Politics Lab
The Politics Lab examines how power is exercised, negotiated and contested across the Asia Pacific—shaping outcomes in both international and domestic arenas.
From geopolitics and international negotiations to governance reform and peacebuilding, the lab explores how states, institutions and non-state actors navigate complex political environments. You will engage directly with the realities of policymaking, analyzing how political incentives, institutional constraints and regional dynamics influence cooperation and conflict.
Quick facts: Politics Lab
Availability
Year-round
Eligibility
- School of Foreign Service (SFS) graduate students
- Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific (GSAP) students
- Executive education professionals
Credits
- Academic credit available for Georgetown students
Offerings
- 3 course, or
- Research project
Faculty
- Yuhki Tajima
- Scott Guggenheim
- Marty Natalegawa
Fieldwork locations
Partnership with the International Centre for Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies
Overview of the Politics Lab
The Politics Lab is an ongoing, field-engaged lab that equips you with the analytical tools and contextual understanding needed to operate effectively in high-stakes political settings. Through applied policy challenges spanning trade and investment negotiations, democratic governance, conflict resolution and institutional reform, you will develop practical skills grounded in the realities of the Asia-Pacific.
Join the Politics Lab
The Politics Lab is open to Georgetown graduate students, GSAP students, and executive education professionals year-round, though individual course and research offerings will vary.
Take a course
The Politics Lab offers four courses:
- Applied Strategy and Negotiation for Leaders
- Conflict, Peacebuilding and Recovery
- Conflict Analysis and Mediation Certificate (Georgetown Asia Pacific Peace Academy) — September 14 – October 2, 2026
- Post-Conflict Governance and Policy Certificate (Georgetown Asia Pacific Peace Academy) — March 15 – April 2, 2026
Contact the Politics Lab faculty to find out which courses are currently available.
Applied research
The Politics Lab conducts applied research grounded in real-world political challenges across the Asia-Pacific. Current research includes:
- How Peace Prevails: Comparative Evidence in Aceh, Indonesia and the Southern Philippines
What you’ll learn
Through the Politics Lab, you will develop practical skills for engaging with applied policy challenges such as trade and investment negotiations, democratic governance, conflict resolution, and institutional reform. The Lab equips you with the analytical tools and contextual understanding needed to operate effectively in high-stakes political settings.
Fieldwork
Fieldwork opportunities are available with our partner, the International Centre for Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies (ICAIOS).
Faculty
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Scott GuggenheimDirector of Policy Labs and Research Professor of the Practice -
Yuhki TajimaAssociate Professor and Program Director of Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific (GSAP)Yuhki Tajima is Rector of Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific and Associate Professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. While…
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Marty NatalegawaDistinguished Research Fellow