Alumni Events

February 27, 2014 at 4:00 am

History Alum on ‘New Zealand, the United States, and the Asia Pacific Century,’ April 18

Dr. James Waite, First Secretary (Political) at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington, D.C., returns to Ohio University with the Contemporary History Institute Guest Lecture Series on Friday, April 18, at 4:30 p.m. in Baker 247.

Silver fern in black and white sign of NewzealandHis talk is on “New Zealand, the United States, and the Asia Pacific Century: a Shared Vision and Common Interests.”

An Ohio University alum, Waite earned a Ph.D. in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations from Ohio University in 2005. In 2012 he published The End of the First Indochina War: A Global History (Routledge) – a book adapted from his doctoral dissertation. He also has published in the journal Diplomatic History. His undergraduate qualifications include a First Class Honours degree (History) and a Bachelor of Science degree (Chemistry) from the University of Otago in 2000.

Waite has worked as a career diplomat since 2005, when he joined the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has extensive professional experience in South East Asia and was posted to Jakarta from 2008-11. His portfolio focuses on New Zealand-U.S. foreign policy cooperation in East Asia and the Middle East. His most recent capital-based roles include rotations as a Senior Policy Officer in the International Security and Disarmament Division (2011-13) and in the Asia Regional Division (2013).

His involvement in security cooperation and peace-building in South East Asia has included work in the Indonesian provinces of Aceh, Maluku, Papua, and West Papua and in Mindanao in the Philippines. He has led New Zealand delegations to East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum meetings. In 2013, Waite was a member of New Zealand Prime Minister John Key’s delegation at the East Asia Summit in Brunei Darussalam.

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