ARTICLES

6 Aug 2025

Where Does Southeast Asia Fit Within the MAGA Worldview?

Ryan Hass

US President Trump and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement behind him will overlap uneasily with Southeast Asia’s foreign policy orientation.

24 Jul 2025

Trump’s Tariff Deal With the Philippines: All Praise, Little Gain

JC Punongbayan|Aries A. Arugay

For all the praise that US President Trump lavished on his Philippine counterpart, Marcos Jr. had little to account for from his high-profile visit to the US.

Philippine Philippine-U.S. Relations U.S. Foreign Policy US

16 Jul 2025

Rubio’s Reassurances to ASEAN Ring Hollow

Joanne Lin

US Secretary of State came to Malaysia with well-crafted words about the importance of ASEAN, but his rhetoric is undermined by Washington’s protectionist trade policies.

ASEAN ASEAN-U.S. Relations U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy

15 Jul 2025

A ‘Reverse Nixon’ Attempt by Trump? A Chinese View

Qian Yuming

In 1972, US President Nixon forged ties with China to counter the Soviet Union; will – or can – President Trump do the reverse today by aligning with Russia against China?

China Russia U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy

27 Jun 2025

The Vietnam War and US Security Policy on the Asia-Pacific

Daljit Singh

The region’s security architecture is evolving in the wake of the Trump Administration’s pressure tactics on US allies and partners. An articulation of doctrine would be helpful but may not be forthcoming.

U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy Vietnam

16 Jun 2025

US-China Negotiations in London Signal a Tough Road Ahead for Southeast Asia

Stephen Olson

Southeast Asian countries lack the personal rapport and leverage that have shaped US-China bargaining, and with US’ limited bandwidth, could find themselves on the outside looking in.

China-U.S. Relations Economy U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy

19 Mar 2025

The Rules-based Order: In Dire Straits, But Not Dead

Daljit Singh

As the US steps away from the rules-based order it helped create, smaller countries need to step up to the plate to maintain it.

International Relations U.S. Foreign Policy US

4 Feb 2025

Trump 2.0 and Thailand: Transactional Realism

Paul Chambers

The return of Donald Trump to the White House has raised concerns about the health of US-Thailand relations. But some of the fears are overdone.

Thailand U.S. Foreign Policy U.S.-Thailand Relations US

23 Dec 2024

Trump’s Tariff Threats and Supply Chain Bifurcation: A Lose-Lose Proposition

Jayant Menon

Trump’s threat of tariffs on various countries including China could spark a 1930s-era trade war.

China-U.S. Relations U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy U.S.-ASEAN Relations

18 Dec 2024

Japan-ROK-US Trilateral Relations: Flying into Turbulence

Joanne Lin|William Choong

The political tides are going against the recently impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. This could adversely affect the trilateral security arrangement involving Japan, South Korea and the US.

Japan South Korea U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy