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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

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.

September 16, 2022

Will Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen Resign Next Year?

By David Hutt

There are numerous signs that the long-planned transition of power from the prime minister to his son may happen sooner rather than later.

September 14, 2022

The World Must Respond to Myanmar’s Civil War Rather Than Its Coup

By David Hutt

In the midst of a nationwide struggle, many foreign governments are still acting as if the country can return to its previous "democratic" path.

August 30, 2022

Should Cambodia Ban Casinos?

By David Hutt

The recent gambling boom has tarnished Cambodia's reputation and turned the country into a magnet for human trafficking and other criminal activity.

August 26, 2022

Is Southeast Asian Football Finally On The Cusp Of Success?

By David Hutt

After years of under-performance, green shoots are visible both in the region's domestic leagues and at the national level.

August 22, 2022

Why Cambodia’s Opposition Parties Must Unite

By David Hutt

Unity offers the only hope for defeating Prime Minister Hun Sen – but cynicism and egotism stand in the way.

July 14, 2022

Vietnam’s Ecological Leninism

By David Hutt

The country's ruling Communist Party is committed to environmental action – but only under its own leadership.

July 12, 2022

Hun Sen Plods Along With Cambodia’s Leadership Succession

By David Hutt

It is unclear when Hun Sen will give up the prime ministership, but the country's long-planned transition is in many ways already in progress.

June 23, 2022

In Laos, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh Is In Trouble

By David Hutt

Since he took the reins last year, the country's economy has entered a downward economic spiral with no clear end in sight.