The Diplomat | Author
David Hutt
David Hutt is a journalist and commentator. He is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), a columnist at The Diplomat, and a correspondent for Asia Times.
David Hutt is a journalist and commentator. He is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), a columnist at The Diplomat, and a correspondent for Asia Times.
David Hutt has been Southeast Asia columnist at The Diplomat since 2016, writing weekly about Southeast Asian politics. He was formerly based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He was president of the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia between 2018 and 2019. He can be followed on Twitter @davidhuttjourno.
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October 24, 2023
In Hun Manet’s Cambodia, It Is the Perception of Change That Matters
By David Hutt
The country's new prime minister is bound to the system created by his father. But for some foreign governments, it is enough that there is a new face at the top.
October 13, 2023
Hun Manet Backs Down On Tax, but He Cannot Deny a Hike Is Coming
By David Hutt
If the new-look government is to fulfill its grand economic promises, it will need to vastly increase domestic revenue collection.
September 20, 2023
Cambodia’s Thin-Skinned Princelings Are Forcing Newspapers Out Of The Country. It Isn’t All Bad.
By David Hutt
Given the perils of producing meaningful journalism within Cambodia, the future of the country's media might well lie abroad.
September 18, 2023
Is There Any Southeast Asian Autocrat That the US Won’t Do Business With?
By David Hutt
Hypocrisy is an inevitable part of power politics. But there are limits to how far a nation like the U.S. should compromise.
September 15, 2023
ASEAN Gives Laos a Reprieve Over Myanmar Crisis
By David Hutt
But let’s not get carried away with the bloc's new “troika” on Myanmar.
July 19, 2023
Cambodia’s Opposition Movement Needs To Start Anew. Taxation and Eco-Nationalism Should Drive It.
By David Hutt
It is time for the movement to step away from stale personal and political rivalries and embrace a more concrete, forward-looking platform.
July 13, 2023
The Problems With Bilahari Kausikan’s ‘ASEAN Realism’
By David Hutt
The outspoken former Singaporean diplomat's latest dispatch flies very wide off the mark.
July 12, 2023
Is Vietnam’s Economic Blip a Blessing in Disguise?
By David Hutt
The current stagnation could shock the ruling Communist Party into putting economic policy back into sensible hands.
July 05, 2023
We Know Microfinance Harms Cambodia’s Poor. What Can Be Done About It?
By David Hutt
Much ink has been spilled identifying the many problems with the sector, but much less so about possible ways forward.
June 29, 2023
Is Cambodia’s New Election Amendment Actually About ‘Pardoning’ Exiled Opposition Leaders?
By David Hutt
Changes to election laws will give Prime Minister Hun Sen added room for maneuver as he prepares to hand power to his son, Hun Manet.
June 14, 2023
Compelled Speech on the March in Cambodia With New ‘Mandatory’ Voting Law
By David Hutt
It is no longer enough to remain silent and keep out of politics. Cambodians are now required to actively affirm the ruling regime – including at the ballot box.
June 02, 2023
Will Thailand’s Move Forward Party Give Up on Lese-Majeste Reform?
By David Hutt
Even if it puts off amending the royal defamation law for now, change is probably inevitable given shifts in public attitudes toward the monarchy.