Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Asia and Trump 2.0: Geopolitical Outlooks | A Panel Discussion

Details
The UP Asian Center will hold the panel discussion "Asia and Trump 2.0: Geopolitical Outlooks" on 12 February 2025, 2:00 PM, PHT (GMT+8), online via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public but signing in to a (free) Zoom account is required. 

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

True to his words during the campaign trail, US President Donald J. Trump quickly hit the ground running by fulfilling his electoral promises of the mass deportation of illegal immigrants. And like his first administration, where he became known for being isolationist and transactional, Trump has already withdrawn the US from the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization (WHO). US foreign aid assistance has also been frozen and put on hold for three months. His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, outlined three criteria for the conduct of US foreign policy under the Trump 2.0 Administration during his Senate confirmation: “Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?.”
Against this backdrop, developments between the US and Asia’s relations remain to be seen particularly on the issues of the resumption or intensification of his economic war with China, a new détente with Kim Jong-Un, and changes in US security guarantees and commitments to allies and partners in Asia, in light of recurring tensions in the South China Sea, Taiwan, and the East China Sea. As such, the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman will be holding the webinar, Asia and Trump 2.0: Geopolitical Outlooks which seeks to unravel geopolitical, economic, and social issues that may affect Asia as a result of President Trump’s reelection. Specifically, the webinar seeks to answer the following questions:
1.   With the US focus turning inwards and protectionist based on the new administrations’ pronouncements, how will this affect the international world order and its role as the global superpower?
2.   How would the strategy and foreign policy of the new US administration toward Asia affect the security and balance in the region? How would the Asian states respond?
3.   What are the challenges and prospects of the relations between regions in Asia and the US? What are possible recommendations for policymakers in managing possible geopolitical changes and possible threats in the Asia Pacific region?

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

MELISSA HUBAHIB LOJA, Ph.D.
Center for European, Comparative, and Constitutional Legal Studies, University of Copenhagen
Dr. Melissa Hubahib Loja is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for European, Comparative, and Constitutional Legal Studies, University of Copenhagen. She is the author of the book, International Agreements between Non-state Actors as a Source of International Law (Hart Bloomsbury, 2022). She also authored various peer-reviewed articles in top international law journals, such as the American Society of International Law Proceedings (Cambridge University Press), European Journal of International Law (Oxford University Press), and International Journal of Constitutional Law (Oxford University Press). She earned her LLM and Ph.D. with honors from the University of Hong Kong and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National University of Singapore. She won the Willoughby Prize for best research article published in the Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law (Taylor & Francis) and the Li Ka Shing Prize for best Ph.D. Thesis. View her full profile.
COLLIN KOH SWEE LEAN, Ph.D.
Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Dr. Collin Koh is Senior Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies which is a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, based in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has research interests on naval affairs in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on Southeast Asia. Collin has published several op-eds, policy- and academic journal articles as well as chapters for edited volumes covering his research areas. He has also taught at Singapore Armed Forces professional military education and training courses. Besides research and teaching, Collin also contributes his perspectives to various local and international media outlets and participates in activities with geopolitical risks consultancies. View his full profile.
IRINE HIRASWARI GAYATRI, Ph.D.
National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia
Dr. Irine Gayatri is a Senior Researcher at the Research Centre for Politics, National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional or BRIN) in Indonesia. Supported by the Australia Award Scholarship, she holds a Ph.D. in Gender, Peace, and Security Centre from the School of Sciences, Faculty of Arts of Monash University. Her research interests include WPS Agenda, Norm Theory, Violent Extremism, Gender and International Relations, Peace, and Conflict.

 

ABOUT THE REACTOR

Dr. Noel Christian A. Moratilla serves as the Dean and an Associate Professor of the Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman, where he handles Philippine Studies. He formerly served as the Deputy Director of the Office of International Linkages - Univeristy of the Philippines System. He earned his PhD in Philippine Studies from UP Diliman where he also obtained his MA in Language Education. His research interests include critical pedagogies, emergent cultures, and resistance literatures.

 

Dr. Aaron Jed Rabena is an Assistant Professor at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. His areas of interest include Strategic Studies, Greater East Asian Geopolitics and Multilateral Politics, Political Risk, Maritime Security, and Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy.
 
For inquiries, please contact us at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 891-8500 loc. 3586.
The Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The UP Asian Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. It also offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. As an area studies institution, the Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website.