latest film, After This Our Exile, (2006) has garnered multiple international awards.

East Asia

AsiaSource Interview with Marcus Noland
Marcus Noland is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. His new book, co-authored with Stephan Haggard, Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aids, and Reform presents a comprehensive account of the famine to date, examining not only the origins and aftermath of the crisis but also the regime's response to outside aid and the effect of its current policies on the country's economic future.

Asia Society analysts on North Korea deal
Chung Oknim, professor of International Relations and UN Studies at Sunmoon University in South Korea, Katy Oh, co-author of North Korea through the Looking Glass, and Michael Kulma, Director of Policy Programs at Asia Society, comment on the deal reached in Beijing where the six-party talks concluded with North Korea agreeing to take the first steps towards nuclear disarmament.

Asia Society Center on U.S.-China Relations
A strong and collaborative relationship between the United States and China will be critical to global peace, security, and economic growth in the future. To meet the growing need for a deeper understanding of and public dialogue strengthening U.S.-China relations, Asia Society has established the Asia Society Center on U.S.-China Relations with a generous gift by founder Arthur Ross. Read the transcript from the launch event on January 30th with Henry Kissinger and Orville Schell.

Asia Society Interview with BABEL star Rinko Kikuchi
Rinko Kikuchi, the young Japanese star of "Babel," was recently named to Variety's "10 Actors to Watch" list. As Alejandro González Iñarritu's "Babel", one of the year's most talked about films, was about to open in New York and Los Angeles, she spoke to Nermeen Shaikh at Asia Society about why she auditioned for the part, the challenges of playing a deaf-mute teenage girl in Tokyo, and what she thinks of the film as a whole.

The US and North Korea: An Interview with Ambassador Jay Lefkowitz
Jay Lefkowitz serves as Special Envoy on Human Rights in North Korea, a position to which he was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2005. He is also a senior partner at Kirkland & Ellis, LLP. In this interview he discusses US-North Korean relations in the context of human rights.

Jia Ping on HIV/AIDS in China
Jia Ping is a lawyer and strategy development director at the North-East Center for Health and Education in China and works to protect the rights of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. This interview was conducted by Elizabeth Williams, Senior Program Officer on HIV/AIDS at Asia Society.

Viewpoints: An Afternoon with Shigeru Ban
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
In the first of the new Viewpoints series at the Asia Society, Japanese architect Ban, one of the most innovative architects working today, talks about his design philosophy and various residential, installation and humanitarian projects. Access video highlights from the program.

One on One with Maggie Cheung:
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating the special artistry of Maggie Cheung as part of the Cinevisionary Tribute at the 28th Asian American International Film festival, Asian CineVision and The Film Society of Lincoln Center sponsored a special evening with the renowned actress. Asia Society presents video highlights and text excerpts from this interview. Watch and meet the artist and woman behind these incredible works.

Creating Wenji: An Interview with Bun-Ching Lam, Xu Ying and Rinde Eckert.
Wenji: Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute is a contemporary opera based on the true story of poet and musician Cai Wenji that premiered at the Asia Society in January 2002. Read an interview with composer Bun-Ching Lam, librettist Xu Ying and director Rinde Eckert.

An Interview with Sue Williams
In this interview, Sue Williams, co-founder of Ambrica Productions, speaks about her experience as writer, director, and producer of the China trilogy as well as the film she is currently producing called China at a Crossroads (working title), which explores the human costs of economic reforms and other issues in contemporary China.

An Interview with Danny Schechter
Director of Falun Gong's Challenge to China, a hard-hitting investigation of China’s policy towards a spiritual movement that claims 100 million followers worldwide.

Singing the Chinese Blues: An Interview with Liu Sola
Liu Sola is a composer and vocalist whose work combines elements of traditional Chinese folk music with contemporary American jazz and blues. AsiaSource spoke with the composer in anticipation of the Asia Society's May 9th concert "Sola and Friends".

A Conversation with Gao Xingjian
Gao Xingjian is the first Chinese recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. In this insightful interview by Professor David Der-Wei Wang of Columbia University, Gao Xingjian speaks about his literary style, his influences, and his career in both China and France.

AsiaSource Interview with Mohini Giri
Mohini Giri is a prominent women's rights activist in India. She has received several honorary doctoral degrees from universities in India and abroad, as well as numerous awards and distinctions. Dr. Giri was at the Asia Society in New York on October 11 to participate in a panel discussion following a screening of the film White Rainbow, which follows four women as they overcome the difficulties of widowhood in India.

Bernard Schwartz Fellow Pramit Pal Chaudhuri on US-India Relations
Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, a Bernard Schwartz Fellow at Asia Society, is the Foreign Editor of The Hindustan Times and a leading figure in Indian policymaking circles. Pramit has written widely on India's foreign and international economic policies. He is a regular talking head on Asian television and radio stations. In this interview, he discusses the future of US-India relations.

AsiaSource Interview with Uday Dandavate
Trained as an industrial designer, Uday Dandavate is Founder and Principal of the design research firm SonicRim, where he specializes in helping international clients understand people, cultures, and trends in emerging markets. Uday is a key figure behind the Design with India initiative, which occurred on February 5, 2007 at the Asia Society.

Asia Society Interview with President and CEO of General Electric India Scott Bayman
Over the past thirteen years, Scott Bayman has advanced General Electric’s business in India and has seen firsthand its transformation, the orchestration of drastic economic reforms, and adherence to the principles of liberalization Scott Bayman is a corporate officer of the General Electric Company and president and chief executive officer of GE - India.

AsiaSource Interview with Zahid Hussain
Zahid Hussain is the Pakistan correspondent for the Times of London, the Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. He is also the political correspondent for the Karachi-based monthly Newsline. He spoke to AsiaSource about his new book Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam (Columbia University Press, 2007).

AsiaSource Interview with Edward Luce
Edward Luce is the Washington bureau chief for the Financial Times. He was the paper’s South Asia bureau chief, based in New Delhi, between 2001 and 2006. Here he speaks to AsiaSource about his new book, In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India.

AsiaSource Interview with Under Secretary Nicholas Burns
Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns is the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the Department of State’s third ranking official. Ambassador Burns addressed the Asia Society on US Policy in South Asia on November 27th. In this interview, he discusses US policy towards Iran, North Korea, and Pakistan.

AsiaSource Interview with Vimukthi Jayasundara
Vimukthi Jayasundara is the director of The Forsaken Land, which was awarded the Camera d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Mr Jayasundara previously directed a documentary called The Land of Silence in 2001 and a short film, Empty for Love, in 2002. This interview was conducted via telephone while Mr Jayasundara was in Paris.

Isher Ahluwalia on India in the Global Economy
Isher Ahluwalia is the Vice Chairperson of the Planning Board of the Government of Punjab, India and Member of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, Government of India. This interview with AsiaSource was conducted on February 2nd, 2006, while Dr. Ahluwalia was in New York for the Asia Society panel discussion on Encyclopedic India: Ancient Cultures and New Opportunities.

Ibrahim Quraishi on 5 Streams
Ibrahim Quraishi is a conceptual artist, writer, choreographer and the artistic director of Compagnie Faim de Siècle (NY/Paris). Ibrahim Quraishi's most recent work, 5 Streams, combines ancient texts from Hindu and Muslim traditions to provide a sensory journey through the realities and mythologies of South Asia. This multi-media performance installation includes an extraordinary international team of collaborators and performers including music by Norscq and Paul Miller, a.k.a. DJ Spooky, and choreography and dance by Parul Shah. More about 5 Streams.

Two Lives: An Interview with Vikram Seth
From the author of A Suitable Boy, this masterful fusion of memoir, biography and history creates an extraordinary tapestry of India, the Third Reich and the Second World War, Auschwitz and the Holocaust, Israel and Palestine, post-war Germany and 1970s Britain. This interview with AsiaSource was conducted while Seth was in New York for a Meet the Author program at the Asia Society on November 16, 2005.

Asma Jahangir: The Military in Pakistan
Asma Jahangir is a leading human rights advocate in Pakistan. A prominent lawyer, she has worked both in Pakistan and abroad to prevent the exploitation of religious minorities, women, and children. She is currently UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief of the Commission on Human Rights.

Family Matters: An Interview with Rohinton Mistry
Rohinton Mistry is the author of award-winning novels, Such a Long Journey, A Fine Balance, and most recently Family Matters. In this interview, Mr Mistry discusses his initial interest in music and what eventually drew him to writing, as well as the kind of literature he finds most compelling.

The Women's Movement in Pakistan: An Interview with Hina Jilani
Hina Jilani, an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human rights activist, speaks to AsiaSource about the women's movement in Pakistan, its involvement in peace and security issues, as well as Pakistan's policy towards Afghanistan.

Acting on Instinct: An Interview with Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan is arguably India’s most ambitious and accomplished actor. AsiaSource spoke with the actor about the success of his film Lagaan, Bollywood's expansion to the international market, and choosing a script on instinct.

An Interview with Ismail Merchant
AsiaSource spoke with the legendary filmmaker about his partnership with James Ivory, the thread that ties all Merchant Ivory films, and the enduring influence of Satyajit Ray.

