Hunter Marston
@hmarston.bsky.social
PhD, IR @anubellschool.bsky.social. Hedging, SE Asia, great power competition, #Myanmar. Adjunct Fellow @seasia.csis.org. Associate @9Dashline.com. Ultra runner. Father.
Pinned
Trump Is Alienating Southeast Asia
Tariffs and inattention have pushed regional states toward China.
foreignpolicy.com
I argue @foreignpolicy.com that despite President Trump’s recent trip to Kuala Lumpur for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the administration should put in place key Asia personnel & develop a coherent regional strategy to reverse declining US influence: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/c...
Reposted by Hunter Marston
RM @meeks.house.gov: Ending TPS for Burma, in the middle of the conflict there, endangers the lives of many Burmese, including human rights and democracy activists. It's cruel and will undermine the fight for democracy in Burma. The admin must reconsider this terrible decision.
November 24, 2025 at 9:15 PM
RM @meeks.house.gov: Ending TPS for Burma, in the middle of the conflict there, endangers the lives of many Burmese, including human rights and democracy activists. It's cruel and will undermine the fight for democracy in Burma. The admin must reconsider this terrible decision.
Reposted by Hunter Marston
Extraordinary step. Pentagon, under pretext of "good order and discipline", threatens to recall to duty and court-martial Senator Mark Kelly, a retired naval officer, after he recorded a video telling troops they could refuse illegal orders. Dangerous & authoritarian.
www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/11/...
www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/11/...
Sen. Mark Kelly faces Pentagon investigation for making video on refusing 'unlawful orders'
The Defense Department suggested that the investigation of the Arizona Democrat Kelly stems from urging military members to refuse to follow unlawful orders.
www.cnbc.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Extraordinary step. Pentagon, under pretext of "good order and discipline", threatens to recall to duty and court-martial Senator Mark Kelly, a retired naval officer, after he recorded a video telling troops they could refuse illegal orders. Dangerous & authoritarian.
www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/11/...
www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/11/...
This is a total farce. No, #Myanmar has not "made notable progress in governance and stability." Nor is it safe to send Myanmar citizens back to their home country where they face likely detention, intimidation, and even torture. DHS has abdicated its moral duty here. www.uscis.gov/newsroom/new...
November 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM
This is a total farce. No, #Myanmar has not "made notable progress in governance and stability." Nor is it safe to send Myanmar citizens back to their home country where they face likely detention, intimidation, and even torture. DHS has abdicated its moral duty here. www.uscis.gov/newsroom/new...
"Mr. Trump, who mistook political theater for strategy, lost ground against China not solely because he misjudged Mr. Xi but because he underestimated America’s dependence on the supply chains it no longer controls and the allies that he too often ignores." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/o...
Opinion | The Moment China Proved It Was America’s Equal
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:25 PM
"Mr. Trump, who mistook political theater for strategy, lost ground against China not solely because he misjudged Mr. Xi but because he underestimated America’s dependence on the supply chains it no longer controls and the allies that he too often ignores." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/o...
"The United States has to decide what it wants to be in this dangerous new world: the captain of a team that works together to navigate and improve these conditions, or a predatory lone wolf that maximizes its own short-term gains." Tom Wright in @theatlantic.com: www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
What if ‘America First’ Appears to Work?
“Might makes right” is still wrong for America, but opposing it just got harder.
www.theatlantic.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:20 PM
"The United States has to decide what it wants to be in this dangerous new world: the captain of a team that works together to navigate and improve these conditions, or a predatory lone wolf that maximizes its own short-term gains." Tom Wright in @theatlantic.com: www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
Here we go again with "reestablishing deterrence"... 🙄 www.defensenews.com/global/asia-...
US-Philippine task force to reestablish South China Sea ‘deterrence’
The U.S. and the Philippines announce a joint task force to deter what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls Beijing’s “coercion” in the South China Sea.
www.defensenews.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Here we go again with "reestablishing deterrence"... 🙄 www.defensenews.com/global/asia-...
Thread 👉
Today I passed a CPB/ICE checkpoint on the Clara Barton Parkway—an unwelcome reminder of the administration's authoritarian aspirations.
But I wasn't surprised. A minute prior, I drove by a young man. He held a simple sign. Sharpie on poster board, written in thin, neat letters: "ICE Ahead"
🧵
But I wasn't surprised. A minute prior, I drove by a young man. He held a simple sign. Sharpie on poster board, written in thin, neat letters: "ICE Ahead"
🧵
November 20, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Thread 👉
I always enjoy reading Bilahari Kausikan. This piece @foreignpolicy.com is a great snapshot of regional views on China, Trump, and the balance of power in Asia in 2025: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/14/k...
Has China’s Power Peaked in Asia?
