• East Asia

Alan Romberg is the director of the East Asia program at Stimson.

Before joining  Stimson in September 2000, he enjoyed a distinguished career working on Asian issues, both in and out of government, including twenty years as a US Foreign Service Officer. Romberg was the principal deputy director of the State Department's Policy Planning staff and deputy spokesman of the department. He served in various capacities dealing with East Asia, including director of the Office of Japanese Affairs, member of the Policy Planning staff for East Asia, and staff member at the National Security Council for China. He served overseas in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Additionally, Romberg spent almost ten years as the CV Starr Senior Fellow for Asian Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and was special assistant to the Secretary of the Navy.

Romberg holds an MA from Harvard University, and a BA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

Selected Publications

• Presidential Inbox 2013: Finding the Right Balance in Asia Policy, (co-author, Stimson, January 2013)
• Following the 18th Party Congress: Moving Forward Step by Step, (China Leadership Monitor No.40, Hoover Institution Stanford University, January 2013)
• Across the Taiwan Strait: From Confrontation to Cooperation, 2006-2012,  (Stimson, November 2012)
• Alan D. Romberg Comments On The Diaoyutai/ Senkaku Islands Dispute (October 2012)
• "Shaping the Future- Part II: Cross-Strait Relations," (China Leadership Monitor No. 39, Hoover Institution Stanford University, October 2012)
• "Shaping the Future-Part I: Domestic Developments in Taiwan,"  (China Leadership Monitor No. 38, Hoover Institution Stanford University, August 2012)
• "After the Taiwan Elections: Planning for the Future," (China Leadership Monitor No. 37, Hoover Institution Stanford University, April 2012)
• "Understanding North Korea's Failed Launch" (Stimson Spotlight, April 13, 2012)
• "Taiwan Elections Head to the Finish: Concerns, Cautions, and Challenges,"  (China Leadership Monitor No. 36, Hoover Institution Stanford University, January 2012)
• "Regional Implications And The Passing of Kim Jong-Il"  (Stimson Spotlight, December 20, 2011)
• "The 2012 Taiwan Election: Off and Running," (China Leadership Monitor, No. 35, Hoover Institution Stanford University, September 2011)
• "Cross-Strait Relations: Setting the Stage for 2012," (China Leadership Monitor No. 34, Hoover Institution Stanford University, February 2011)
• Alan Romberg comments on Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit and its impact on U.S.-Taiwan relations (January 2011)
• Alan Romberg's interview with Stimson President, Ellen Laispon, on Hu Jintao's visit (click here for the transcript)(January 2011)
• Alan Romberg On Hu Jintao's US Visit （January 2011)
• "U.S. and South Korea Navies Send a Message (CNN, November 2010)
• Presentation at the 6th Hankyoreh-Busan International Symposium in Busan, Korea (November 2010)
• "Managing the Cross Strait Issue" sponsored by National Committee on American Foreign Policy and Tsinghua University (November 2010)
• Alan D. Romberg comments on ECFA, the cross-strait economic agreement (June 2010)  
• "Ma at Mid-Term: Challenges for Cross-Strait Relations," (China Leadership Monitor No. 33, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, June 2010)
• Alan D. Romberg Comments on the Possibility of 'FTA-like' Deals for Taiwan (June 2010)
• "All Economics Is Political: ECFA Front and Center," (China Leadership Monitor No. 32, Hoover Institution Stanford University, May 2010)
• "2010: The Winter of PRC Discontent,"  (China Leadership Monitor No. 31, Hoover Institution Stanford University, February 2010) available in Chinese on the Carnegie Insight
  
