Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Pacific Forum CSIS is a non-profit, private, foreign policy research institute that operates as the Asia Pacific arm of the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1975, the thrust of the Forum's work is to help stimulate cooperative policies in the Asia Pacific region through debate and analyses undertaken with the region's leaders in the academic, government, and corporate arenas. The Forum's programs encompass current and emerging political, security, economic/business, and ocean policy issues. It collaborates with an extensive network of research institutes around the Pacific Rim, drawing on Asian perspectives and disseminating its projects' findings and recommendations to opinion leaders, governments, and publics through an active outreach program.

An international Board of Governors guides the Pacific Forum's work. It is chaired by Dr. Joseph S. Nye, Jr., former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. The Forum's $1.3 million annual budget is funded by grants from foundations, corporations, and individuals, as well as governments, the latter. The Forum's studies are objective and nonpartisan; they are widely distributed and generally available on-line. The Pacific Forum CSIS does not engage in classified or proprietary work.