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Listen: “Between Giants: Southeast Asia’s Strategic Path amid the US-China Geopolitical Rivalry” | A Podcast Episode

The fourth episode of the fourth season of the Katipunan Dialogue Podcast featured a discussion with Prof. Herman Joseph Kraft, Convenor of the Strategic Studies Program. He discussed Southeast Asia’s strategic landscape and the possible impacts of the second Trump presidency.

You can listen to this episode on Spotify.

Episode Topics

The conversation centered on the following questions:

    1. In an overview, what is Southeast Asia’s current strategic landscape? Where are the areas of cooperation and conflict?
    2. Where is the Philippines in this landscape? How does our maritime dispute with China and strong alliance with the US affect the region’s landscape?
    3. What factors contribute to the changes or shifts in the region’s strategic landscape?
    4. How will a second Trump administration affect Southeast Asia, particularly regarding international relations and foreign policies?
    5. In the face of intensifying economic and geopolitical rivalry between the US and China, what are the opportunities and threats for the region? How should we navigate through this great power politics?

Guest Speaker

Prof. Herman Joseph S. Kraft is a full professor at the Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, and the UP CIDS Strategic Studies Program Convener. He is a published author and a known scholar in International Relations and International Security, especially on regional security in Southeast Asia, the ASEAN, security sector reform, and intra-state conflict in the Philippines. Some of his latest publications include: “ASEAN and the Protection of Migrant Rights” (2019); “Korea’s New Southern Policy, ASEAN, and the Philippines: Middle Power Dynamics in Southeast Asia” (2020); “ASEAN-ROK Cooperation on Regional Security in a Changing Strategic Environment” (2021); and “Teaching International Relations in the Philippines: Opening Spaces while Maintaining Traditional Approaches” (2022).

Host

Mr. Aaron Abel Mallari is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP), University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD). He holds a BA and MA in History from the University of the Philippines. He obtained a double degree from the European Masters in Global Studies (EMGS) Program through an Erasmus+ scholarship that enabled him to study at the Ghent University in Belgium and the University of Vienna in Austria. Presently, his research pursuits focus on the broad history and development of international drug policy, transnational crime, and Southeast Asian studies, with an inclination toward applying and thinking about postcolonial and decolonial theorizing and methodology (from UP Diliman Political Science website).

Queries

For queries, please email: [email protected]

The Katipunan Dialogue Podcast (KDP) is produced by the Strategic Studies Program (SSP) of the Center for Integrative and Development Studies, University of the Philippines, in partnership with DZUP. You can listen to the previous episodes of KDP on Spotify.

The Strategic Studies Program is one of the UP CIDS’ 18 research programs that focuses on national security, foreign policy, and other related issues. Learn more and download SSP policy papers for free.