Episode 27: What’s All the RAUKUS About? Southeast Asia’s Mixed Response

Veerle is joined by Dr Collin Koh, Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. Dr Koh explains that Southeast Asian countries can largely be divided into three camps in their responses to AUKUS, with a particularly interesting analysis of Cambodia’s strategic outlook. The new partnership highlights once again some difficult questions for Southeast Asian countries regarding how to manage their own regional security, while maintaining ASEAN centrality and navigating growing tensions between the US and Beijing.

Bridging the Oceans, hosted by Veerle Nouwens, will explore what the Indo-Pacific is, where its limits lie, and what the fast-evolving defence and security issues are in this dynamic part of the world. Together with a diverse range of experts, the podcast will also analyse today’s top geopolitical questions in the Indo-Pacific, understand how these are seen within the region itself, and consider how these issues may impact countries outside the region, like the United Kingdom. Episodes will be published bi-weekly and are part of our Navigating the Indo-Pacific programme.