Articles by Zack Cooper

Trump’s advisers clash on Asia policy: Who has the president’s ear?

What shape will relations between the US and Asian countries take during Donald Trump’s second presidency, given the various competing factions in his administration? Expect plenty of unpredictability and volatility, says US academic Zack Cooper.

Zack Cooper

10 Feb 2025

US efforts to compete with China could undermine global economic order principles

The US often stresses the need to uphold the rules-based international order, but its recent moves towards giving priority to developing the domestic economy and manufacturing within the US might mean that the advocate of the rules may be guilty of undermining them.

Zack Cooper

30 Dec 2022

The G20 Summit: Who makes the world's rules?

The Group of 7 are relatively aligned in their perceptions of global challenges, particularly when it comes to strategic competitors such as China and Russia, but the same perceptions do not hold true when it comes to the remaining members of the bigger Group of 20.

Zack Cooper

17 Nov 2022

Biden's National Security Strategy: An Asia-first strategy codified by Europeanists

Washington's new National Security Strategy has been carefully crafted, but the document hosts a number of inherent tensions. Foremost among them is the fact that putting democracy at the center of a strategy that is increasingly Asia-focused is ill-advised.

Zack Cooper

01 Nov 2022

America needs to value Southeast Asia for its own sake, and not just as a tool to fight China

Following years of neglect under the Trump administration, the Biden administration will need to get both its words and actions right to rebuild trust in the US in Southeast Asia. And one of the fundamentals of building a good relationship is to genuinely listen and respond to Southeast Asians about their interests and priorities, rather than just treating them as tools to counter China's influence.

Zack Cooper

27 Nov 2020