Southeast Asian politics & foreign policy; International relations of East Asia; US-China competition; Myanmar; Vietnam; Singapore; Civil society in Southeast Asia

Hunter Marston commenced his PhD at the ANU in July 2019. His research is focused on great power competition in Southeast Asia. In particular, he explores how small states in Southeast Asia form hedging strategies to manage their relations with the United States and China, with particular focus on Singapore, Vietnam, and Myanmar. His main research interests include state-society relations and political change in Southeast Asia, US foreign policy, and US-China competition.

Prior to joining the ANU, Hunter worked as a Senior Research Assistant at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, in the Center for East Asia Policy Studies. He also supported research and events for The India Project at Brookings. While at Brookings, he co-authored a chapter with Joseph Liow of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies on Singapore’s balancing tactics vis-a-vis China and the United States. The chapter was published in Jeff Smith’s edited volume, Asia’s Quest for Balance: China’s Rise and Balancing in the Indo-Pacific (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2018). He also recently completed field research on social media and violence in Myanmar as the recipient of a Robert Myers Fellowship grant from the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

Hunter completed his Masters in Public Policy at the University of Washington (2013) and his MA in Southeast Asia Studies, also at the University of Washington (2012). While at the University of Washington, Hunter spent a summer internship in the US Embassy in Myanmar as a Harold Rosenthal Fellow in International Relations.