Three Asian Summits
Published on Jan 6, 2023 by Luke Hunt
A podcast with Brad Murg. Southeast Asia recently played host to an unprecedented group of summits that firmly put the West and its U.S.-led foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific on the front foot.Bradley Murg, distinguished senior research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, speaks with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about the key takeaways and questions that arose after world leaders converged on Phnom Penh, Bali, and Bangkok.Listen here.
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Timor-Leste in ASEAN
A podcast with Kupa Lopez. Timor-Leste initially applied for membership to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 11 years ago, but since then Dili has been frustrated and disappointed, finding entry into the club of 10 nations a difficult ask.This prompted Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta to remark earlier this year that: “It seems as if to reach ASEAN, you have to fulfill all the criteria to enter heaven. And then the next step is ASEAN.”Membership seemed assured this year after Cambodia assumed the role of ASEAN’s rotating chair, with Prime Minister Hun Sen promising to do all he could to ensure Timor-Leste’s admittance as the bloc’s eleventh member state. That was not to be.Luke Hunt spoke with Kupa Lopes,....
ASEAN Summit Ends
Published on Aug 17, 2022 by Luke Hunt
PHNOM PENH — Foreign ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations wrapped up their 2022 annual meetings in Phnom Penh with a plea for peace in the South China Sea, warnings for the junta in Myanmar and plans to bolster COVID-19-crushed economies.Foreign ministers and delegates from about 40 countries gathered here for their annual talks with nine of 10 foreign ministers from ASEAN.Read more..
Sri Lankan President Ousted
Published on Jul 26, 2022 by Luke Hunt
The United Nations and the United States have condemned the heavy-handed tactics of the Sri Lankan government after the army and police forcibly dismantled a protest camp of tents and makeshift homes, the focal point of protestors for more than three months.Photo essay by Luke Hunt published by The Diplomat.
ASEAN's Place
Published on May 20, 2022 by Luke Hunt
A podcast with Carl Thayer. Last weekend’s U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit ended with the usual round of handshakes, backslapping and a watered-down joint statement, which again failed to name countries of concern, China and Russia.Carl Thayer, Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about the summit and Vietnam, which is in an awkward position due to its reliance on Russian military hardware.He says efforts to maintain a “free and open Indo-Pacific” have been complicated by the Southeast Asian nations and their desire to be seen at the center of the framework, despite their growing and at times intractable differences.There are also issues with raising U.S.-ASEAN....
Outlook China
Published on Dec 1, 2021 by Luke Hunt
A podcast with Bart Edes, currently a Professor of Practice at McGill University in Montreal, after spending decades in the field working in international trade and development policy and analyzing the transformative trends that are reshaping East Asia and the world.Edes has a refreshing outlook for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, and their relationships with the West, which are constantly under scrutiny amid trade wars and constant talk of a potential conflict.Click here and listen..
AUKUS & China
Published on Oct 30, 2021 by Luke Hunt
A podcast with Brad Murg. A paradigm shift has occurred in geopolitics, particularly across the Indo-Pacific with the re-emergence of the Quad security partnership and the AUKUS deal forged between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.This is a major issue for Southeast Asia where politics is already complicated by a dramatic rise in Chinese debt, which is threatening the region’s economy and has brought the glory days of its Belt and Road Initiative to an end.Bradley Murg Murg, distinguished senior research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, talks with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about these issues. Listen here..
BRI Glory Days are Over
Cash-strapped Southeast Asian countries should look beyond China and its Belt and Road Initiative for economic help as Beijing is seen focusing more domestically, analysts say.Regional governments have looked at the BRI to bolster their economies in coming years, but analysts have told VOA that Chinese generosity and foreign investment have limits and that Beijing is more concerned with shoring up its own economy than with new initiatives to promote post-pandemic growth elsewhere.Read and listen to more from Luke Hunt at VoA..
Russia's Response to AUKUS
Russia is attempting to expand its influence in Southeast Asia through meetings and plans with Association of Southeast Asian Nations members, say analysts, but appears not to have the military or financial power to become a larger player in the region.The effort includes Russian adoption of a five-year roadmap focused on trade and investment cooperation, the digital economy and sustainable development with the 10 ASEAN members. Meanwhile, at the Sixth Eastern Economic Forum held last month in Vladivostok, Vietnam offered itself as a bridge to connect ASEAN to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union – an economic grouping including Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — with analysts forecasting Moscow would seek to shore up regional political ties in response to....
Dividing the Spoils
A podcast with Keith Loveard and his 50-year career in journalism which has seen him develop special interests in a number of fields. Prominent among them is his focus on Indonesia, where he has lived for more than 30 years.This includes the struggle of moderate Islam against fundamentalist fanaticism, the climate crisis and, as he puts it, the pervading sickness of inequality across the globe.Loveard spoke with Luke Hunt about his new book, Indonesia; Dividing the Spoils, the country’s legacy of environmental decay and entrenched corruption, and the trends that have the potential to improve the situation. Listen here..