An Interview with Sooni Taraporevala
Best known as the screenplay writer for Salaam Bombay! and Mississippi Masala, Sooni Taraporevala is also an accomplished photographer whose first book, Parsis: The Zoroastrians of India- A Photograohic Journey, documents India's small but vibrant Parsi community.

Microcredit: Interview with Muhammad Yunus
Founder and Managing Director of Grameen Bank discusses the importance of micro-credit for poverty alleviation in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

Viewpoints: A Conversation with Shahzia Sikander and Shirin Neshat
Shirin Neshat and Shahzia Sikander are two critically acclaimed Asian American artists whose work examines, among other things, the themes of gender, Islam, tradition and identity. The two artists spoke with Vishakha Desai, the Asia Society’s Senior Vice President and Director of the Galleries and Cultural Programs, in this insightful conversation.

Interview with Manil Suri
In this interview, the author of The Death of Vishnu discusses growing up in Bombay, the influence of Hinduism on his work, and the mathematical theory behind his debut novel.

Interview with Helena Norberg-Hodge
Helena Norberg-Hodge, author of Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh discusses the implications of development as it is currently constituted and what her vision of an alternative development would consist in.

AsiaSource speaks to the Governor of Aceh
Irwandi Yusuf was formally installed as Aceh's first democratically elected governor on February 8, 2007. In this interview, he talks about the transition he made from leading a movement for national liberation to serving in government. Governor Yusuf is hopeful that Aceh will be able to attract more foreign investment and will receive a fair share of revenues for its resources from the central government in Java as stipulated in the Helsinki agreement.

AsiaSource Interview with Thai Health Minister
Thailand has been at the center of a controversy over affordable access to medication because of its recent decision to pursue generic versions of patented pharmaceuticals. Mongkol Na Songkhla, the Minister of Public Health in Thailand, spoke with Asia Society's Nermeen Shaikh about this and other issues during a visit to New York where he joined a press conference with President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation to announce a global pooled procurement of anti-retroviral drugs.

Bernard Schwartz Fellow Sadanand Dhume on Political Islam and Indonesia
Sadanand Dhume, a Bernard Schwartz Fellow at Asia Society, is a journalist and writer with a long-standing interest in Asia. He has recently completed a book on the rise of radical Islam in Indonesia. He speaks here to AsiaSource about Indonesia and the problems with Islamist ideology.

AsiaSource Interview with William Nessen
William Nessen is the director of the full-length documentary The Black Road: On the Front Line of Aceh's War, which was awarded the Best Documentary under 60 minutes and the Best Film of the Festival at the 2006 Mumbai International Film Festival, Asia's largest documentary competition.

José Ramos-Horta on Reconciliation in East Timor (March 2006)
José Ramos-Horta, Nobel laureate and Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, was a leading figure in the country's liberation movement. In this interview, Mr Ramos-Horta discusses various foreign policy and domestic issues confronting the new nation-state.

Cambodian Stories
Asia Society, Inta, Inc. and the Reyum Institute of Arts and Culture present a ten-week U.S. tour of a world premiere cross-cultural, multidisciplinary performance conceived and directed by renowned Japanese American dance duo Eiko & Koma. Find out more about the performance and read an interview with Eiko & Koma.

When the Elephants Dance: An Interview with Tess Holthe
Tess Uriza Holthe is a Filipina-American writer from San Francisco. Her first novel, When the Elephants Dance, is inspired in part by her father's experiences growing up in the Philippines during World War II. AsiaSource spoke with her about Filipino folklore, the brutality of WWII, and growing up in a family of storytellers.

Living Faith: An Interview with Steve Raymer
Steve Raymer, former National Geographic photographer and author of Living Faith: Inside the Muslim World of Southeast Asia, discusses the ethics of photojournalism and American media representations of Islam, among other issues.

Cambodian Dance Interviews
AsiaSource spoke with the creative team behind Dance, The Spirit of Cambodia, including Artistic Director Proeung Chhieng, Lighting Designer Clifton Taylor, and Pam Tatge, Director of the Wesleyan Center for the Arts.

The Role of Business in Resolving the Mindanao Conflict: An Interview with Ricardo Pascua
Ricardo Pascua is a Trustee of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the oldest and largest corporate-led social development foundation in the Philippines. In this interview, he discusses how business can influence policymaking.

Aceh in Crisis: An Interview with Shadia Marhaban
The insurgency in Aceh, located on the northern tip of Sumatra in Indonesia, has been escalating in recent weeks. AsiaSource spoke to Shadia Marhaban, an activist in the region, about the origins of the conflict.

Interview with Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh is a popular novelist, journalist, anthropologist and professor whose latest novel, The Glass Palace, addresses the relationship between India and Burma during the British colonial period.

