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David Hutt

David Hutt

David Hutt is a journalist and commentator. He is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), and a columnist at The Diplomat and Radio Free Asia.

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 Radio Free Asia, a contributor to the Economist Intelligence Unit and DW, and an associate editor at Contemporary Southeast Asia. He also writes the Watching Europe In Southeast Asia newsletter.

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.

Posts by David Hutt
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August 23, 2024

The Eighteenth Brumaire of To Lam

By David Hutt
The newly appointed Communist Party chief has the potential to become a dictator.
August 19, 2024

Why Should I Mourn the Death of Nguyen Phu Trong?

By David Hutt
Absent in many eulogies for the late Communist Party chief was any recognition of the scores of government critics whose lives were ruined during his time in power.

August 12, 2024

How Dense Are Thailand’s Reactionaries?

By David Hutt
In quashing one political threat, the country's conservative establishment may have created an even bigger one.

July 29, 2024

Some Reasons Not to Panic About a Thai Demographic Collapse

By David Hutt
Thailand’s working-age population could decline by around a fifth by 2050, but things are not as grim as they look.

July 26, 2024

Who Cares If Malaysia and Thailand Join BRICS?

By David Hutt
As it expands, the grouping has become increasingly incapable of articulating a coherent political, security, or economic vision.
July 22, 2024

Don’t Worry Too Much About Emigration From Laos

By David Hutt
The problem isn’t workers leaving. The problem is what’s happening to the youngsters who are replacing them.

July 02, 2024

Is Laos Planning to Sell Off More of Its Energy Sector to China?

By David Hutt
The power utility's recent curious dealings with a prominent local conglomerate suggest that something is afoot.
June 26, 2024

Has Team Marcos Justified Its Economic Swagger?

By David Hutt
For all its economic challenges, the Philippines has one major advantage over its Southeast Asian peers.

June 19, 2024

Fear A Militarily Weak China

By David Hutt
Is China's military the juggernaut some imagine, or a paper tiger like Russia's degraded armed forces? Either way, getting a definitive answer would be terrible for almost everyone.

June 12, 2024

Was the CIA Director Recently in Phnom Penh?

By David Hutt
Whether or not William Burns visited Cambodia, as former PM Hun Sen seemed to claim, U.S.-China competition has set off an intelligence race in Southeast Asia.

June 05, 2024

Looking At Demographics, Thailand’s Minimum Wage Hike Makes Sense

By David Hutt
The country's shrinking workforce is primarily a problem for consumption, not production.
May 23, 2024

The Funan Techo Canal Won’t Have A Military Purpose

By David Hutt
Arguments that Cambodia's China-backed canal project will pose a security threat to Vietnam are wildly overblown.

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