Sam Baron
@samuelgbaron.bsky.social
Asia policy wonk and wearer of many 🎩. past: 🇺🇳 @BizHRAsia_UNDP & @TheAsiaGroup. Personal account. RT ≠ Endorsement. (www.samuelgbaron.com)
Reposted by Sam Baron
I see that CBS chose not to air this part. It probably explains much of what they did decide to air.
November 3, 2025 at 1:37 AM
I see that CBS chose not to air this part. It probably explains much of what they did decide to air.
Reposted by Sam Baron
"The great rebalancing of area studies is underway. The question is not whether this shift will continue — it will — but whether Western institutions can adapt quickly enough to remain relevant in an increasingly multipolar academic landscape." eastasiaforum.org/2025/10/11/t...
The great rebalancing of area studies
Western cuts and China’s expansion are shifting area studies eastward, reshaping global knowledge production.
eastasiaforum.org
October 13, 2025 at 7:58 PM
"The great rebalancing of area studies is underway. The question is not whether this shift will continue — it will — but whether Western institutions can adapt quickly enough to remain relevant in an increasingly multipolar academic landscape." eastasiaforum.org/2025/10/11/t...
Reposted by Sam Baron
It is unfathomable to me that we’re all just supposed to be okay with higher energy costs and more air and light pollution, in exchange for a machine that steals personal data and copyrighted material and produces slop and wage theft, and big tech can do this to our society unilaterally.
October 5, 2025 at 2:25 AM
It is unfathomable to me that we’re all just supposed to be okay with higher energy costs and more air and light pollution, in exchange for a machine that steals personal data and copyrighted material and produces slop and wage theft, and big tech can do this to our society unilaterally.
Reposted by Sam Baron
Japanese baseball fans have been quick to adopt the Dodgers as their favorite club, but Ohtani is also bringing new local fans to the park in baseball-mad LA and having a positive effect on Japan's soft power. 👉 ebx.sh/XihDhf
October 1, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Japanese baseball fans have been quick to adopt the Dodgers as their favorite club, but Ohtani is also bringing new local fans to the park in baseball-mad LA and having a positive effect on Japan's soft power. 👉 ebx.sh/XihDhf
Reposted by Sam Baron
In Indonesia, rising unemployment and inflation have driven days of demonstrations, which spread across the country after a deadly clash with police. nyti.ms/4mKFpOo
August 30, 2025 at 6:42 PM
In Indonesia, rising unemployment and inflation have driven days of demonstrations, which spread across the country after a deadly clash with police. nyti.ms/4mKFpOo
Reposted by Sam Baron
The Pentagon has set a “global standard” for Japan and other U.S. allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense, in the first official confirmation that Washington is asking Tokyo to pump up its defense budget even further.
Pentagon says Japan must meet ‘global standard’ and spend 5% of GDP on defense
Both allies had been mum on whether the U.S. would press Japan specifically to hit the 5% target amid political sensitivities over the issue.
www.japantimes.co.jp
June 20, 2025 at 3:26 AM
The Pentagon has set a “global standard” for Japan and other U.S. allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense, in the first official confirmation that Washington is asking Tokyo to pump up its defense budget even further.
Reposted by Sam Baron
This indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the reconciliation between the US & Vietnam over the last three decades since normalization. The deep level of trust rests on open & honest dialogue and the hard work of countless diplomats on both sides. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/w...
U.S. Tells Its Diplomats in Vietnam to Avoid War Anniversary Events
The reversal adds another Trump administration blow to decades of reconciliation efforts.
www.nytimes.com
April 22, 2025 at 8:19 PM
This indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the reconciliation between the US & Vietnam over the last three decades since normalization. The deep level of trust rests on open & honest dialogue and the hard work of countless diplomats on both sides. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/w...
Reposted by Sam Baron
In the new geometry of trade, the United States is self-marginalizing, and China has become the top trading partner to most countries in the region, Robert A. Manning writes.
Trump Is Losing Asia
An incoherent policy is speeding Beijing’s rise.
foreignpolicy.com
April 21, 2025 at 9:30 PM
In the new geometry of trade, the United States is self-marginalizing, and China has become the top trading partner to most countries in the region, Robert A. Manning writes.
Reposted by Sam Baron
I suppose there are worse things for (my) business.
A trade deal with Japan is the new Infrastructure Week.
April 20, 2025 at 11:35 PM
I suppose there are worse things for (my) business.
Reposted by Sam Baron
DEVELOPING: There is chatter coming out of the White House that as early as next week Donald Trump may issue as many as 5 Executive Orders targeting US-based nonprofits and civil society organizations.
April 19, 2025 at 5:50 AM
DEVELOPING: There is chatter coming out of the White House that as early as next week Donald Trump may issue as many as 5 Executive Orders targeting US-based nonprofits and civil society organizations.
Reposted by Sam Baron
important context about the concentration camps in el salvador:
April 14, 2025 at 9:12 PM
important context about the concentration camps in el salvador:
Reposted by Sam Baron
🚨 EU and U.S. officials made little progress in resolving trade disputes, Bloomberg reports. U.S. officials signaled most tariffs will stay. After a two-hour meeting, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic left unclear on U.S. goals.
