Gregory Poling
@gregpoling.bsky.social
Senior Fellow and Director, Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies. Opinion my own, etc etc
Reposted by Gregory Poling
After 14 years, I think the time has come to acknowledge that the "Rebalance to Asia" has failed.
I've spent the last decade writing and thinking about how to make the rebalance successful, so this is a painful realization.
A thread on my new piece for RSIS...
I've spent the last decade writing and thinking about how to make the rebalance successful, so this is a painful realization.
A thread on my new piece for RSIS...
September 11, 2025 at 10:54 AM
After 14 years, I think the time has come to acknowledge that the "Rebalance to Asia" has failed.
I've spent the last decade writing and thinking about how to make the rebalance successful, so this is a painful realization.
A thread on my new piece for RSIS...
I've spent the last decade writing and thinking about how to make the rebalance successful, so this is a painful realization.
A thread on my new piece for RSIS...
Reposted by Gregory Poling
In case you missed it last week:
We gathered a few friends and colleagues to write about the extraordinary life of Jerome A. Cohen (1930-2025), renowned lawyer and scholar of Chinese law.
We gathered a few friends and colleagues to write about the extraordinary life of Jerome A. Cohen (1930-2025), renowned lawyer and scholar of Chinese law.
Remembering Jerome A. Cohen
Jerome Alan Cohen (July 1, 1930 – September 22, 2025) was a renowned American lawyer who was one of the foremost foreign scholars of Chinese law. After studying law at Yale, Cohen embarked on a career...
www.chinafile.com
October 14, 2025 at 9:31 PM
In case you missed it last week:
We gathered a few friends and colleagues to write about the extraordinary life of Jerome A. Cohen (1930-2025), renowned lawyer and scholar of Chinese law.
We gathered a few friends and colleagues to write about the extraordinary life of Jerome A. Cohen (1930-2025), renowned lawyer and scholar of Chinese law.
Reposted by Gregory Poling
"If there is any hope that the current civil war will lead to the reestablishment of a unified Myanmar, creative solutions will have to be found to resolve the conflicting claims in Shan State," writes CSIS's Michael Martin.
Read the full commentary: www.csis.org/analysis/dil...
Read the full commentary: www.csis.org/analysis/dil...
The Dilemma of Shan State for Myanmar’s Revolution
If there is any hope that the current civil war will lead to the reestablishment of a unified Myanmar, creative solutions will have to be found to resolve the conflicting claims in Shan State.
www.csis.org
October 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM
"If there is any hope that the current civil war will lead to the reestablishment of a unified Myanmar, creative solutions will have to be found to resolve the conflicting claims in Shan State," writes CSIS's Michael Martin.
Read the full commentary: www.csis.org/analysis/dil...
Read the full commentary: www.csis.org/analysis/dil...
Reposted by Gregory Poling
Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...
Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.
apnews.com
October 8, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...
Reposted by Gregory Poling
"A clear pattern is emerging in Southeast Asian responses to U.S. economic pressure, with most states seeking to mitigate both the short- and long-term risks of partnering with the United States," notes @gregpoling.bsky.social.
Read more from @seasia.csis.org: www.csis.org/analysis/sou...
Read more from @seasia.csis.org: www.csis.org/analysis/sou...
October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM
"A clear pattern is emerging in Southeast Asian responses to U.S. economic pressure, with most states seeking to mitigate both the short- and long-term risks of partnering with the United States," notes @gregpoling.bsky.social.
Read more from @seasia.csis.org: www.csis.org/analysis/sou...
Read more from @seasia.csis.org: www.csis.org/analysis/sou...
Reposted by Gregory Poling
Reposted by Gregory Poling
Remember, social media posts aren’t trade agreements.
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
July 23, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Remember, social media posts aren’t trade agreements.
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Reposted by Gregory Poling
worth pointing out, again, that a 20% tariff on Vietnamese imports alone (our sixth-largest trading partner!) would have been considered the worst trade war in modern American history pre-Trump. Instead it is now treated as a "deal". How far we've fallen.
July 2, 2025 at 8:16 PM
worth pointing out, again, that a 20% tariff on Vietnamese imports alone (our sixth-largest trading partner!) would have been considered the worst trade war in modern American history pre-Trump. Instead it is now treated as a "deal". How far we've fallen.
Reposted by Gregory Poling
"Increased patrolling east of the shoal (..) suggests that China is using the nine-dash line rather than the territorial sea or another maritime zone from Scarborough as its imagined jurisdictional boundary” www.stripes.com/theaters/asi...
Scarborough Shoal a growing flashpoint between China and Philippines, think tank says
Scarborough Shoal has reemerged as the focal point of tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea, according to a report released Monday by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
www.stripes.com
June 17, 2025 at 8:57 AM
"Increased patrolling east of the shoal (..) suggests that China is using the nine-dash line rather than the territorial sea or another maritime zone from Scarborough as its imagined jurisdictional boundary” www.stripes.com/theaters/asi...
Tune in at 10am ET for the 15th(!!) @csis.org South China Sea Conference www.csis.org/events/fifte...
