Terence Lee, Ph.D.
@terenceleepols.bsky.social
SEAsian politics, civ-mil relations, int'l security. Moving away from @terenceleepols
Reposted by Terence Lee, Ph.D.
Check out this article from our Afghanistan war symposium: Reflecting on America’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan: The View From Southeast Asia - Terence Lee (@terenceleepols.bsky.social), 2023 #OpenAccess #SpecialIssue journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
July 19, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Check out this article from our Afghanistan war symposium: Reflecting on America’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan: The View From Southeast Asia - Terence Lee (@terenceleepols.bsky.social), 2023 #OpenAccess #SpecialIssue journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
I offered comments on ex-military officers and politics in Singapore.
www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ge...
www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ge...
GE2025: Military officers bring leadership to political arena but have to learn ground dynamics, say analysts
There have been historically close links between Singapore’s military and its ruling party, with senior officers continuing to serve in public life after retiring, said experts.
www.channelnewsasia.com
March 26, 2025 at 4:17 AM
I offered comments on ex-military officers and politics in Singapore.
www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ge...
www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ge...
American Foreign Policy Is Being Run by the Dumbest Motherfuckers Alive
open.substack.com/pub/danieldr...
open.substack.com/pub/danieldr...
American Foreign Policy Is Being Run by the Dumbest Motherfuckers Alive
The fuckwittery on display right now by Trump's foreign policy team boggles the mind.
open.substack.com
March 25, 2025 at 1:49 PM
American Foreign Policy Is Being Run by the Dumbest Motherfuckers Alive
open.substack.com/pub/danieldr...
open.substack.com/pub/danieldr...
This was brazen and shocking but not unexpected. In my recent Medium piece, I argued Donald Trump expects fealty of a “liege man of life and limb”. Zelensky didn't come to DC groveling. He is a war-time leader and didn't need to. Rightly so.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
How the Trump-Zelensky talks collapsed in 10 fiery minutes
There were major flashpoints throughout their meeting - here are four of the most animated.
www.bbc.com
March 1, 2025 at 2:11 AM
This was brazen and shocking but not unexpected. In my recent Medium piece, I argued Donald Trump expects fealty of a “liege man of life and limb”. Zelensky didn't come to DC groveling. He is a war-time leader and didn't need to. Rightly so.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
About month ago, I wrote this but it wasn't picked up at any venue. It used the measures of personalism developed by Geddes et al. to think about what Trump 2.0 is evolving into. For your kind consideration.
medium.com/@tcllee1972/...
medium.com/@tcllee1972/...
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud: The Personalistic Politics of Trump 2.0
American exceptionalism inhibits a full understanding of what is unfolding as Donald Trump returns to the White House. Personalistic rule…
medium.com
February 27, 2025 at 2:11 AM
About month ago, I wrote this but it wasn't picked up at any venue. It used the measures of personalism developed by Geddes et al. to think about what Trump 2.0 is evolving into. For your kind consideration.
medium.com/@tcllee1972/...
medium.com/@tcllee1972/...
SCMP did a review of our recent Journal of Current Southeast Asia article (link below). Selina Ho provided additional context + comments.
www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...
www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...
Southeast Asia admits China’s sway, but South China Sea stress sows distrust: study
Southeast Asian elites prefer an Asean-led regional order, despite acknowledging China’s growing influence, but the bloc faces its own challenges.
www.scmp.com
February 25, 2025 at 5:34 AM
SCMP did a review of our recent Journal of Current Southeast Asia article (link below). Selina Ho provided additional context + comments.
www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...
www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...
How do Southeast Asian elite perceive a China-led regional order? Selina Ho and I find that although most elites view China as influential + cultural affinity, they do not perceive China as having the authority to preside over SEA's regional order.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Elite Perceptions of a China-Led Regional Order in Southeast Asia - Selina Ho, Terence Lee, 2024
How do Southeast Asian states perceive a China-led regional order? To answer this question, we conducted a survey of elites from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philip...
journals.sagepub.com
February 25, 2025 at 5:33 AM
How do Southeast Asian elite perceive a China-led regional order? Selina Ho and I find that although most elites view China as influential + cultural affinity, they do not perceive China as having the authority to preside over SEA's regional order.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
I developed a concept to describe the ties between militaries in Southeast Asia and the region's minority Chinese businesses. Find out more about the 'Chinese Business Military Complex" in the edited volume from Carnegie below.
carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
The Military and Private Business Actors in the Global South: The Politics of Market Access
The interaction of national armed forces and private business sectors offers a useful lens for viewing the politics of numerous countries of the so-called Global South. A rising trend of military poli...
carnegieendowment.org
February 25, 2025 at 5:31 AM
I developed a concept to describe the ties between militaries in Southeast Asia and the region's minority Chinese businesses. Find out more about the 'Chinese Business Military Complex" in the edited volume from Carnegie below.
carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
An old piece written in 2015. At that time, the piece probably came across as unnecessarily pessimistic and even foolish as the Tatmadaw respected the NLD's 2015 victory and allowed a civilian government to take power.
news.nus.edu.sg/assuaging-th...
news.nus.edu.sg/assuaging-th...
Assuaging the armed forces in Myanmar
Assoc Prof Terence Lee from the Dept of Political Science at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences discussed the decisive electoral victory by National League for Democracy and opined that the key t...
news.nus.edu.sg
February 25, 2025 at 5:30 AM
An old piece written in 2015. At that time, the piece probably came across as unnecessarily pessimistic and even foolish as the Tatmadaw respected the NLD's 2015 victory and allowed a civilian government to take power.
news.nus.edu.sg/assuaging-th...
news.nus.edu.sg/assuaging-th...
I wrote about the domestic sources of hedging in Singapore’s foreign policy.
"... this article demonstrates how the domestic imperative of legitimizing the political dominance of the ruling People’s Action Party shapes ... hedging strategy.
"https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/component/get/22840
"... this article demonstrates how the domestic imperative of legitimizing the political dominance of the ruling People’s Action Party shapes ... hedging strategy.
"https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/component/get/22840
bookshop.iseas.edu.sg
February 25, 2025 at 5:25 AM
I wrote about the domestic sources of hedging in Singapore’s foreign policy.
"... this article demonstrates how the domestic imperative of legitimizing the political dominance of the ruling People’s Action Party shapes ... hedging strategy.
"https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/component/get/22840
"... this article demonstrates how the domestic imperative of legitimizing the political dominance of the ruling People’s Action Party shapes ... hedging strategy.
"https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/component/get/22840
How does Singapore navigate the US-China competition? I argued Singapore has probably greater latitude than most other Southeast Asian states due to the political dominance of the ruling PAP since 1959.
www.usip.org/publications...
www.usip.org/publications...
A Small State Heavyweight? How Singapore Handles U.S.-China Rivalry
Alice Ba pertinently observes in her introductory essay to this series that Southeast Asia has become a key arena in the ongoing U.S.-China rivalry; regional countries are under growing pressure to ch...
www.usip.org
February 25, 2025 at 5:20 AM
How does Singapore navigate the US-China competition? I argued Singapore has probably greater latitude than most other Southeast Asian states due to the political dominance of the ruling PAP since 1959.
www.usip.org/publications...
www.usip.org/publications...
I wrote about how we could assess the Tatmadaw battlefield defeats and argued that it is not synonymous with regime collapse.
rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publica...
rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publica...
IP24018 | Assessing the Myanmar Junta’s Grip on Power
Although rebel groups in Myanmar have made considerable gains on the battlefield, they face significant obstacles challenging the military junta. COMMENTARY February 2024 marks three years since Myanm...
rsis.edu.sg
February 25, 2025 at 5:19 AM
I wrote about how we could assess the Tatmadaw battlefield defeats and argued that it is not synonymous with regime collapse.
rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publica...
rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publica...
John McBeth, Asia’s Longest Serving Foreign Correspondent, Dies at 79 @Diplomat_APAC
thediplomat.com/2023/12/john-m…
thediplomat.com/2023/12/john-m…
John McBeth, Asia’s Longest Serving Foreign Correspondent, Dies at 79
McBeth was a standard bearer for big stories, honest and fair reportage.
thediplomat.com
February 25, 2025 at 5:04 AM
John McBeth, Asia’s Longest Serving Foreign Correspondent, Dies at 79 @Diplomat_APAC
thediplomat.com/2023/12/john-m…
thediplomat.com/2023/12/john-m…
The soon to be acting Speaker of Singapore's parliament is not exactly Mr Scandal-free either.
straitstimes.com/singapore/cour…
straitstimes.com/singapore/cour…
Lawyer and MP Christopher de Souza found guilty of professional misconduct, denies charge
He did not make full and frank disclosure to Court when he was aware that a client had breached conditions of a search order. Read more at straitstimes.com.
www.straitstimes.com
February 25, 2025 at 5:04 AM
The soon to be acting Speaker of Singapore's parliament is not exactly Mr Scandal-free either.
straitstimes.com/singapore/cour…
straitstimes.com/singapore/cour…
A week is too long in Singapore politics. Discuss.
