CAS Event
Wednesday, April 17 at 4:30pm
CASE room E422
above Euclid Car Park
Last Days of the Mighty Mekong
Brian Eyler
Celebrated for its natural beauty and its abundance of wildlife, the Mekong
river runs thousands of miles through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand,
Cambodia, and Vietnam. Its basin is home to more than 70 million people and
has for centuries been one of the world's richest agricultural areas and a
biodynamic wonder. Today, however, it is undergoing profound changes.
Development policies, led by a rising China in particular, aim to interconnect
the region and urbanize the inhabitants. And a series of dams will harness the
river's energy, while also stymieing its natural cycles and cutting off food
supplies for swathes of the population.
In Last Days of the Mighty Mekong, Brian Eyler travels from the river's
headwaters in China to its delta in southern Vietnam to explore its modern
evolution. Along the way he meets the region’s diverse peoples, from villagers
to community leaders, politicians to policy makers. Through conversations
with them he reveals the urgent struggle to save the Mekong and its unique
ecosystem.
About the author
Brian Eyler is the director of the Stimson Center's Southeast Asia Program in
Washington, DC. Previously, he directed study abroad centres in Beijing and
Kunming, China for IES Abroad and led numerous study tours throughout
the Mekong region.