John Knaus

Senior Director, Asia

John Knaus is the Senior Director for Asia at the National Endowment Democracy (NED), where he has worked since 1997.  Mr. Knaus oversees the NED’s program designed to promote democracy throughout the region, which includes over 240 projects totaling approximately $28 million.  Mr. Knaus travels throughout Asia to assist and evaluate current NED grantees, consult with regional experts, and develop future programs. He specializes in  Prior to joining the Endowment, Mr. Knaus worked with Tibetan refugees in northern India.  His writings on Asia have appeared in the Korea Times, the Nation (Bangkok), the Huffington Post, and the Journal of Democracy and he represents the NED publicly at conferences, panels, and other public events.  Mr. Knaus earned his B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University and his M.A. with distinction in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Areas of Expertise: Southeast Asia, Burma, Malaysia, democracy promotion, closed societies