CSIS Names Ernest Bower New Chair for Emerging Economies In Southeast Asia Sumitro Djojohadikusumo Center For Emerging Economies

WASHINGTON, September 21, 2012– The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is pleased to announce the establishment of the Sumitro Djojohadikusumo Center for Emerging Economies in Southeast Asia (SDCEESEA). Ernest Z. Bower, currently senior adviser and director of the Southeast Asia Program and Pacific Partners Initiative at CSIS has been named the chair of the new center.

Funding for the Center is being provided by the Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation, which was established by Indonesian businessman Hashim Djojohadikusumo in honor of his late father, Professor Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, a former Indonesian economist considered the architect of the country’s modern economy. Dr. Sumitro worked with the Ford Foundation in the 1950s to send Indonesian economists to the United States to obtain advanced degrees in economics. These graduates, many of whom later filled top slots in the government, were known as the “Berkeley mafia” because many of them had studied at the University of California at Berkeley.

“The ties between the United States and Southeast Asia are fundamental to ongoing American strategic interests,” said Dr. John Hamre, president and CEO of CSIS. “We appreciate Mr. Hashim’s support for the work that Ernie Bower and our Southeast Asia team are doing. Their focus on emerging economic issues is a vitally important aspect of our ties with the region and will allow CSIS to continue to play a leading role in the policy discussions about Southeast Asia.”

“This is an important moment in the history of Indonesia and Southeast Asia. New models for economic development and governance are being established, and I wanted to honor my father by endowing a chair at a world-class institution that can not only bring ideas to the table, but make them policy relevant and move the dial,” said Mr. Hashim.

The SDCEESEA will conduct research on U.S.-Indonesia relations and Southeast Asia and include a proactive program to promote deeper understanding and closer relations between the United States and Southeast Asia. Key elements will include.

• A comprehensive study on the future of U.S.-Indonesia relations, including recommendations for building increased security, political, economic, science and technology, and people-to-people cooperation to 2020 and beyond.
• Annual visits for U.S. members of Congress and congressional staff to Indonesia and visits by the Indonesian Parliament and staff to the United States.
• Funding for an Indonesia fellow who will be an Indonesian academic or official who will be resident at CSIS in Washington, D.C.
• Studies on ASEAN economic integration, regional trade and security architecture, and pathways to trade liberalization linking ASEAN to the global market.

For more information on the CSIS Sumitro Djojohadikusumo Center for Emerging Economies in Southeast Asia, please contact Andrew Schwartz aschwartz@csis.org or (202) 775-3242.

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The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that seeks to advance global security and prosperity by providing strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decisionmakers. The Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation was established by Indonesian businessman Hashim Djojohadikusumo in honor of his late father, economist Sumitro Djojohadikusumo. Many of the foundation’s activities focus on expanding education and social services to poor communities in Indonesia. “Arsari” is an acronym for the name of the three children of Mr. Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Aryo, Sara and Indra.