Mirna Galic is a senior policy analyst for China and East Asia at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Her areas of expertise include relations between U.S. partners in Asia and Europe and how such relations enable these partners to address regional and international security issues.  

Prior to joining USIP, Galic lived and worked in Tokyo in 2018 and 2019 as a Council on Foreign Relations-Hitachi International Affairs fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, where she remains a nonresident senior fellow. She also spent seven years as a senior advisor with the U.S. government at both the Department of State and in the U.S. Senate. Previously, she served as a special advisor in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General at the United Nations.  

Galic is the author of various works, including a series of papers on Japan-NATO relations. She holds a master’s in international relations from Princeton University and a bachelor’s in environmental studies from Stanford University.

Publications By Mirna

What’s Behind Japan and South Korea’s Latest Attempt to Mend Ties?

What’s Behind Japan and South Korea’s Latest Attempt to Mend Ties?

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

By: Frank Aum;  Mirna Galic

The meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier this month — the first bilateral summit between South Korean and Japanese leaders in over a decade — was welcomed by both sides as a major step toward renewing relations. Despite ample common cause on issues such as regional security and economic growth, ties between the two countries have been strained in recent years over unresolved disputes stemming from Japan’s colonial occupation of Korea.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Peace ProcessesReconciliation

Mirna Galic on Japan’s New National Security Strategy

Mirna Galic on Japan’s New National Security Strategy

Thursday, January 12, 2023

By: Mirna Galic

President Biden will meet Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida amid “a really high sense of insecurity” over North Korean missile tests, says USIP’s Mirna Galic. On the agenda: Japan’s new national security strategy, which features “potential for closer cooperation and integration of U.S. and Japan operations.”

Type: Podcast

What You Need to Know About Japan’s New National Security Strategy

What You Need to Know About Japan’s New National Security Strategy

Monday, December 19, 2022

By: Mirna Galic

Japan released on Friday a new, robust national security strategy and complementary defense planning documents. The strategy is Japan’s first in nearly 10 years and only its second ever. The strategy navigates the country’s response to significant changes in the regional and global security environment, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and reflect Japan’s growing sense of vulnerability vis-à-vis its immediate neighbors. USIP’s Mirna Galic looks at the new strategy and what it means for the region.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Global Policy

Despite Ukraine Focus, Asia-Pacific to Play Prominent Role at NATO Summit

Despite Ukraine Focus, Asia-Pacific to Play Prominent Role at NATO Summit

Monday, June 27, 2022

By: Mirna Galic

NATO countries meet this week in Madrid, Spain amid Russia’s war on Ukraine, the biggest test the alliance has faced in decades. The summit is expected to focus heavily on demonstrating NATO’s unity, support for Ukraine and the bids of Finland and Sweden — propelled by Russia’s aggressive incursion — to join the alliance. But developments in the Asia-Pacific, chiefly the rise of China, will also be a top item on the agenda, with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea participating at the leader level for the first time at a NATO summit.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Global Policy

Amid Ukraine War, U.S. Signals the Indo-Pacific is a Vital Priority

Amid Ukraine War, U.S. Signals the Indo-Pacific is a Vital Priority

Thursday, June 9, 2022

By: Mirna Galic;  Brian Harding;  Tamanna Salikuddin;  Vikram J. Singh

While the Ukraine war continues to dominate policymakers’ attention, the Biden administration has engaged in a series of diplomatic initiatives with allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific region over the course of the last two months. The message is clear: Washington sees the Indo-Pacific as the world’s principal geostrategic region, with a host of challenges to meet — like competition with China and climate change — and opportunities to seize, particularly related to technology and the economy.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

EconomicsGlobal Policy

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