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Podcast Episode

Southeast Asia’s Mandalas of Multialignment

Asia Geopolitics·The Diplomat·18 May 2026·21 min

About this episode

Prashanth Parameswaran joins the Asia Geopolitics podcast to explain how multialignment shapes Southeast Asia’s foreign policy and the region’s strategic importance. Today on The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast hosts Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Katie Putz (@LadyPutz) are joined by an old friend, Prashanth Parameswaran -- now a senior columnist at The Diplomat and a fellow at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security -- to discuss his latest book, “Mandalas of Multialignment: Hedging Bets in Southeast Asia Grand Strategy Spheres, Foreign and Security Policy Webs, and Global Geopolitics and Geoeconomics.” In the realm of geopolitics, few regions are as dynamic and strategically significant as Southeast Asia. Amid intensifying rivalry between the United States and China, Southeast Asia is critical. You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.