S-E Asia and the Biden administration: Finding the middle ground

After over a decade of engagement with the Obama and Trump administrations on extreme ends of the spectrum, a return to something more normal in relations is to be welcomed

Indonesians in Java wearing masks of Mr Joe Biden and Ms Kamala Harris after the Democrats won the US presidential election. The writers say South-east Asian countries will welcome the reversion to traditional US foreign policy settings and behaviour
Indonesians in Java wearing masks of Mr Joe Biden and Ms Kamala Harris after the Democrats won the US presidential election. The writers say South-east Asian countries will welcome the reversion to traditional US foreign policy settings and behaviour under Mr Biden. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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On Jan 20, Mr Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. Over the next four years, South-east Asian states should prepare for US engagement with the region to return to a more traditional middle ground between the Obama and Trump administrations that were outliers on opposite ends of the engagement spectrum.

After more than a decade of abnormal engagement between America and South-east Asia, and facing a more assertive and aggressive China, this return to something more normal is to be welcomed.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 29, 2020, with the headline S-E Asia and the Biden administration: Finding the middle ground. Subscribe