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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

March 20, 2024

What Southeast Asia’s Aging Populations Could Mean Politically

By David Hutt

Could aging societies lead to more political polarization and upheaval?

March 13, 2024

Southeast Asia’s Uncertain Global Outlook

By David Hutt

What would be more worrying for the region: a retreating United States, or an economically stagnant China?

March 07, 2024

What on Earth Do Indonesians Think About Democracy?

By David Hutt

Making sense of a 2023 Pew survey that showed majority support for representative democracy, autocracy, and rule by the military.

March 05, 2024

What Do We Mean When We Talk About Southeast Asia’s Demographics ‘Crisis’?

By David Hutt

The nations of the region are all experiencing shrinking workforces and rising life expectancy – in some cases at the same time.

February 27, 2024

Cambodia’s Opposition Needs to Take a Sabbatical

By David Hutt

Opposition parties should take a page out of the ruling CPP's book and begin a process of generational renewal.

February 22, 2024

In Southeast Asia, the US Should Talk Loudly About Immigration

By David Hutt

Washington ought to be doing more to attract the region’s best and brightest.

February 20, 2024

Southeast Asia’s Reactionaries Can Embrace Same-Sex Marriage

By David Hutt

As in the West, extending marriage rights to same-sex couples will only serve to strengthen the social fabric.

February 01, 2024

Aren’t Cambodia’s Journalists Tired Of Being Spoken Down To?

By David Hutt

The country's government views the press as an adjunct of power.

January 22, 2024

China’s Self-Pitying Empire

By David Hutt

The Chinese film "No More Bets," which details the human cost of Southeast Asia-based cyberscam operations, has become a massive hit on the mainland.

January 15, 2024

Southeast Asia Likes Polarization – and That’s Not a Bad Thing

By David Hutt

The region's problem is not that there is too much political contestation, but rather that there is not enough.

January 10, 2024

Anwar Ibrahim, Anti-Semite?

By David Hutt

The Malaysian leader has long expressed strong, and at times contradictory, views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

January 09, 2024

Why Cambodia’s Government Cannot Win Its Fight Against Corruption

By David Hutt

As demonstrated by the scourge of hit-and-run violence on the nation's roads, the political system rests on the idea that some people are more equal than others.