The Center for Asian and Pacific Studies (CAPS) was established at the University of Iowa (UI) in recognition of the steadily increasing interdependence of the nations of the world, and in anticipation of a new Century of the Pacific - a century in which much of the world's political and economic center of gravity is expected to shift toward the countries along the Asian rim of the Pacific. Like other area centers at the UI, CAPS seeks to enrich the intellectual life of faculty, students, and the community at large; to enhance research, teaching, and outreach activities at the UI; and to encourage collaboration and exchange among members of the wider CAPS community. Like the university of which it is a part, CAPS understands itself to have teaching, research, and service missions.