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Audience: Open to all- including community members, alumni, students, and employees.

Southeast Asia is a strategic region for China and the US in terms of global security and shipping lanes. For decades, both countries have used trade and aid as linchpins in their soft power competition for influence in the region. Since January 2026, the Trump Administration has dramatically altered US policy in the region with the announcement of reciprocal tariffs and the shuttering of USAID. Additionally, the new Trump National Security Strategy signals a shift towards a focus on the Western Hemisphere. What do these shifts mean for US influence in the region? This panel brings together three experts on politics and trade in the region, Nydia Ngiow, James Carouso, and Paul Schuler, to discuss the context and implications of the recent policy changes by the US government.