This month, Zsuzsa and Richard are joined by James Crabtree. Together they examine how recent developments in the Middle East are (re)shaping Europe's relationship with Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region. They also explore how key Asian powers are responding to perceptions of Europe's shifting role on the global stage.
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Read MoreWritten by Hunter Marston
Southeast Asian anxieties with the Trump administration’s turn toward protectionist trade policies were evident in the May 2025 ASEAN Summit, when the regional bloc expressed ‘deep concern’ with US tariffs.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Hunter Marston
Despite the opportunity presented by American retrenchment, China lacks the soft power to step in as a natural leader and its economic and political influence continue to be met with suspicion by regional elites.
Read MoreDrawing on her decades of experience in Cambodia’s pro-democracy movement, we discussed the country’s democratic decline, the growing influence of China, and the crucial role the international community — and Cambodia’s youth — must play in shaping a freer future.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Sophal Ear
Cambodia offers a litmus test: if Japan can sustain influence there, it may do so across mainland Southeast Asia.
Read MoreThis month, Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Richard Heydarian are joined by Stephen Nagy to unpack the significance of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Southeast Asia. Together, they explore what this heightened diplomatic outreach reveals about Beijing’s evolving regional strategy—and what it means for the Indo-Pacific at large, including Europe’s strategic positioning.
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Read MoreWritten by Chhay Lim
Policies that force Cambodia into a binary choice risk deepening its reliance on China and undermining US efforts to maintain influence in Southeast Asia.
Read More9DASHLINE’s Southeast Asia Associate Hunter Marston recently spoke with Dr Enze Han about his latest book, The Ripple Effect: China’s Complex Presence in Southeast Asia.
The book provides a nuanced perspective on China’s relationship with Southeast Asia, focusing not just on state-level interactions but also on the significant role of non-state actors, such as businesses and migrants, in shaping regional perceptions of China.
Read MoreWritten by Lucas Myers
The Quad’s role is clearer in 2024 than in 2017 or 2007. It coordinates and ensures the provision of public goods in an era of great power competition that is about much more than just traditional hard power security.
Read MoreIn this In Forum, 9DASHLINE asks several experts what to expect from the next US administration and its potential impact on the Indo-Pacific region.
Read MoreWritten by Meghan Murphy and Bryanna Entwistle
Unable to stop a deadly civil war within its member states, halt transnational crime that crosses its borders, deliver solutions on maritime rights, or mitigate superpower relations, the bloc feels to many as an increasingly irrelevant mechanism in which to conduct foreign affairs.
Read MoreChhay Lim and Kimpor Try
While there is leeway for Cambodia to hedge and pursue an independent foreign policy, the new government under Hun Manet has no choice but to continue diversifying strategic and economic partners.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Denis Suarsana
Countries like Japan, South Korea, and Australia are becoming increasingly important. The EU is markedly punching below its weight in Southeast Asia and needs to fight hard to stay relevant at all.
Read More9DL recently had the pleasure of catching up with Hunter Marston, who has been our associate based in Canberra for the past two years. Hunter has played an important role in expanding 9DASHLINE’s network in Australia as well as contributing nuanced analysis on the emerging dynamics in the Indo-Pacific, especially in Southeast Asia.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Alfred Gerstl and Nick Nieschalke
The investment in the Global Gateway Initiative (GGI) indicates the EU’s stronger global focus on infrastructure and connectivity partnerships within a dedicated scheme.
Read MoreWritten by Chris Fitzgerald
Their return represents and legitimises a darker time of dictators, corruption and atrocities, which many older Indonesians and Filipinos hoped was history. It is undoubtedly a step back and suggests strongmen are now the norm, not the exception.
Read More9DASHLINE recently enjoyed the opportunity to speak with H.E. Sujiro Seam, the European Union’s Ambassador to ASEAN. This discussion dives into the key aspects of this relationship, exploring areas of cooperation, shared challenges, and the future direction of EU-ASEAN ties.
Read MoreWritten by James Kaizuka
Deeper institutionalisation of security cooperation, bilaterally between Japan and South Korea and trilaterally also including the United States, can head off all of these threats and ensure that the ‘inaugural’ Indo-Pacific Dialogue is not the ‘only’ Indo-Pacific Dialogue.
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