The Diplomat | Author

David Hutt
David Hutt is a journalist and commentator. He is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), a columnist at The Diplomat, and a correspondent for Asia Times.
David Hutt is a journalist and commentator. He is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), a columnist at The Diplomat, and a correspondent for Asia Times.
David Hutt has been Southeast Asia columnist at The Diplomat since 2016, writing weekly about Southeast Asian politics. He was formerly based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He was president of the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia between 2018 and 2019. He can be followed on Twitter @davidhuttjourno.

January 25, 2023
How Does The Myanmar Crisis End?
By David Hutt
The military junta's possible handover of power to a quasi-civilian "transition council" could create complications for the country's resistance forces.

January 25, 2023
A Touch of Populism and Austerity from Laos’ New PM
By David Hutt
A month after his appointment, Sonexay Siphandone has given some indication of how he plans to tackle the country's severe economic challenges.

December 28, 2022
Is Laos’ Prime Minister On His Way Out?
By David Hutt
Phankham Viphavanh, who took office in early 2021, may be on the way out -- hounded by scandal and a bad year for Laos’ economy.

December 08, 2022
Taxpayers of Southeast Asia, Arise!
By David Hutt
The region needs a new coterie of taxpayer alliances and NGOs that investigate how taxes are spent.

December 02, 2022
What if the Communist Social Bargain Breaks Down in Laos?
By David Hutt
The economy is stagnant and discontent is on the rise. But don't bet on a mass uprising against the ruling communist party.

November 02, 2022
Are Laos’ New Railways a Solution to its Lack of Trade with the West?
By David Hutt
Transport costs are not the only problem facing the country, but reducing them could help spur progress in other areas.

October 31, 2022
The Tyranny of Compelled Speech in Cambodia
By David Hutt
Censorship and self-censorship are less repressive than being forced to express and affirm a regime's lies.

October 26, 2022
The Vietnamese Communist Party’s Moral Vanguardism
By David Hutt
The Party's “morality campaign" has played a more important role in its thinking than the parallel and higher-profile anti-graft drive.

October 25, 2022
The International Community is Overcomplicating the Myanmar Crisis
By David Hutt
Complexity is being used to obscure the simple choice that faces the world: support the junta, or support those seeking its overthrow.

October 13, 2022
Why Did Cambodia’s Hun Sen Sue His Rival in a French Court?
By David Hutt
The Cambodian leader may have wanted simply to clear his name – but there is another, more chilling, explanation.

September 30, 2022
Taiwan, And The World, Needs To Worry About the Western Disinterest In Protecting It
By David Hutt
Western publics appear to have little appetite for direct involvement in a future Taiwan Strait crisis.

September 28, 2022
Cambodia Needs to Move Past the Narrative of ‘National Salvation’
By David Hutt
For decades, politicians on all sides of the political spectrum have framed the country's choice as one between salvation and extinction.
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