About this event
ASPI is delighted to invite you to the webinar discussion: 'The changing nature of Philippines-US defence relations'
On 11th February this year, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced the unilateral decision to terminate the US government’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the Philippines which was established in 1998. The agreement has provided the legal framework for the US military and its equipment to be deployed to, maintained in and operated from the Philippines. This decision generated much controversy and questioned some core principles of the US-Philippines alliance. If materialised, it would have a larger regional implication for the wider Southeast Asia and strategic contingencies in the South China Sea.
On the 1st June however, with no warning, the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs wrote to the US Embassy stating that ‘in light of political and other developments in the region’ the termination was suspended. While nothing is certain beyond the suggested 6 months suspension of the Philippine withdrawal, it underlines how the Duterte administration's relationships with both the US and China are unpredictable.
Join ASPI's Dr Huong Le Thu for a discussion with Dr Jingdong Yuan, Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, Dr Malcolm Cook, Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and John Powers, Executive Director of Intel Dynamics, moderated by ASPI’s Dr John Coyne.
The webinar will explore the reasons for and possible impacts of Duterte’s defence policies, including the approach to the VFA, and consider whether it could generate geopolitical and economic opportunities for Australia.
Hosted by
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Guest speaker
Huong Le Thu Senior Analyst @ ASPIG
Dr Huong Le Thu is a senior analyst at ASPI, Defence and Strategy Program. Prior to joining ASPI she worked at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs (ANU), Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (Singapore), and Institute of International Relations (Taiwan). Her research interests include multilateral security in Asia, foreign policy in post-socialist countries, as well as identity politics.
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Guest speaker
John Coyne Head of Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement. Head of the North and Australia’s Security @ ASPIG
Dr John Coyne is Head of Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement and Head of the North and Australia’s Security at ASPI. John was the inaugural head of ASPI’s Border Security Program, and more recently established the North and Australia’s Security program.
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Guest speaker
Jingdong Yuan Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Government and International Relations @ University of SydneyG
Dr. Jingdong Yuan is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney. Dr. Yuan’s research focuses on Indo–Pacific security, Chinese foreign policy, Sino–Indian relations, and nuclear arms control and nonproliferation.
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Guest speaker
John Powers Executive Director @ Intel DynamicsG
John Powers is the Executive Director of Intel Dynamics, a global firm based in Canberra, which specialises in behavioural and information economics to advance organisational capabilities in decision-making, critical thinking, cybernetics and intelligence analysis.
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Guest speaker
Dr Malcolm Cook Visiting Senior Fellow @ ISEAS-Yusof Ishak InstituteG
Malcolm Cook is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and a Visiting Fellow at the National Security College in Canberra. From 2003 to 2010, he was the Lowy Institute’s inaugural East Asia Program Director.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is an independent, non-partisan think tank that produces expert and timely advice for Australia’s strategic and defence leaders. ASPI generates new ideas for government, allowing them to make better-info...
