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The Diplomat | Author

Luke Hunt

Luke Hunt is a Southeast Asia correspondent for The Diplomat. He has spent three decades working in the region and produces the Beyond the Mekong podcast. He can be followed on Patreon and X – formerly Twitter.

He served as bureau chief for Agence France-Presse in Cambodia and in Afghanistan under Taliban occupation – where he was commended by the United Nations for the “best and most insightful” coverage of the Afghan civil war. Hunt also covered the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Global War on Terrorism that followed, specializing in Islamic militancy.

Throughout the 2010s, Hunt focused on civil conflict and uprisings from the Middle East to East Asia and as an adjunct professor wrote the course War, Media & International Relations for Pannasastra University in Cambodia. He is the author of the “Punji Trap” and co-author of “Barings Lost” and is the recipient of several awards including the Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards, Society of Publishers in Asia, and the World Association of Newspapers.

Follow him on X at @lukeanthonyhunt.

Posts by Luke Hunt

April 13, 2018

Stage is Set for Malaysia’s 2018 Election

By Luke Hunt

The country will head to the polls on May 9.

April 05, 2018

Does Duterte’s War on the International Criminal Court Really Matter?

By Luke Hunt

A closer look at an issue that has surfaced over the past few weeks.

March 23, 2018

Malaysian Politics Get Nasty

By Luke Hunt

Whether it's breakfast cereal or Anwar, old rivals monopolize Malaysian politics.

March 23, 2018

Remembering Cambodia Rock Star Kak Channthy

By Luke Hunt

The frontwoman of the Cambodian Space Project, who died in a fatal car crash Tuesday morning, breathed life into a music scene devastated by three decades of war.

March 21, 2018

New Climate Change Fears, Old Mekong Problems

By Luke Hunt

The evidence continues to pile up on the river’s bleak future.

March 10, 2018

Why Did Duterte Chicken out of the ASEAN-Australia Summit?

By Luke Hunt

The strongman is clearly afraid of the scrutiny that might come from making the trip.

March 03, 2018

Timor-Leste Gets Needed Boost in New Border Deal With Australia

By Luke Hunt

The agreement could have immense significance for the country's future given its present challenges.

March 02, 2018

What Do Thailand’s New Economic Numbers Say About Its Political Future?

By Luke Hunt

The good news masks a still uncertain road ahead for the ruling junta.

February 14, 2018

Has China Bought Brunei’s South China Sea Silence?

By Luke Hunt

The questions raised on the issue reflect broader concerns about how the sultanate conducts itself at home and abroad.

February 13, 2018

The Vietnam War’s Great Lie

By Luke Hunt

How the Communists and Pham Xuan An won the propaganda war.

February 06, 2018

Why Timor-Leste Is Still a Model for ASEAN

By Luke Hunt

Despite domestic challenges, the country remains one of the few hopeful stories in the region.

January 25, 2018

Duterte’s Media War in the Philippines Highlights ASEAN’s Rights Problem

By Luke Hunt

The effort to ban online news outlet Rappler is sadly an all too familiar story in the region.