Engaging the Eagle - Exploring U.S. Foreign Policy in Southeast Asia

It’s been ten months since United States President Donald Trump began his second term in office. Some of the uncertainty that dominated those first few months has given way to an understanding of how his administration functions. Yet, plenty of questions remain. What are the different “tribes” within his administration? What might come next for US policy on China, now that a deal has been secured? And what security issues are keeping US experts up at night?

Join Adrian and Kevin as they recount the main takeaways and observations of their recent research trip to Washington, D.C.

Government shutdowns are nothing new to American politics, with the government shutting down some 20 times since 1975 over funding disagreements. The duration of these shutdowns, however, has generally been increasing, with the last shutdown in December 2018 lasting 34 days. Adding to the uncertainty, United States President Donald Trump has threatened a mass layoff of federal workers to pressure Democrats to back moves to end the shutdown.

Join Adrian and Kevin as they discuss the implications of the ongoing government shutdown, how the two parties are tailoring their political messaging, and how this could impact government functions such as the conduct of US foreign policy.

As compared to his first term, US President Donald Trump’s approach to the Indo-Pacific appears to be undergoing a significant transformation. He has disrupted relationships with allies and partners with his tariff regime, while there are open questions about his commitment to groupings such as the Quad and AUKUS. Where will his strategy towards the region go from here, and what implications will this have for Singapore and other countries in the region?

Join us for a discussion with Professor Derek Grossman, Professor of the Practice of Political Science and International Relations, University of Southern California, and Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, as we discuss US strategy in the Indo-Pacific.

Barely two weeks after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s successful meeting with United States President Donald Trump in the White House, the US-South Korea relationship was once again disrupted by a record-breaking ICE raid on a Hyundai-LG plant in Georgia, which saw the arrest of over 300 South Korean workers on visa charges. As the dust slowly settles from these episodes, whatcan we make of the overall state of the US-South Korea relationship? What should we make of the investment deal that was agreed between the two leaders during the White House meeting? What repercussions will the factory raid have for the economic relationship between Seoul and Washington?

Join us for a discussion with Dr. Su-Hyun Lee, Senior Associate Fellow at the Centre for Multilateralism Studies and Coordinator of the MSc in International Political Economy Programme at RSIS, as we discuss US-South Korea ties.

What is the current state of American strategy in the Indo-Pacific? While he shuns multilateral groupings and institutions, US President Donald Trump is not an isolationist, and ostensibly has a vision of how he wants to engage the Indo-Pacific. But is there a coherent strategy at play? What can we surmise from the first six months of his second term, and what can we expect from US strategy in this region in the near future?

Join us for a discussion with Professor Hal Brands, the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. At the time of the recording of this episode in August 2025, he was the S. Rajaratnam Professor of Strategic Studies at RSIS.

US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have captured the public imagination in much of Asia – yet it is important to look past the specific tariff rates that he has threatened or assigned to each country. How have Trump’s tariffs impacted US engagement with Asian economies, particularly Japan? How is the Japanese government responding to his demands, and what can we expect going forward?

 Join us for a discussion with Dr Makio Miyagawa, Adjunct Senior Fellow at RSIS. Dr Miyagawa has held successive positions at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Legal Desk Chief, Deputy Director of the US-Japan Trade Division and of the Russian Division, and Director within the Economic Affairs Bureau and Asia Oceania Bureau.

It is often said that Southeast Asian countries reject a zero-sum choice between aligning with either Washington or Beijing, preferring to engage both parties in the pursuit of their national interests. Yet a recent study has shown that despite the intentional preferences of these Southeast Asian governments, their policies point towards a drift towards China. What could this mean for the region, and what could Washington do to reverse this drift?

Join us for a discussion with Professor Joseph Liow, Tan Kah Kee chair of Comparative and International Politics and Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Can the US still fight a major war? Does it still possess the industrial base to fuel a prolonged war effort, the political will to put aside partisan differences, and a myriad other factors that need to come together to allow it to prevail? How does this tie into United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue? In this episode of Engaging the Eagle, Dr. Steven Metz provides insights into the implications of the Ukraine war on US military strategy, the challenges facing the US defense industrial base, and the evolving nature of military recruitment and ethos. The conversation also touches on the federalization of the National Guard in response to domestic issues and the impact of social media on presidential communication and public perception.

It has been four months since United States President Donald Trump returned to the White House. There is little doubt that he is the most influential President that the world has seen in decades, but what really stands out? How have his policies affected Southeast Asia? And following up on our previous episode, what’s going on with the trade situation between the US and China? Join us as we delve into these topics.

United States President Donald Trump is a vocal proponent of tariffs. Yet his dramatic tariff announcement on April 2, along with the tumultuous cycles of raising and lifting tariffs that followed, left many observers surprised. As the situation continues to unfold, what can we make of his tariff policy? What are his goals, and where could this end up? How are Southeast Asian countries responding to his tariffs?