Fifteenth Annual South China Sea Conference | CSIS Events
The CSIS Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative are pleased to present the Fifteenth Annual South China Sea Conference.
www.csis.org
June 17, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Tune in at 10am ET for the 15th(!!) @csis.org South China Sea Conference www.csis.org/events/fifte...
Reposted by Gregory Poling
Logo is back up at the US Institute of Peace where it belongs — small but important court victory against DOGE’s illegal actions.
May 23, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Logo is back up at the US Institute of Peace where it belongs — small but important court victory against DOGE’s illegal actions.
Reposted by Gregory Poling
Closer examination of those visits suggests that China maintains exclusive access to some facilities, including the base’s largest pier. And recent photos of progress at a nearby air defense site only raise more questions about the true extent of Beijing’s military presence in the area.
A Tale of Two Reams: Questions Remain at Cambodia’s Growing Naval Base | Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
After the official opening of Cambodian-Chinese joint facilities at Ream Naval Base in early April, the base quickly hosted visits from both Japan and Vietnam. But closer examination of those visits, ...
amti.csis.org
May 6, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Closer examination of those visits suggests that China maintains exclusive access to some facilities, including the base’s largest pier. And recent photos of progress at a nearby air defense site only raise more questions about the true extent of Beijing’s military presence in the area.
RFA services going dark as USAGM ignores a court order to disburse its Congressionally appropriated funding. www.rfa.org/english/abou...
RFA announces mass layoffs, shutdown of major language services
Uyghur, Tibetan, Burmese will halt content production, programming on May 9
www.rfa.org
May 2, 2025 at 4:12 PM
RFA services going dark as USAGM ignores a court order to disburse its Congressionally appropriated funding. www.rfa.org/english/abou...
Reposted by Gregory Poling
The Archive is troubled to learn that President Trump yesterday fired all nine members of the State Department's Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation, a statutory body that has operated without presidential interference for over 20 years. history.state.gov/about/hac/in...
May 1, 2025 at 3:27 PM
The Archive is troubled to learn that President Trump yesterday fired all nine members of the State Department's Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation, a statutory body that has operated without presidential interference for over 20 years. history.state.gov/about/hac/in...
April 29, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Gregory Poling
1. We contacted the 100 largest American companies and asked a simple question:
Do you support the tariffs announced by President Trump on April 2?
These are tariffs that have already destroyed trillions of shareholder value
NOT ONE COMPANY WOULD ANSWER THE QUESTION
Do you support the tariffs announced by President Trump on April 2?
These are tariffs that have already destroyed trillions of shareholder value
NOT ONE COMPANY WOULD ANSWER THE QUESTION
Trump tariffs, corporations cower
During the Biden administration, corporate executives regularly expressed their displeasure with policies they opposed.
popular.info
April 7, 2025 at 12:49 PM
1. We contacted the 100 largest American companies and asked a simple question:
Do you support the tariffs announced by President Trump on April 2?
These are tariffs that have already destroyed trillions of shareholder value
NOT ONE COMPANY WOULD ANSWER THE QUESTION
Do you support the tariffs announced by President Trump on April 2?
These are tariffs that have already destroyed trillions of shareholder value
NOT ONE COMPANY WOULD ANSWER THE QUESTION
Thailand, India legitimize Min Aung Hlaing with these engagements at BIMSTEC. His junta controls a third of Myanmar; this isn't pragmatic engagement, it's picking the losing side in a civil war.
Modi meets Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing, Bangladesh's Yunus
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Modi-meets-Myanmar-s-Min-Aung-Hlaing-Bangladesh-s-Yunus
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Modi-meets-Myanmar-s-Min-Aung-Hlaing-Bangladesh-s-Yunus
Modi meets Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing, Bangladesh's Yunus
As part of Quad, Indian leader calls for extension of Myanmar ceasefire
asia.nikkei.com
April 4, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Thailand, India legitimize Min Aung Hlaing with these engagements at BIMSTEC. His junta controls a third of Myanmar; this isn't pragmatic engagement, it's picking the losing side in a civil war.
Reposted by Gregory Poling
Decades of national security expertise wiped away in Washington yesterday at the urging of a far-right conspiracist who was once banned from Uber for anti-Muslim rants and claimed 9/11 was an 'inside job.' wapo.st/3R3zRAu
Trump ousts members of National Security Council staff
The NSC shake-up followed a White House visit by Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who urged Trump to purge staff with hawkish foreign policy views.
wapo.st
April 4, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Decades of national security expertise wiped away in Washington yesterday at the urging of a far-right conspiracist who was once banned from Uber for anti-Muslim rants and claimed 9/11 was an 'inside job.' wapo.st/3R3zRAu
Pretty sure @wilsoncenter.org is mostly privately funded. This is absurd.
Another insanity in a sea of madness.
The gutting of the Wilson Center.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/u...
The gutting of the Wilson Center.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/u...
Musk’s Task Force Begins Shutting Down Foreign Policy Research Center
Mark Green, a Republican who once worked under President Trump, stepped down as head of the Wilson Center after employees of Elon Musk’s team visited the think tank.
www.nytimes.com
April 3, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Pretty sure @wilsoncenter.org is mostly privately funded. This is absurd.