Beijing finds itself in a precarious geopolitical position.
foreignpolicy.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:05 AM
I always enjoy reading Bilahari Kausikan. This piece @foreignpolicy.com is a great snapshot of regional views on China, Trump, and the balance of power in Asia in 2025: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/14/k...
Enjoyed the opportunity to share some reflections from the recent Manila Dialogue yesterday @csis.org along with Brian Harding, Sr. Advisor at the U.S.-Philippines Society. The event was co-hosted by USPHS and moderated by Harrison Prétat of CSIS’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
November 19, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Enjoyed the opportunity to share some reflections from the recent Manila Dialogue yesterday @csis.org along with Brian Harding, Sr. Advisor at the U.S.-Philippines Society. The event was co-hosted by USPHS and moderated by Harrison Prétat of CSIS’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
"suppressing criticism instead of addressing its causes will only deepen the disconnect with the people and strain the balancing act that the state has tried to strike between its foreign policy priorities and the domestic support it craves." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/o...
Opinion | The China That the World Sees Is Not the One I Live In
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:11 PM
"suppressing criticism instead of addressing its causes will only deepen the disconnect with the people and strain the balancing act that the state has tried to strike between its foreign policy priorities and the domestic support it craves." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/o...
Thoughtful piece by Euan Graham @aspi-org.bsky.social: www.aspistrategist.org.au/reflections-...
Reflections from the Manila Dialogue | The Strategist
Last week’s Manila Dialogue demonstrated that the Philippines is far from cowed or isolated in the face of China’s continued bullying in the South China Sea. But it also highlighted the limitations of...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 14, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Thoughtful piece by Euan Graham @aspi-org.bsky.social: www.aspistrategist.org.au/reflections-...
Useful piece distinguishing between Washington’s formal alliances & non-binding security partners. However, it does not address the range of partnerships (from comprehensive partnerships & strategic partnerships to comprehensive strategic partnerships) that U.S. leaders have forged in Asia.
Read Rebecca Lissner on how the United States should manage its relationships with so-called quasi allies, such as Ukraine and Israel, which maintain “special status in Washington” but lack formal U.S. security guarantees:
America’s Quasi Alliances
How Washington should manage its most complicated relationships.
fam.ag
November 14, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Useful piece distinguishing between Washington’s formal alliances & non-binding security partners. However, it does not address the range of partnerships (from comprehensive partnerships & strategic partnerships to comprehensive strategic partnerships) that U.S. leaders have forged in Asia.
news.usni.org
November 14, 2025 at 9:45 PM
The #Myanmar junta will allow foreign investments in Chinese yuan and is working with the Central Bank of Myanmar to set up kyat-yuan exchange to reduce dependency on USD. Sanctions are working! But are they just driving the Myanmar military further into China's arms? www.gnlm.com.mm/direct-yuan-...
Direct yuan investment plan in Myanmar set in motion - Global New Light Of Myanmar
Myanmar has been implementing to permit investments made in Yuan Renminbi to spur investments in the country, according to a meeting held between the Ministry
www.gnlm.com.mm
November 14, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The #Myanmar junta will allow foreign investments in Chinese yuan and is working with the Central Bank of Myanmar to set up kyat-yuan exchange to reduce dependency on USD. Sanctions are working! But are they just driving the Myanmar military further into China's arms? www.gnlm.com.mm/direct-yuan-...
"The reverberation of ups and downs in the bilateral relationship [between the US & China] through global economic and security planning show that we are also not in a truly multilateral, G-zero world," writes @rorrydaniels.bsky.social @asiasociety.org: asiapolicy.asiasociety.org/p/three-ques...
Three Questions after the Xi-Trump Summit: From G-Zero to G2 and Back Again?
By Rorry Daniels
asiapolicy.asiasociety.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"The reverberation of ups and downs in the bilateral relationship [between the US & China] through global economic and security planning show that we are also not in a truly multilateral, G-zero world," writes @rorrydaniels.bsky.social @asiasociety.org: asiapolicy.asiasociety.org/p/three-ques...
Hardly new or strategic. The aid to trade movement began in the first Trump administration. I recall being in one briefing when a senior USAID official in the Trump admin insisted that the US was no longer in the business of giving aid and would emphasize trade instead: www.devex.com/news/from-ai...
From aid to trade? The US just stumbled on its own Africa strategy
Opinion: With the quiet expiration of AGOA and the dismantling of USAID, the Trump administration has shut down U.S. foreign policy tools in Africa, ceding ground to China's zero-tariff policies.
www.devex.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Hardly new or strategic. The aid to trade movement began in the first Trump administration. I recall being in one briefing when a senior USAID official in the Trump admin insisted that the US was no longer in the business of giving aid and would emphasize trade instead: www.devex.com/news/from-ai...
Can we not call it a “Trump-brokered” ceasefire? Overstating US involvement just a bit.
www.the-guardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.the-guardian.com/world/2025/n...
