Christopher Woody

Opinion | Trump Is Destroying the Future of America to Own the Libs

“But Americans should not miss the significance of what seems to be happening: China’s low-cost electronic technologies once augmented gasoline and internal-combustion cars; now, they are replacing them.” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/o...

The Houthis want to punish Israel. Filipinos are bearing the cost. Inside the deadly Houthi attack on the MV Tutor, a cargo ship carrying coal from Russia to India through the Red Sea.

“The Philippines, a Southeast Asian island nation, sends more than half a million people to work on ships worldwide — a quarter of the global maritime workforce. In consequence, Filipino seafarers have suffered the Houthi attacks disproportionately.” www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Trump admin sought to use tariff threat to get Cambodia to limit China's military presence in the country to the Ream naval base and allow the US Navy to resume visits to the base, where it is concerned about China's access, per document obtained by The Washington Post: substack.com/@christopher...

As part of tariff talks, the Trump admin wanted S Korea to support reorienting US troops in SK to focus on deterring China, rather than just N Korea, and to raise its defense spending to 3.8% of GDP and up its annual payment to host US forces, WaPo reports www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Trump admin sought to use tariff threat to get Cambodia to limit China's military presence in the country to the Ream naval base and allow the US Navy to resume visits to the base, where it is concerned about China's access, per document obtained by The Washington Post: substack.com/@christopher...

TMAC trains villagers to avoid landmines TMAC sends military teams to teach border villagers how to detect and avoid landmines before returning home from evacuation centres.

Thailand says its troops have been wounded by Cambodian-laid landmines in four incidents since mid-July, most recently on Aug 9 www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen... the military is also sending teams to show Thais returning to border areas how to spot mines www.nationthailand.com/news/asean/4...

Exclusive: Thai gallery removes China-focused artworks after 'pressure' from Beijing In what artists called the latest attempt by Beijing to silence critics overseas, the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre changed multiple works by artists in exile in the exhibit on authoritarian governments collaborating across borders.

"In a July 30 email seen by Reuters, the [Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre] said: 'Due to pressure from the Chinese Embassy ... we have been warned that the exhibition may risk creating diplomatic tensions between Thailand and China.'" www.reuters.com/world/china/...

Vietnam expects more talks with US to finalise trade deal Vietnam will continue talks with the United States to finalise a trade agreement between the two countries, the Southeast Asian country's government said on Thursday, as U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariffs took effect.

True of every so-called trade deal: "Specific details regarding the agreement and transshipment issues have yet to be disclosed." www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

“It’s unclear if the cartels were directly connected to each of those breaches because multiple nation-states and criminal groups are thought to have penetrated CM/ECF simultaneously, while at least some of those groups have been inside the system for years, the first two people said.”

PH in talks with India to acquire more BrahMos missiles – PBBM NEW DELHI – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the Philippines is in the process of acquiring more BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India, as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (A...

Philippines' Marcos says Indian defense tech is "second to none" and that "Everything is on the table right now" for future buys, including more BrahMos anti-ship missiles: "I've spoken to the officers and men who operate the BrahMos system and they say we need more" www.pna.gov.ph/articles/125...

With F-35s on the horizon, Air Force base in Japan activates new munitions squadron The 35th Munitions Squadron is a newly formed squadron of bomb builders at Misawa Air Base.

"Valles envisions a future in which American and Japanese forces could share responsibilities for building and maintaining each other’s weaponry. 'We want to get to the point where we can build munitions for [Japanese] aircraft and they can build munitions for ours'" www.stripes.com/branches/air...

The US is asking foreign officials to sign non-disclosure agreements as part of tariff negotiations (and floating rules-of-origin rates to Southeast Asian governments) www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/b...

BREAKING: Thailand and Cambodia sign 13-point ceasefire agreement to ease border tensions after General Border Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur, which incl. Malaysian and other ASEAN observers.

Christopher Woody (@christopherwoody) Thailand’s long-delayed Chinese-built subs move forward with new engines On August 5, the Thai government approved amendments to its contract for Chinese-made S26T submarines, authorizing the use of ...

Thailand's government on Aug. 5 formally approved a plan to use Chinese-built engines instead of German ones in the subs it ordered from China in 2017, so delivery of the first boat, which was initially expected in 2023, is now expected in 2030 substack.com/profile/1971...

US services activity flatlined in July, ISM data shows U.S. services sector activity unexpectedly flatlined in July with little change in orders and a further weakening in employment even as input costs climbed by the most in nearly three years, underscoring the ongoing drag of uncertainty over the Trump administration's tariff policy on businesses.

"With tariff rates ranging from 10% to 41% on imports to the US set to kick in on Aug 7, the Budget Lab at Yale now estimates the average overall US tariff rate has shot up to 18.3%, the highest since 1934, from between 2% and 3% before Trump returned ... in January." www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

China is gradually driving down its oil demand, which is now set to peak in 2027. China still imports a lot of oil, but the less it needs, the less vulnerable it is to a naval blockade, which US officials regularly talk about imposing thedateline.substack.com/p/china-redu...

