Albert "Al" Santoli is an American writer and Founder as well as President of the Asia America Initiative. He served in combat as a rifleman for the 25th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War. He is currently an adjunct professor of the Institute of World Politics and teaches a course entitled "Counterterrorism through Cultural Engagement and Development."
National security, human rights and refugee issues
Santoli is an expert on national security, international relations, human rights, religious liberty, and refugee issues, especially regarding East, Central and Southeast Asia. He served as an adviser to members of the U.S. Congress, policymakers in Washington, D.C. and non-governmental organizations (NGO)s.Smith, Philip, Centre for Public Policy Analysis, Washington, D.C. (1 September 2013), http://www.centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org
Philippines humanitarian and anti-poverty assistance
Santoli has been an advocate for humanitarian assistance to the people of the Philippines and has written about their plight, including the effect of poverty, corruption, insurgencies, counterterrorism, and catastrophic typhoon damage.Gertz, Bill, Washington Times, Washington, D.C., (23 October 2002) "Initiative Sees Medicine as Way to Beat Terrorism in Philippines" Washington Times, Washington, D.C. "Anti-terrorism lessons from the Philippines.(LETTERS)" (30 October 2002) In 2013, Santoli was officially recognized with one of the Philippines' most prestigious awards, the "Order of the Golden Heart," for his humanitarian relief efforts.Manila Bulletin, Manila, Philippines, (15 November 2010) "Group needs fund to transport donations for flood victims" Press Statement, Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C. (5 October 2013)"Order of the Golden Heart Awarded" http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/news/3339/300/Photo-Releases---Order-of-the-Golden-Heart/
Veterans issues
During May 2014, Santoli was invited to provide keynote remarks at the Laos Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery to honor his fellow veterans of the Vietnam War as well as Lao and Hmong veterans of the "U.S. Secret Army" who defended the Kingdom of Laos during the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos.Defense & Aerospace Week, (4 June 2014) "Arlington National Cemetery, U.S. Congress, Officials Honor Lao, Hmong-American Veterans"
Bibliography Everything We Had: An Oral History of the Vietnam War. Random House. (1981) To Bear Any Burden: The Vietnam War, its Aftermath in the words of Americans and Southeast Asians Dutton. (1985) Refuge Denied : Problems in the Protection of Vietnamese and Cambodians in Thailand and the Admission of Indochinese Refugees into the United States. Human Rights First (1989) New Americans: An Oral History. Viking. (1990) Leading the Way:How Vietnam Veterans Rebuilt the U.S. Military. Ballantine Books. (1993) Empires of the steppe. Russia and China, from antiquity to 1912. American Foreign Policy Council (2002)
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