• "Cross-Strait Relations: Weathering the Storm,"  (China Leadership Monitor No. 30, Hoover Institution Stanford University, November 2009)
• Alan D. Romberg: Obama's First Trip to China Will Highlight his China Policy, an interview with Taiwan's Central News Agency (November 11, 2009) available in Chinese only
• "Cross-Strait Relations: A Confederacy of Skeptics," (China Leadership Monitor No. 29, Hoover Institution Stanford University, August 2009)
• Alan D. Romberg Comments on Ma Ying-jeou's First Year in Office, an interview with Taiwan's Central News Agency (May 20, 2009) available in Chinese only
• "Alan D. Romberg: Taiwan Entry in the WHA - A Step in the Right Direction," (World Journal, San Francisco, April 30, 2009)
• Jorge Liu, "Alan D. Romberg: Taiwan Attendance at the WHA Demonstrates Cross-Strait Flexibility and Originality," (Taiwan's Central News Agency, April 29, 2009) available in Chinese only
• Jorge Liu, "Alan D. Romberg: The Three Agreements Signed at the Third Chiang-Chen Meeting Deepen Cross-Strait Relations," (Taiwan's Central News Agency, April 27, 2009) available in Chinese only
• Alan D. Romberg discusses the future of U.S.-Taiwan relations at a conference U.S.-Taiwan Relations in a New Era: Looking Forward 30 Years After the Taiwan Relations Act organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (April 22, 2009)
• "Cross-Strait Relations: First the Easy, Now the Hard,"  (China Leadership Monitor No. 28, Hoover Institution Stanford University, May 8, 2009).
• "PacNet 17A -- 'Cross-Strait Moderation and the United States' - A Response to Robert Sutter," by Richard Bush and Alan D. Romberg (CSIS Pacific Forum, March 12, 2009)
• "Cross-Strait Relations: "Ascend the Heights and Take a Long-Term Perspective,"  (China Leadership Monitor No. 27, Hoover Institution Stanford University January 9, 2009)
• "­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Alan Romberg: Obama's Taking Office Will Benefit the Steady Development of U.S.-Taiwan Relations," (Taiwan's Central News Agency, November 2008)
• "Cross-Strait Relations: First the Easy Steps, Then the Difficult Ones," (China Leadership Monitor No. 26, Hoover Institution Stanford University, September 2, 2008)
• "American Scholar: President Ma's low key transit shows the sincerity of his effort to build mutual trust," (Taiwan's Central News Agency, August 2008)
• "U.S. Expert sees arms sales to Taiwan moving forward in coming weeks," (Taiwan's Central News Agency, July 2008)
• "After the Taiwan Election: Restoring Dialogue while Reserving Options," (China leadership Monitor No. 25, Hoover Institution Stanford University, June 17, 2008)
• "Taiwan: Opportunities and Challenges,"  (keynote address at the CLSA China Forum in Shanghai, May 15, 2008)
• "Taiwan: George Bush meet Abba Eban" (Stimson Spotlight, April 21, 2008)
• "Alan Romberg Urges Beijing to Adopt Creative Measures to Improve Cross-Strait Relations" Jorge Liu (Central News Agency) reports on Alan D. Romberg's remarks in the Brookings seminar "Taiwan's Elections and What They Mean" (March 28, 2008)
• "U.S. Policy Toward Taiwan, Time for Change?" (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace debate series: Reframing China Policy, March 26, 2008)
• "Alan Romberg: Election Victor Must Heal Societal Rifts," Alan D. Romberg's interview with Jorge Liu (Central News Agency), text in Chinese (March 23, 2008)
• "Taiwan Elections: Foundation for the Future," (China leadership Monitor, No. 24, Hoover Institution Stanford University, March 12, 2008)
• "Shifting Political Currents in Taiwan" (Stimson Spotlight, January 15, 2008)
• "Cross-Strait Relations: In Search of Peace," (China Leadership Monitor, No. 23, Hoover Institution Stanford University, January 23, 2008)
• "Future Cross-Strait Relations and a Possible Modus Vivendi" Alan D. Romberg's paper presented at the Foundation for International and Cross-Strait Studies-Brookings Institution Conference (December 3, 2007)
• "PacNet 45 - The U.S. "One China" Policy: Time for a Change?" based on Alan D. Romberg's October 24 Neuhauser speech (CSIS Pacific Forum, November 7, 2007)
• "The U.S. "One China" Policy: Time for a Change?" (speech at the 16th annual Neuhauser Memorial Lecture at Harvard, October 24, 2007)
• "Applying to the UN "in the name of 'Taiwan',"  (China Leadership Monitor, No. 22, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, October 5, 2007)
• "Six-Party Agreement And The North-South Summit: An Opening For Korea?"  (Stimson spotlight, October 5, 2007)
• "Election 2008 and Cross-Strait Relations,"  (China Leadership Monitor, No. 21, Hoover Institution, Stanford University (July 16, 2007)
• "Future East Asian Security Architecture: Implications for the PLA," Alan D. Romberg's analysis appears in Assessing the Threat, published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (July 12, 2007)
• "North Korea: So If The Banking Issue Is Resolved. What's Next?"  (Stimon Spotlight, June 11, 2007)
• "Politicians Jockey for Position in Taiwan's 2007-2008 Elections, While Japan Jockeys for Position Across the Strait,"  (China Leadership Monitor No. 20, Hoover Institution Stanford University, February 28, 2007)
• "Negotiating With North Korea: Bridging The Differences Among The Key Parties" (Stimson Spotlight, February 20, 2007)
• "Public Response is More Important Than Ma Ying-jeou's Standing in KMT," Alan D. Romberg's interview with Jorge Liu (Central News Agency), text in Chinese (February 14, 2007)
• "Taiwan: All Politics, All the Time,"  China Leadership Monitor, No. 19, Hoover Institution, Stanford University (October 24, 2006)
• "The Taiwan Tangle," (China Leadership Monitor No. 18, Hoover Institution Stanford University July 2006)
• Alan D. Romberg gave a keynote address at the international conference: "The 1996 Strait Crisis: Decisions, Lessons and Prospects" in Taiwan. The conference was sponsored by the Foundation on International and Cross-Strait Studies (FICS), Brookings Institution, and Tampkang University. His speech was reported in the China Post article: "U.S. visitor issues Chen administration one of the bluntest warnings" (May 26, 2006)
• "Promoting Cross-Strait Stability, Avoiding Catastrophe," (PacNet Newsletter of Pacific Forum CSIS, March 2005)
• "Cross-Strait Relations: Avoiding War, Managing Peace," (Occasional Paper No. 38, Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, November 2004)
• "Political and Strategic Implications of China's Growth,"presented at China's Growth and the World Economy Conference, sponsored by People's University of China, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, and the United Nations Development Proogramme in Beijing (September 2004)
• "Support Taiwan Democracy, Not Referenda," (Asia Times Online, March 2004)
• Rein In at the Brink of the Precipice: American Policy Toward Taiwan and US-PRC Relations, (Stimson, October  2003)