Dividing the Spoils
Published on Oct 30, 2021 by Luke Hunt
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..
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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....
AUKUS & China
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..
Washington's view of ASEAN
Published on Sep 17, 2021 by Luke Hunt
A podcast with Guy Taylor, National Security Team Leader at The Washington Times, overseeing the paper’s State Department, Pentagon, and intelligence coverage. He has also reported from dozens of countries and seen his work honored by several journalism awards.Prior to joining The Times in 2011, Taylor was supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Fund For Investigative Journalism and he served as an editor at World Politics Review.Taylor spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about U.S. foreign policy in Southeast Asia under President Joe Biden, the re-emergence of the Quad, the debacle in Kabul, and the impact of rapid changes in international diplomacy and the implications for ASEAN and China. Listen here..
Russia Seduces Myanmar
Published on Mar 2, 2021 by Luke Hunt
Russia’s appetite for influence and lucrative arms sales in Southeast Asia has been whetted by the latest coup in Myanmar, where isolated generals remain distrustful of China but still require allies on the United Nations Security Council. Chinese investments had flourished in Myanmar under the now-deposed civilian government effectively led by former opposition figure Aung San Suu Kyi, and the military, also known as Tatmadaw, benefitted through state owned enterprises brought under its control before Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won historic 2015 elections. However, relations between junta leaders and Beijing have long been strained over Chinese interference across their common border – an existential threat not shared with Russia – and Beijing’s assistance to long-running ethnic insurgencies, including....