China is gradually driving down its oil demand, which is now set to peak in 2027. China still imports a lot of oil, but the less it needs, the less vulnerable it is to a naval blockade, which US officials regularly talk about imposing thedateline.substack.com/p/china-redu...

Thailand Rewrites EV Subsidy Program to Cope With China-Led Glut Thailand is encouraging automakers to export as domestic market is swamped with electric vehicles

"Thailand has adjusted its electric vehicle subsidy program to encourage carmakers to export, as its domestic market is suffering from overcapacity and cutthroat price competition fueled by a surge of Chinese investment." www.caixinglobal.com/2025-08-01/t...

Red hat diplomacy: How a MAGA-inspired slogan saved Korea-U.S. tariff talks As tariff negotiations teetered on the brink of collapse, Korean officials reached for an unlikely lifeline: a shipbuilding revival plan named after a slogan from U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The proposal—a joint initiative dubbed MASGA, short for ‘Make American Shipbuilding Great Again’—offered to revitalize US shipyards with Korean capital and expertise. Korean officials say the pitch helped break the impasse in the stalled trade talks.” koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-08...

The nominations the Senate is staying in town for at Trump’s insistence? Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service and ambassador to Uruguay - the latter post has been held by career diplomats. Trump’s nominee is a construction company owner and Trump friend. They met on a golf course in 1993.

“The Western Australian Labor MP Josh Wilson is the only member of the party’s federal caucus I know of who has spoken publicly about his opposition to AUKUS, but internal dissent is far broader than Wilson’s lone voice suggests.”

Trump's tariffs: The shock, chaos and negotiations behind Thailand's trade deal It's been a fraught process for many countries - with little detail about what exactly has been agreed.

"One Thai trade official told the BBC the US negotiators were still bringing up the Uyghurs as a grievance at tariff talks in May." www.bbc.com/news/article...

Murphy noted that the hearing at which he was speaking was the nomination hearing for two of the three career diplomats who have been picked for ambassadorships so far during this administration: Sean O'Neill to Thailand and Julie Stufft to Kazakhstan

NOMINATIONS | United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Nomination Hearing on July 29, 2025 at 6:30 AM

In past presidencies, between 25% and 40% of ambassador nominees were political selections rather than career diplomats. That got up to near 50% in Trump's first term, but so far this term 95% are political (58 of 61), @chrismurphyct.bsky.social said this week: www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/nom...

Exclusive: Trump ally warns Seoul over ‘unfair treatment’ of Yoon Exclusive: Trump ally warns Seoul over unfair treatment of Yoon Fred Fleitz, former White House NSC chief of staff, says perceived political persecution of the ex-president could be viewed negatively ...

Fred Fleitz, former Trump NCS official, warns South Korea about possible US retaliation over Yoon prosecution. Also notable: "when asked if [SK] could balance relations with China and Russia while maintaining a strong US alliance, he replied, 'Definitely not.'" www.chosun.com/english/nati...

Another year, another record-setting Talisman Sabre. The exercise's growth reflects the US and its allies' focus on preparing for bigger, more complex combat operations in the Pacific—including handling the mass casualties they expect to face in a major war: thedateline.substack.com/p/us-allies-...

Another year, another record-setting Talisman Sabre. The exercise's growth reflects the US and its allies' focus on preparing for bigger, more complex combat operations in the Pacific—including handling the mass casualties they expect to face in a major war: thedateline.substack.com/p/us-allies-...

The missile Japan is deploying, its updated Type 12 missile, is supposed to have a range greater than 600 miles, so from Kyushu it could hit targets in much of eastern China

[단독] 트럼프 측근 “위성락에도 ‘尹 부당한 대우’ 우려 입장 전달” 단독 트럼프 측근 위성락에도 尹 부당한 대우 우려 입장 전달 프레드 플라이츠 前백악관 NSC 비서실장 인터뷰 이달 초 위성락 실장 회동 정치적 박해 인식 우려 트럼프 진영, 한국 선거 後 상황 주의깊게 보고 있어 대만 문제 중요, 한·미·일 협력 한 치 오류 있어선 안 돼

Another person in Trump’s orbit, Fred Fleitz, with the American First Policy Institute, has seemingly taken up Yoon Suk Yeol’s case and warned National Security Advisor Wi Sung-rak against mistreating Yoon. 1/

www.chosun.com/internationa...

The Pentagon’s Policy Guy Is All In on China Elbridge Colby wants the U.S. military to pivot toward Asia, even if it means turning away from Europe and the Middle East.

"Although Colby declined to speak to us for this story, multiple administration allies and GOP senators sent us unsolicited quotes of support once we reached out to the White House for comment." www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...