US foreign policy

Commentary

Trump’s regime change playbook: The Cuba chapter

The US policy towards Cuba involves staged but relentless pressure designed to bring the regime to the point of collapse. But US officials are wrong if they believe they can control what follows, says the writer.

As the US rows back on Indo-Pacific, Japan steps up to the plate

Japan's defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi made it clear at the Shangri-La Dialogue that he wants his country to bring together the region's security efforts.

Person of the Moment

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth may just make Asia great again

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth speaking at the first plenary session at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30.

Shangri-La Dialogue 2026

Hegseth hails Asian partners for boosting security spending; omits Taiwan in roll call

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30.

Trump-Xi summit leaves trail of doubts over US support for Taiwan

On the second anniversary of his inauguration on May 20, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te declared that "foreign forces" cannot decide the future of the island, which relies heavily on US security backing to deter a potential Chinese attack.

Beyond bromance: Xi-Putin summit a nod to China’s superpower status

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping following their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on May 20.

Containing Ebola is hard. The US made it worse

A health worker screening visitors to the Kyeshero Hospital in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo on May 18 as part of Ebola prevention measures.

News analysis

Will Gulf states find new oil pipelines fast enough to reduce Hormuz reliance?

This photo obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21, 2026. Oil prices had been climbing earlier as investors worried about a lack of progress in ending the Middle East crisis, with Tehran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and the US maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports. (Photo by Meysam MIRZADEH / TASNIM NEWS / AFP) /

China factor spices up tussle over key part of the Indian Ocean

Campaigners protesting outside the High Court in London in 2025 against the British government's move to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

News analysis

Iran v Trump: Is war about to break out - again?

Both sides are gambling on exploiting each other’s economic vulnerabilities, says the writer.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.