Center for a New American Security

Dr. David Asher is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CNAS, where he specializes in issues related to Asia, economics and security. 

Dr. Asher has worked extensively as a subject matter expert on countering illicit financial networks and trans-national threats for the U.S. government, including advising OSD Policy, U.S Special Operations Command, Central Command, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. From 2001-2005, Dr. Asher served as Senior Adviser for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and coordinator of the North Korea Working Group at the State Department, where he helped plan and participated in the Six Party Talks. He also directed the North Korea Activities Group at the National Security Council, overseeing the Bush administration’s strategy against the Kim Jong Il regime’s illicit activities and finances.

Dr. Asher has a deep background in Asian economic and security relations and is fluent in Japanese. From 1999-2001, he was a resident fellow and Associate Director of the Asian Studies Program at the American Enterprise Institute and from 1998-99 he was a fellow with the Center for International Studies and the Japan Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 1994-95 he was assigned to the East Asian Affairs office in the Pentagon, supporting the development of the U.S.-Japan “Nye Initiative” to update the bilateral security alliance. From 1990-1993, he ran a congressional task force on U.S.-Japan economic relations.  Over the last 20 years, David also has worked as a principal, strategist, and management consultant in the financial services and asset management industries, focused on Asia.

He graduated from Cornell University and received his doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford. His doctoral dissertation examined the failure of economic reform in interwar Japan and the rise of military nationalism.