East Asian Legal Studies Talk:

Natalie Lichtenstein, JD ‘78
AIIB Inaugural General Counsel (retired)

DISCUSSANT:

Alastair Iain Johnston
The Governor James Albert Noe and Linda Noe Laine Research Professor of China in World Affairs, Harvard University

When the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was launched in 2016, many wondered how this new multilateral development bank (MDB) would be different. China was its leading proponent and continues as its largest shareholder; developing countries in Asia and around the world have substantial stakes, as does Europe.

Ten years later, AIIB’s founding lawyer takes a look at AIIB in the context of MDB genealogy. Her new research spans the early 20th century roots of the World Bank Charter, through the mid-century development of the principal regional MDBs. How does AIIB’s 21st century charter reflect its heritage, and what new features were added? Concluding reflections will touch on how these features developed in AIIB’s first decade.

The talk is based on the newly published second edition of Ms. Lichtenstein’s book, A Comparative Guide to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (Oxford University Press, 2025).

Natalie Lichtenstein was Inaugural General Counsel at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the principal drafter for the AIIB Charter. A former Assistant General Counsel at the World Bank, her 30-year legal career there spanned lending operations in Asia and senior positions in institutional governance. At US Treasury in the 1970s, she worked on development banks and normalization of US-China relations. She taught Chinese Law and Society at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) for many years and remains a Fellow at the China Research Center. She received an AB summa cum laude in East Asian Studies from Harvard University and a JD from Harvard Law School.

Alastair Iain Johnston is the Gov. James Albert Noe and Linda Noe Laine Research Professor (emeritus) of China in World Affairs in the Government Department at Harvard University. He has written on strategic culture, socialization theory, and identity and foreign policy, mostly with application to the study of East Asian international relations and China’s international relations. From 2007-2024 he was a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control.

A light lunch will be provided. Please register here.

A Harvard ID is required in order to enter Harvard Law School buildings. If you have questions, please contact [email protected] in advance of the event.

Friday, September 25, 2026, 12:20-1:20 pm
WCC 3019 (Wasserstein Hall, 3rd Floor), Harvard Law School