The Diplomat  |  Author

Sebastian Strangio

Sebastian Strangio

Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat. 

In 2008, he began his career as a reporter at The Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia, and has since traveled and reported extensively across the 10 nations of ASEAN. Sebastian’s writing has appeared in leading publications including Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and The New York Times, The Diplomat, and Nikkei Asian Review, among many others. He is the author of “Hun Sen’s Cambodia” (Yale, 2014), a path-breaking examination of Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge, and “In the Dragon’s Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century (Yale, 2020). 

Alongside his journalistic work, Sebastian has also consulted for a wide variety of economic risk firms and non-government organizations, and is quoted frequently in the international media on political developments in Southeast Asia. Sebastian holds a B.A. and Master’s degree in international politics from The University of Melbourne. He currently lives in Adelaide.

You can get in touch with Sebastian via Twitter, Facebook, or email.

Posts by Sebastian Strangio
Page 2 of 156
October 11, 2024

ASEAN Again Urges End to Myanmar Conflict, but Struggles For Way Forward

By Sebastian Strangio
A wide gap continues to separate the bloc's Five-Point Consensus peace plan with the aims and perceptions of Myanmar's primary belligerents.
October 09, 2024

Philippine President Signs Bill to Stimulate Domestic Defense Industry

By Sebastian Strangio
The Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act aims to support the country's military modernization drive by increasing its domestic manufacturing capacity.

October 09, 2024

Detained Filipino Preacher Registers to Run in 2025 Senate Election

By Sebastian Strangio
Apollo Quiboloy faces a raft of charges, including sex trafficking and child abuse, in both the Philippines and the United States.

October 08, 2024

Ahead of Summit, ASEAN Again Prepares to Grapple with Myanmar Conundrum

By Sebastian Strangio
The past year has seen significant changes in the dynamics of the country's conflict. Will ASEAN's approach shift accordingly?

October 08, 2024

Vietnam, France Announce Establishment of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

By Sebastian Strangio
France has become the eighth nation, and the fifth in the past two years, to rise to the top of Hanoi's diplomatic hierarchy.
October 04, 2024

Philippines Says It Is ‘Monitoring’ Media Reports of Covert Foreign Ops

By Sebastian Strangio
A new Al Jazeera documentary advances claims that Alice Guo, a former Philippine mayor, worked as a spy for the Chinese government.

October 04, 2024

Indonesia, Malaysia Welcome Proposed Delay to EU Deforestation Regulation

By Sebastian Strangio
The two nations have lobbied against Brussels' law, which would have increased scrutiny of their palm oil exports to European countries.
October 03, 2024

Former Singaporean Transport Minister Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison

By Sebastian Strangio
S Iswaran pleaded guilty to accepting more than S$400,000 in valuable gifts from businessmen who had dealings with the government.

October 03, 2024

Vietnam Protests ‘Brutal’ Chinese Attack on Fishermen in Paracel Islands

By Sebastian Strangio
Beijing claims that the Vietnamese fishing boat was operating illegally in Chinese waters, and that its actions caused "no injuries."

October 02, 2024

US Commerce Department Imposes Duties on Southeast Asian Solar Imports

By Sebastian Strangio
Solar firms claim that Chinese companies based in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have flooded the U.S. market and benefited from unfair government subsidies.

October 02, 2024

Rights Orgs, Press Freedom Groups Call for Release of Cambodian Journalist

By Sebastian Strangio
Mech Dara, who has earned global plaudits for his work on online scam syndicates, has been charged with "incitement" over a series of social media posts.
October 01, 2024

Philippines Opens Candidate Registration Period for Mid-term Elections

By Sebastian Strangio
The May 12, 2025 polls are expected to see a proxy battle between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

Page 2 of 156