While the Mekong River – one of the world’s longest and largest rivers – has long been in peril, its future has gotten more attention over the past few years both on its own terms as well as within the context of other geopolitical trends such as the development of mainland Southeast Asian states and the rise of China.

To discuss these issues and more, Luke Hunt recently spoke to Milton Osborne, a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute who has been associated with Southeast Asia for more than a half-century –viewing the region through various stints including at the Australian Embassy in Cambodia and the Office of National Assessments and authoring 11 books – with a particular focus on the Mekong subregion. They talked about the future of the Mekong, broader geopolitical trends, and Osborne’s latest book, Pol Pot Solved the Leprosy Problem.