Trump-brokered peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia breaks down after border landmine blast
Thailand’s military chief suspended the peace agreement with neighbouring Cambodia after a landmine blast injured two Thai soldiers near the border
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Can we not call it a “Trump-brokered” ceasefire? Overstating US involvement just a bit.
www.the-guardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.the-guardian.com/world/2025/n...
Reposted by Hunter Marston
“Despite the apparent bonhomie and smoothness of the president’s trip overall, regional leaders remain anxious about the negative impact US tariffs are having on their countries’ economic growth prospects.” My latest @9dashline.com: www.9dashline.com/article/desp...
9DASHLINE — Despite Trump’s red carpet visit, Washington holds a weak hand in Southeast Asia
Written by Dr. Hunter Marston. With the Trump administration fixated on bilateral trade deals with individual countries, rather than the large multilateral trade deals that have shaped the region’s ec...
www.9dashline.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:52 PM
“Despite the apparent bonhomie and smoothness of the president’s trip overall, regional leaders remain anxious about the negative impact US tariffs are having on their countries’ economic growth prospects.” My latest @9dashline.com: www.9dashline.com/article/desp...
Reposted by Hunter Marston
I argue @foreignpolicy.com that despite President Trump’s recent trip to Kuala Lumpur for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the administration should put in place key Asia personnel & develop a coherent regional strategy to reverse declining US influence: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/c...
Trump Is Alienating Southeast Asia
Tariffs and inattention have pushed regional states toward China.
foreignpolicy.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:34 PM
I argue @foreignpolicy.com that despite President Trump’s recent trip to Kuala Lumpur for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the administration should put in place key Asia personnel & develop a coherent regional strategy to reverse declining US influence: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/c...
I argue @foreignpolicy.com that despite President Trump’s recent trip to Kuala Lumpur for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the administration should put in place key Asia personnel & develop a coherent regional strategy to reverse declining US influence: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/c...
Trump Is Alienating Southeast Asia
Tariffs and inattention have pushed regional states toward China.
foreignpolicy.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:34 PM
I argue @foreignpolicy.com that despite President Trump’s recent trip to Kuala Lumpur for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the administration should put in place key Asia personnel & develop a coherent regional strategy to reverse declining US influence: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/c...
Thank you @foreignpolicy.com for allowing me to share my thoughts on Trump's recent trip to ASEAN & the parlous state of US SE Asia strategy more broadly. As I argue, the administration must put in place key Asia personnel to develop a coherent regional strategy: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/c...
Trump Is Alienating Southeast Asia
Tariffs and inattention have pushed regional states toward China.
foreignpolicy.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Thank you @foreignpolicy.com for allowing me to share my thoughts on Trump's recent trip to ASEAN & the parlous state of US SE Asia strategy more broadly. As I argue, the administration must put in place key Asia personnel to develop a coherent regional strategy: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/c...
“Western powers have largely kept out of the conflict. But China, which shares a 2,000km border with Myanmar, has not… It has an incentive to mould whatever outcomes it thinks will best keep its interests secure.” www.economist.com/china/2025/1...
What a leaked transcript reveals about China’s muscular statecraft
It is determined to protect pipelines and rare-earth mines in Myanmar
www.economist.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:15 AM
“Western powers have largely kept out of the conflict. But China, which shares a 2,000km border with Myanmar, has not… It has an incentive to mould whatever outcomes it thinks will best keep its interests secure.” www.economist.com/china/2025/1...
Day 2 of the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea starts off with a bracing recap of recent Chinese coercive actions in the West Philippines Sea by Commodore Jay Tarriela, Commander of the Philippines Coast Guard, which Prof. Hu Bo dismisses as “fake news.” #SouthChinaSea
November 7, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Day 2 of the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea starts off with a bracing recap of recent Chinese coercive actions in the West Philippines Sea by Commodore Jay Tarriela, Commander of the Philippines Coast Guard, which Prof. Hu Bo dismisses as “fake news.” #SouthChinaSea
"the overall effect of [U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's] trip, following on the heels of President Trump’s generally positive engagements in the region, was to reassure nervous allies and partners that a U.S. strategic retreat from the Indo-Pacific is not imminent." www.csis.org/blogs/latest...
The Latest on Southeast Asia: Hegseth’s Charm Offensive | The Latest on Southeast Asia | CSIS
U.S. president Donald Trump’s visit to Malaysia during the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit late last month signaled U.S. attention to a region wary of Washington’s intentions. T...
www.csis.org
November 7, 2025 at 1:37 AM
"the overall effect of [U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's] trip, following on the heels of President Trump’s generally positive engagements in the region, was to reassure nervous allies and partners that a U.S. strategic retreat from the Indo-Pacific is not imminent." www.csis.org/blogs/latest...