Defence Sec Pete Hegseth tells US allies Japan and the Philippines that ties remain “iron-clad,” but he skips South Korea in his maiden trip to the Indo-Pacific. @straits-times.bsky.social’s Walter Sim, Wendy Teo, and I look into what this means for the region.
www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-as...
What did 2022 teach us? A purist mindset loses elections. Politics is addition. Strategic alliances aren’t always pretty – but that’s how you win.