Amy Searight
Sol M. Linowitz Visiting Professor of International Affairs
Amy Searight joins Hamilton as the Sol M. Linowitz Visiting Professor of International Affairs for the spring 2025 semester. Amy has a wealth of experience on Asia policy—spanning defense, diplomacy, development, and economics — in both government and academia. In the Obama administration she served in the Department of Defense (DOD) as deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, as well as principal director for East Asian security. She also served in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as senior adviser for Asia. She has also served on the policy planning staff and as special adviser for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in the State Department as a Council on Foreign Relations international affairs fellow. Before entering government, Amy was an assistant professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, where she taught international relations of Asia and directed the mid-career master’s program in international policy and practice. She was also an assistant professor at Northwestern University and a postdoctoral fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. In recent years Amy has led the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and more recently serves as non-resident Senior Fellow at the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative (IPSI) at the Atlantic Council. Amy graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in political economy, and earned her Ph.D. in political science and M.A. in East Asian studies from Stanford University.
Distinctions
- The Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service (June 2016) • The Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics) Award for Excellence (February 2016)
- Japan’s Minister of Defense Letter of Appreciation (March 2014)
- USAID Administrator’s Certificate of Appreciation (September 2012)
- Japan Foundation Research Fellowship, for research in Tokyo (July 2005)
- Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship (2002-2003)
- American Political Science Association, Foreign Policy Section Award for the best paper on foreign policy presented at the 2000 APSA Annual Meeting (coauthored with Christopher Way)
- Foreign Language Area Scholarship (FLAS) (1989-1991)
- Phi Beta Kappa (1988)
- Political Economy Award, Williams College (June 1988)
Selected Publications
- A U.S.-Japan Agenda for Economic Security Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific (forthcoming, Atlantic Council)
- Countering China’s Influence Operations: Lessons from Australia (CSIS Report, July 31, 2020)
- Countering Russian and Chinese Influence Activities: Examining Democratic Vulnerabilities and Building Resiliency, with Cyrus Newlin, Heather A. Conley, and Tim Kostelancik (CSIS Report, July 15, 2020)
- Power, Norms, and Institutions: The Future of the Indo-Pacific from a Southeast Asian Perspective. A CSIS Survey of Strategic Elites, with Michael J. Green (CSIS Report, June 2020)
- Strengths and Vulnerabilities in Southeast Asia’s response to the Covid-19 Pandemic (CSIS Commentary, April 20, 2020)
- The Economic Toll of Covid-19 on Southeast Asia: Recession Looms as Growth Prospects Dim (CSIS Commentary, April 14, 2020)
- U.S. Coast Guard cooperation with Southeast Asia: Maritime Challenges and Strategic Opportunities (Congressional Testimony, March 10, 2020)
- Southeast Asia in 2020: Issues to Watch (CSIS Commentary, January 14, 2020)
- “Southeast Asian Alliances and Partnerships,” chapter in Ironclad: Forging a New Future for America’s Alliances (Rowman and Littlefield, 2019)
- Jokowi 2.0: Policy, Politics, and Prospects for Reform (CSIS Critical Questions, October 18, 2019)
- Strengthening the U.S.-Pacific Islands Partnership (CSIS Report, May 2019).
- What do the recent elections in Indonesia and Thailand mean for Democracy in Southeast Asia? (CSIS Commentary, April 26, 2019)
- Strengths, challenges for the ASEAN-led security forum (Straights Times op ed October 27, 2018)
- Modi Needs to Show India Has Teeth, with Atman Trivedi (Foreign Policy, May 31, 2018)
Professional Experience
The Atlantic Council, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative (April 2023-present)
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Senior Adviser and Director, Southeast Asia Program (2016 – 2020)
Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia (2014 – 2016)
Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense, Principal Director for East Asia (2012 – 2014)
U.S. Agency for International Development, Senior Policy Advisor, Asia Bureau (2010 – 2012)
Stonebridge International, Vice President (2008 – 2009)
Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, Gaston Sigur Memorial Assistant Professor for Japan and International Affairs (2002 – 2008)
U.S. Department of State, Policy Planning Staff Member (November 2003 – March 2004)
U.S. Department of State, Special Advisor to U.S. Ambassador for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (July 2003 – November 2003)
Northwestern University, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science (1999 – 2002)
Appointed to the Faculty
2024Educational Background
Ph.D., Stanford University
B.A., Williams College