Ambassador Sadegh Kharazi on US-Iran Relations and Iraq
Ambassador Sadegh Kharazi has served twice as Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister. He was Iran's ambassador to the UN from 1989 to 1995, and to France from 2002 to 2005. Ambassador Kharazi has also worked as senior assistant to Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, as well as to President Mohammad Khatami. Here Ambassador Kharazi speaks about US-Iran relations, the shared interest of both the US and Iran in a stable Iraq, and the importance of track two diplomacy between the countries.

AsiaSource Interview with Dr Abdullah Abdullah
Dr Abdullah Abdullah was appointed foreign minister of Afghanistan following the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, a position he retained til March 2006. In this AsiaSource interview, he talks to Nermeen Shaikh about what the greatest failures of the war on terrorism have been, what the prospects for Afghanistan are now, and the role of Pakistan in contributing to the deteriorating security situation in the region.

Exclusive AsiaSource Interview with Ambassador Javad Zarif
Ambassador Javad Zarif is the Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations in New York. Dr. Zarif is a career diplomat and has served in different senior positions in the Iranian Foreign Ministry and at various international organizations. In this exclusive interview with Nermeen Shaikh, Ambassador Zarif discusses a number of pressing issues including Iran's nuclear program, the insurgency in Iraq, sectarian violence, and President Ahmadinejad's controversial comments on Israel.

Sedika Mojadidi's Motherland Afghanistan
Afghan-American filmmaker, Sedika Mojadidi, has produced a documentary about her father's work in women's medicine in Afghanistan following the American military intervention in 2003. Listen to an interview with Sedika Mojadidi on the making of her film Motherland Afghanistan.

The US Military Operation in Afghanistan: An Interview with Lt Gen Karl Eikenberry
Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry is the commander of Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan. This interview with AsiaSource was conducted by Nermeen Shaikh following the Asia Society program Assessing the Afghanistan Campaign on May 1, 2006.

AsiaSource Interview with Karim Sadjadpour on Iran's Nuclear Aspirations
In this interview, Karim Sadjadpour, the International Crisis Group's Iran analyst, discusses the possible outcome of the present impasse between the United States and Iran on the latter's nuclear aspirations. This interview was conducted the day after the Asia Society event Understanding Iran's Nuclear Aspirations: Pragmatism or Brinkmanship? on March 28, 2006.

Preserving Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage: An Interview with Nancy Hatch Dupree
An internationally recognized expert on the history, art, and archaeology of Afghanistan, Nancy Hatch Dupree has dedicated a lifetime to documenting and preserving Afghanistan's cultural heritage. AsiaSource spoke with Mrs. Dupree about the aftermath of the destruction of cultural property in Afghanistan and the situation cultural preservation and non-profit organizations are facing in Afghanistan today.

Women and Islam: An Interview with Lila Abu-Lughod
Lila Abu-Lughod is a professor of anthropology at Columbia University who has worked on women's issues in the Middle East for more than twenty years. Here she discusses this issue in the context of the American war in Afghanistan.

The Future of Afghanistan: An Interview with Ashraf Ghani
Ashraf Ghani is Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University. In this interview with AsiaSource, Dr Ghani discusses the American war in Afghanistan, the exclusion of the Taliban from the talks held in Bonn, and the composition of the interim administration in Kabul.

Interview with Richard C. Foltz
Richard C. Foltz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religion at the University of Florida and the author of Religions of the Silk Road. AsiaSource spoke with him about the origins of the Silk Road, the spread of Islam in Central Asis, and cultural exchange along the route.

An Expert's View: Barnett Rubin on Afghanistan
In this interview, Professor Barnett Rubin, author of The Fragmentation of Afghanistan, among other books, discusses, inter alia, the long-term effects of the proxy war in Afghanistan and the rise to power of the Taliban.

AsiaSource speaks to I Land Performer Keo Woolford and Director Roberta Uno
At once hilarious, defiant and transcendent, I Land weaves together traditional Hawai'ian hula, Hip-Hop, Hawai'ian talk story and spoken word. In this conversation with AsiaSource, Keo Woolford discusses his inspiration for the piece while director Roberta Uno talks about how she and Keo began collaborating on I Land, and what her plans are for the future. After initial performances at the Asia Society, I Land will be in New York again April 20 - May 13 2007. For more information, visit the Ma Yi Theatre.

AsiaSource Interview with Daniel Dae Kim
Daniel Dae Kim has made several television appearances on 24, ER, and Angel, but he's received the greatest attention as one of the co-stars on ABC's new hit drama Lost. See video and transcript of AsiaSource's interview with Kim who discusses his role on Lost, his observations about Asian American roles in the entertainment industry, and the importance of educating youth about the challenges of pursuing a highly competitive and creative career.