Academic Exchange with US Foreign Policy Expert

Mr. Jeffrey M. Warner's presentation focused on the role of Southeast Asia in US foreign policy, as President-elect Donald Trump officially took office. Mr. Brett Blackshaw admitted that since Donald Trump took office, there have been many predictions that the new president would pay more attention to domestic issues and reduce US influence abroad.

However, the fundamentals of US foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region in general and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam in particular, remain unchanged. The United States still wishes to be a good partner of ASEAN, promote good relations between China and its neighbors, support the peaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea, and contribute to strengthening cooperation mechanisms within and outside ASEAN such as the ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting, and the East Asia Summit. Mr. Jeffrey M. Warner expressed his hope for new steps by the Trump administration in the coming time, especially for the Vietnam-US bilateral relationship.

Mr. Brett Blackshaw's presentation received comments and questions from staff and lecturers of the Faculty of International Studies on issues such as: the consequences of the Donald Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the TPP on US-Southeast Asia trade, the US's response if a "power vacuum" appears in Southeast Asia that China can exploit, the impact of the US's new foreign policy on ASEAN's centrality in the region, the US's role in the process of establishing the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), the prospects for Vietnam-US bilateral relations, etc.

Ms. Le Le Na (Faculty of International Studies - University of Social Sciences and Humanities) asked Mr. Jeffrey M. Warner

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Viet Nghia and school staff took a souvenir photo with Mr. Jeffrey M. Warner

Jeffrey M. Warner has been a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State since July 2011. He received his Master of Arts in Public Policy and Southeast Asia from the School of Foreign Affairs and Pacific Studies, University of California San Diego. He previously served as Second Secretary for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, Myanmar, and Consular Officer in Shanghai, China. His professional approaches include policy analysis, cost-benefit analysis, intercultural management, and more.