Spotlight: Anne Wu

Anne Wu is a joint Research Fellow with Belfer's International Security Program and Managing the Atom Project 2004-2005

"He (or she) who excels in study should follow an official career." Growing up in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, these words were never far from Anne Wu's mind. Also, in Chinese traditional culture, she says, the best career is a career in government. In Anne's province, home of Chairman Mao and many other revolutionary leaders, governmental service is held in even higher esteem. It was in this atmosphere, with her father also serving in government, that Anne found herself leaning strongly toward this career path.

A decisive point in her life came when she had to decide between a governmental career and her other love, journalism. When she was accepted at China's Foreign Affairs College in Beijing, she made her decision. A cradle for diplomats, Foreign Affairs College would provide entrée into a very appealing governmental career that would allow her to pursue another of her interests - international travel. Soon after her graduation, she joined China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was sent to the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore as a visiting scholar. From there, her work with the Ministry turned to substantial involvements in a wide range of diplomacy and negotiations involving China's relationships with other countries. She focused primarily on Asian Pacific security and political issues, multilateralism, and conflict resolution. She was also a keynote speechwriter for Chinese state leaders such as the President and the Premier.

In 2003, Anne accepted an offer to attend the Kennedy School as an Edward S. Mason Fellow, a fellowship that would "provide her an opportunity to get a more global vision of the world." During the year, as she attended classes and presentations about international security issues, she had the opportunity to engage in discussions about North Korea with Belfer Center Director Graham Allison. "My discussion with Professor Allison convinced me that I had a misconception of the cooperation taking place between China and the U.S.," Anne says, "and he felt strongly that China should use more of its influence on the North Korean issue."

With her interest in North Korea piqued, Anne applied for and received a joint International Security Program/Managing the Atom Project fellowship to research Chinese and U.S. cooperation around the North Korean nuclear situation and how well - or badly - the countries involved in the 6-Party Talks are working together to resolve the crisis. The U.S. and China want a peaceful resolution to a nuclear-free North Korea, but their approaches are different, Wu says. "The U.S. wants China to flex its muscles. China wants to teach the U.S. the importance of using more ‘tai-ji' or internal strength and patience in dealing with North Korea." She believes a combination of the two methods must be used to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table as soon as possible.

There's an old Chinese saying that "those who are skilled in war will bring the enemy to the battlefield and not be brought there by the enemy." In the case of North Korea, this means that the five parties must take back the initiative from North Korea; they must cooperate on bringing it back to the negotiating table and quickly.

Anne's experience at the Belfer Center and Kennedy School has given her the opportunity, she says, to observe the world in a new way by learning from and sharing views with academics and practitioners from all over the world. "This is a very rich place intellectually," she says, "and my colleagues here are extremely generous in sharing their ideas and offering support."

Anne wants to do something with both intellectual depth and practical breadth in the future. For now, she is putting her energies into contributing toward a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear crisis.