Seminar: Politics of the United States-China-Vietnam Triangle

Vietnam’s balance of power act, namely the policy of seeking counterweight to Chinese pressures and the politics of the United States-China-Vietnam triangle, took shape in the early years of the 21st century. However, it was deeply rooted in the changing relationship between the big powers in the 1980’s and Vietnam’s need to adjust its policy to these changes. This seminar will examine the factors and forces that underline this triangular relationship; the role, perspective, moves and countermoves of each of the players in the triangle; the impact of the South China Sea dispute on their relationship; and the regional implications of this triangular politics.

Dr Nguyen Manh Hung is Professor Emeritus of Government and International Relations at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. Before joining the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute as Visiting Senior Fellow he was Nonresident Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. Dr Hung received his License en Droit (equivalent to a J.D.) from the Faculty of Law, University of Saigon (1960), his M.A. and Ph.D. in International Relations from the Woodrow Wilson Department of Foreign Affairs, University of Virginia (1963 and 1965 respectively).

A two-time Fulbright Scholar and Social Science Research Council Fellow, Dr. Hung is the author of several books, book chapters, articles, and commentaries in journals such as World Affairs, Asian Survey, Pacific Affairs, Global Asia, Amerasia Journal, and Journal of Asian Thought and Society, Asia Pacific Bulletin, The Diplomat, and CogitAsia. Dr Hung has contributed book chapters to New Directions in the International Relations of Southeast Asia (Singapore University Press, 1973), Refugees in the United States (Greenwood Press, 1985), The American War in Vietnam: Lessons, Legacies, and Implications for Future Conflict (Greenwood Press, 1987), Refugees in America in the 1990’s (Greenwood Press, 1996), Southeast Asia on the Growth Path (Universiti Pertanian Malaysia Press, 1997), Southeast Asian Affairs 2004 (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2004), and “U.S.-Vietnam Relations: Evolving Perceptions,” in Strategic Asia 201-2015: U.S. Alliances and Partnerships at the Center of Global Powers, National Bureau of Asian Research, 2014.

REGISTRATION

For registration, please fill in this form and email to iseasevents2@iseas.edu.sg by 11 December 2015.