April 15, 2025 at 2:23 PM
🚨 EU and U.S. officials made little progress in resolving trade disputes, Bloomberg reports. U.S. officials signaled most tariffs will stay. After a two-hour meeting, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic left unclear on U.S. goals.
Reposted by Sam Baron
Breaking news: The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage — a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China www.ft.com/content/20d0...
April 14, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Breaking news: The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage — a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China www.ft.com/content/20d0...
Reposted by Sam Baron
Sen Crapo: What is the scope of the negotiations with Japan?
Greer: Agriculture, structural impediments.
Feels like the 1980s again!
Greer: Agriculture, structural impediments.
Feels like the 1980s again!
April 8, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Sen Crapo: What is the scope of the negotiations with Japan?
Greer: Agriculture, structural impediments.
Feels like the 1980s again!
Greer: Agriculture, structural impediments.
Feels like the 1980s again!
Reposted by Sam Baron
Reposted by Sam Baron
'Half of the group’s annual budget of $810,000 came from American aid. The collective, called CamboJA, only has enough money to operate until June. They have stopped providing drinking water at the office to save $30 a month.'
Dark days for what little remains of the free press in Cambodia.
Dark days for what little remains of the free press in Cambodia.
In a Strongman State, a Trump Order Extinguishes Flickers of Freedom
Cambodia’s authoritarian dynasty had silenced almost all of the country’s independent media. The remaining few are facing extinction because of an executive directive from President Trump.
www.nytimes.com
April 7, 2025 at 7:16 AM
'Half of the group’s annual budget of $810,000 came from American aid. The collective, called CamboJA, only has enough money to operate until June. They have stopped providing drinking water at the office to save $30 a month.'
Dark days for what little remains of the free press in Cambodia.
Dark days for what little remains of the free press in Cambodia.
Reposted by Sam Baron
Japan and NATO plan to take their partnership to the next level by stepping up information-sharing and defense-industrial cooperation, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told The Japan Times in an exclusive interview.
‘Let’s make it practical’: NATO chief eyes greater defense-industrial ties with Japan
Japan and NATO plan to take their partnership to the next level by stepping up information-sharing and defense-industrial cooperation, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said.
www.japantimes.co.jp
April 7, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Japan and NATO plan to take their partnership to the next level by stepping up information-sharing and defense-industrial cooperation, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told The Japan Times in an exclusive interview.
Reposted by Sam Baron
Tired: Decoupling from China
Wired: Decoupling from the United States
Wired: Decoupling from the United States
April 7, 2025 at 2:47 AM
Tired: Decoupling from China
Wired: Decoupling from the United States
Wired: Decoupling from the United States
Reposted by Sam Baron
"I don't remember when I started mourning the future more than the past."
-- THE LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
-- THE LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
April 5, 2025 at 4:41 PM
"I don't remember when I started mourning the future more than the past."
-- THE LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
-- THE LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
Reposted by Sam Baron
America First: neither trade nor aid for the world's poorest countries.
April 4, 2025 at 10:03 PM
America First: neither trade nor aid for the world's poorest countries.
Reposted by Sam Baron
Quit freaking out. Remember that in 10,000 B.C., when America had ZERO international trade, a family could afford a house like this on a single income.
April 4, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Quit freaking out. Remember that in 10,000 B.C., when America had ZERO international trade, a family could afford a house like this on a single income.
Reposted by Sam Baron
Reposted by Sam Baron
It’s worth making the point again that it was a mistake for the Biden Administration to tie themselves so closely to this guy, whose track record even before the martial law declaration should have given them deep cause for concern.
BREAKING: South Korea's Constitutional Court decided to oust President Yoon Suk Yeol, upholding parliament's impeachment motion over his short-lived imposition of martial law last year that sparked the country's worst political crisis in decades reut.rs/4i418NX
South Korea's Constitutional Court ousts impeached President Yoon
The ruling will cap months of political turmoil that have overshadowed efforts to deal with the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump at a time of slowing growth.
reut.rs
April 4, 2025 at 3:56 AM
It’s worth making the point again that it was a mistake for the Biden Administration to tie themselves so closely to this guy, whose track record even before the martial law declaration should have given them deep cause for concern.
Reposted by Sam Baron
So the reason Norfolk Island copped a dramatically higher tariff than the rest of Australia is two shipments of Timbaland boots from the Bahamas and some aquarium supplies from the UK that had their point of origin mislabeled or misrecorded.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
April 4, 2025 at 3:53 AM
So the reason Norfolk Island copped a dramatically higher tariff than the rest of Australia is two shipments of Timbaland boots from the Bahamas and some aquarium supplies from the UK that had their point of origin mislabeled or misrecorded.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Reposted by Sam Baron
The new @iseas-singapore.bsky.social State of Southeast Asia Survey is out. As always SE Asia analysts will be poring over the data to understand the region's most pressing concerns, views of US-China rivalry, the #Myanmar conflict & much more. Some observations 🧵: www.iseas.edu.sg/wp-content/u...
April 4, 2025 at 2:36 PM
The new @iseas-singapore.bsky.social State of Southeast Asia Survey is out. As always SE Asia analysts will be poring over the data to understand the region's most pressing concerns, views of US-China rivalry, the #Myanmar conflict & much more. Some observations 🧵: www.iseas.edu.sg/wp-content/u...