Reposted by Gregory Poling
Welcome to CSIS, @kristigovella.bsky.social!
Read our full announcement about Dr. Govella’s appointment as CSIS Senior Adviser and Japan Chair below👇
Read our full announcement about Dr. Govella’s appointment as CSIS Senior Adviser and Japan Chair below👇
I’m excited to share that, in addition to my position as Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, I have been named Senior Adviser and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (@csis.org) in Washington, DC. Read more: www.csis.org/news/csis-na...
CSIS Names Kristi Govella as Senior Adviser and Japan Chair
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) today announced Dr. Kristi Govella has been named senior adviser and Japan Chair.
www.csis.org
April 2, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Welcome to CSIS, @kristigovella.bsky.social!
Read our full announcement about Dr. Govella’s appointment as CSIS Senior Adviser and Japan Chair below👇
Read our full announcement about Dr. Govella’s appointment as CSIS Senior Adviser and Japan Chair below👇
Reposted by Gregory Poling
We're seeing in real time the terrible consequences of Musk & Trump's dismantling of USAID.
A devastating earthquake has killed thousands — and many more will die without vital U.S. aid.
The AID officials in charge had just gotten their termination letters. America in retreat.
A devastating earthquake has killed thousands — and many more will die without vital U.S. aid.
The AID officials in charge had just gotten their termination letters. America in retreat.
Trump’s USAID cuts cripple American response to Myanmar earthquake
Three days after the quake, there are no U.S. teams on the ground in Myanmar, a stark illustration of how Trump has upended America’s role in disaster response.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 1, 2025 at 1:02 AM
We're seeing in real time the terrible consequences of Musk & Trump's dismantling of USAID.
A devastating earthquake has killed thousands — and many more will die without vital U.S. aid.
The AID officials in charge had just gotten their termination letters. America in retreat.
A devastating earthquake has killed thousands — and many more will die without vital U.S. aid.
The AID officials in charge had just gotten their termination letters. America in retreat.
Reposted by Gregory Poling
Here's how it works:
1. DOGE fires everybody at USIP.
2. A DOGE guy from GSA gets installed USIP's acting president.
3. That guy agrees to transfer USIP's $500 million headquarters back to GSA—for free.
www.wired.com/story/doge-t...
1. DOGE fires everybody at USIP.
2. A DOGE guy from GSA gets installed USIP's acting president.
3. That guy agrees to transfer USIP's $500 million headquarters back to GSA—for free.
www.wired.com/story/doge-t...
DOGE Is Trying to Gift Itself a $500 Million Building, Court Filings Show
The documents reveal a DOGE affiliate is attempting to transfer the headquarters of an independent think tank, the United States Institute of Peace, to the government at no cost.
www.wired.com
April 1, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Here's how it works:
1. DOGE fires everybody at USIP.
2. A DOGE guy from GSA gets installed USIP's acting president.
3. That guy agrees to transfer USIP's $500 million headquarters back to GSA—for free.
www.wired.com/story/doge-t...
1. DOGE fires everybody at USIP.
2. A DOGE guy from GSA gets installed USIP's acting president.
3. That guy agrees to transfer USIP's $500 million headquarters back to GSA—for free.
www.wired.com/story/doge-t...
Reposted by Gregory Poling
"Vietnam has considerably expanded its Spratly Island outposts over the last ten months, completing a record year of island building in 2024 and moving on to dredge in new areas."
Read more from the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative:
Read more from the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative:
Scaling Up: Vietnam’s Islands (and Harbors) Continue to Grow | Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
Vietnam has considerably expanded its Spratly Island outposts over the last ten months, completing a record year of island building in 2024 and moving on to dredge in new areas even as some features…
cs.is
March 22, 2025 at 9:00 PM
"Vietnam has considerably expanded its Spratly Island outposts over the last ten months, completing a record year of island building in 2024 and moving on to dredge in new areas."
Read more from the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative:
Read more from the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative:
Vietnam has now dredged 3,319 acres of coral reef and created 2,236 acres of new land in the Spratlys. Since 2021 it has built 8 new harbors and an 8,000-ft airstrip. Latest from AMTI: amti.csis.org/scaling-up-v...
Scaling Up: Vietnam’s Islands (and Harbors) Continue to Grow | Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
Vietnam has considerably expanded its Spratly Island outposts over the last ten months, completing a record year of island building in 2024 and moving on to dredge in new areas even as some features a...
amti.csis.org
March 21, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Vietnam has now dredged 3,319 acres of coral reef and created 2,236 acres of new land in the Spratlys. Since 2021 it has built 8 new harbors and an 8,000-ft airstrip. Latest from AMTI: amti.csis.org/scaling-up-v...
What a tragedy. If this and the dismantling of other elements of US soft power like VOA, USIP, and USAID stand, the US will have done more damage to its influence in SEA in the last 6 months than China has in 6 years.
March 21, 2025 at 4:46 PM
What a tragedy. If this and the dismantling of other elements of US soft power like VOA, USIP, and USAID stand, the US will have done more damage to its influence in SEA in the last 6 months than China has in 6 years.