Charles Dunst

Charles Dunst

Visiting Scholar, East-West Center; Associate, LSE IDEAS

Charles Dunst (@CharlesDunst) is a visiting scholar at the East-West Center in Washington and an associate at LSE IDEAS, the London School of Economics’ foreign policy think tank. He was previously based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and has reported from Southeast Asia for outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, the Los Angeles Times, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

US President Joe Biden holds a meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., 30 June 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Biden has not lived up his promises for Southeast Asia

As it pertains to Washington’s relations with Southeast Asia, the Biden administration is not faring much better than its predecessor. A low-hanging fruit would be the supply of Covid-19 vaccines.
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 6 October 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS)

How a Biden presidency can win back lost American influence in Southeast Asia

If elected the president of the US, Joe Biden will not necessarily gain traction in Southeast Asia by simply not being Trump. He will have to bring tangible economic and political options to the table, and harness the intrinsic power of America’s network of allies and partners.