February 25, 2025 at 5:03 AM
A week is too long in Singapore politics. Discuss.
12 July 2023: PM & CPIB - Iswaran being investigated.
12 July 2023: DPM Lawrence Wong, “We will be upfront and transparent; we will not sweep anything under the carpet, even if they are potentially embarrassing or damaging to the PAP.”
13 July 2023: PMO - Iswaran can't leave SG
12 July 2023: DPM Lawrence Wong, “We will be upfront and transparent; we will not sweep anything under the carpet, even if they are potentially embarrassing or damaging to the PAP.”
13 July 2023: PMO - Iswaran can't leave SG
February 25, 2025 at 5:03 AM
12 July 2023: PM & CPIB - Iswaran being investigated.
12 July 2023: DPM Lawrence Wong, “We will be upfront and transparent; we will not sweep anything under the carpet, even if they are potentially embarrassing or damaging to the PAP.”
13 July 2023: PMO - Iswaran can't leave SG
12 July 2023: DPM Lawrence Wong, “We will be upfront and transparent; we will not sweep anything under the carpet, even if they are potentially embarrassing or damaging to the PAP.”
13 July 2023: PMO - Iswaran can't leave SG
February 25, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Why do PAP MPs make these unparliamentary gaffes?
February 25, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Why do PAP MPs make these unparliamentary gaffes?
Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin apologises to WP's Jamus Lim for using 'unparliamentary language' caught on hot mic
todayonline.com/singapore/tan-…
todayonline.com/singapore/tan-…
Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin apologises to WP's Jamus Lim for using 'unparliamentary language' caught on hot mic
SINGAPORE — Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin on Tuesday (July 11) apologised for using "unparliamentary language" in his reaction to a speech made by Workers' Party Member of Parliament (MP) Jamus Lim.
www.todayonline.com
February 25, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin apologises to WP's Jamus Lim for using 'unparliamentary language' caught on hot mic
todayonline.com/singapore/tan-…
todayonline.com/singapore/tan-…
Not widely reported but Min Transport said the quiet part out loud → it's not the govt's fault if you don't have $$ and can't afford a car.
February 25, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Not widely reported but Min Transport said the quiet part out loud → it's not the govt's fault if you don't have $$ and can't afford a car.
New from @gerardtmccarthy and me.
Fracturing the Monolith: Could Military Defections End the Dictatorship in Myanmar?
doi.org/10.1007/978-98…
Fracturing the Monolith: Could Military Defections End the Dictatorship in Myanmar?
doi.org/10.1007/978-98…
Fracturing the Monolith: Could Military Defections End the Dictatorshi
Past episodes of mass uprising and successful transitions from dictatorial rule in Asia and the Middle East and North Africa offer several important lessons for Myanmar. Following weeks and months of popular demonstrations, the fall of presidents Ferdinand Marcos in...
doi.org
February 25, 2025 at 5:02 AM
New from @gerardtmccarthy and me.
Fracturing the Monolith: Could Military Defections End the Dictatorship in Myanmar?
doi.org/10.1007/978-98…
Fracturing the Monolith: Could Military Defections End the Dictatorship in Myanmar?
doi.org/10.1007/978-98…
Telling the truth - what a single round from an AR-15 does. Weapons of war have no place in civilized society.
washingtonpost.com/nation/interac…
washingtonpost.com/nation/interac…
The Blast Effect: How bullets from an AR-15 blow the body apart
The Washington Post examined autopsy and postmortem reports from nearly a hundred victims of past mass shootings that involved an AR-15 style rifle.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 25, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Telling the truth - what a single round from an AR-15 does. Weapons of war have no place in civilized society.
washingtonpost.com/nation/interac…
washingtonpost.com/nation/interac…