Five former American ambassadors to Asia and the Middle East were on the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) campus on Monday, April 7, for a special forum on the future of United States relations with one of the world’s most contentious regions. Ambassadors Ronald E. Neumann, James F. Collins, Randall G. Schriver, John Wolf and B. Lynn Pascoe provided their insight to members of the Omaha community and UNO students through a special forum titled “Asian Pivot: American Interests, Diplomacy and Regional Perspectives” from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine St. in Omaha. The focus of the forum was on East Asia, specifically the areas of China, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines and Vietnam. “Recent actions by North Korea have created uncertainty and unrest in the East Asian region and globally,” explained Thomas Gouttierre, dean of International Studies at UNO. “China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea add to these tensions. The Omaha Ambassador Forum and its distinguished speakers intend to address how these events will impact the interrelations between the US, China, Japan and other nearby nations as they demand attention in the coming months.” In addition to the official forum at the Scott Conference Center, the ambassadors met with UNO students from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Monday.