FORA.tv Speaker - William S. Cole

William S. Cole is the director of The Asia Foundation's Governance, Law, and Civil Society program where he is responsible for coordinating democratic governance, the rule of law, and conflict management. He concurrently serves as the director of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) program. Dr. Cole plays a central role in strategic planning at the country level and has been instrumental in introducing new program areas and directions for the Foundation. These include small and medium business policy reform, counter corruption programming, information technology, and conflict management. He has contributed significantly to the re-establishment of the Foundation's office and programs in Afghanistan, where he spent most of 2002. Prior to his current position, he served as director of the Economic Policy Reform program in Indonesia. Dr. Cole has written widely and is a frequent speaker on topics related to Asian development, Afghanistan, democracy and governance, and the political economy of social and economic reform.