Richard Javad Heydarian
Professorial Chairholder in Geopolitics, Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Sep 30, 2022
As a former U.S. colonial subject, the Philippines has retained close cultural and official ties to Washington. The new Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has shown that he intends to deviate from his predecessor’s distancing from the United States by rebuilding relations with the West while simultaneously drawing closer to Asian nations - including China.
Sep 06, 2022
Russia has struggled to maintain strategic momentum in Southeast Asia because of Western sanctions. The Eurasian powerhouse’s setbacks in Southeast Asia will ultimately strengthen the centrality of both China and the U.S. in shaping the regional security architecture.
Aug 10, 2022
South Korea has become a dynamic economic force in the 21st century - and as a neighbor of China that hosts multiple U.S. army bases, has grown increasingly important as a potential player in the Quad’s designs for a security encirclement of China.
Jul 13, 2022
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shares a party and similar voting base as his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, but the new Philippine president brings forth a more Western-biased foreign policy that will surely cause tensions to rise in the South China Sea region.
Jun 11, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden formally launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework in June, but the initiative falls short of providing an actual trade agreement. In order for the IPEF to work long term, the Biden administration must include interlocking development initiatives that are multilateral and backed by public-private partnership agreements.
May 03, 2022
South Korea is signaling a dramatic reorientation in its foreign policy, and it could become a key player in an expanded Quad platform.
Apr 22, 2022
The U.S. and India are currently in a sort of golden age of relations - both of them using the other to build up capital against China’s influence. However, India’s Cold War history with Russia leaves it on shaky terms with the U.S. amid the Ukraine crisis, and adds an unforeseen wrinkle to America’s best-laid plans for the region.
Mar 24, 2022
Russia has quietly become a major player in Southeast Asia by arming and supporting many of China’s rivals. But strategic alignments in the region may soon change following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine leading to a growing dependence on China.
Mar 12, 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been met with sanctions from the West, along with key regional economies in Asia. And Putin’s actions will have major repercussions on Russia’s place in the world, including its previously promising pivot towards Asia.
Feb 26, 2022
India is stepping up to seek out stronger relationships with Southeast Asian countries, showing that China is not the only nation in the Pacific region that can provide boons and benefits to friendly partners.
