Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, commented on President Biden’s nomination of diplomat Nicholas Burns as U.S. Ambassador to China, on the Indus News program In Focus South Asia on August 23, 2021. Professor Larus claimed that the choice of a career foreign service officer, rather than a political associate, signals the need for a seasoned diplomat to handle increasingly tense relations with China. Her comments can be accessed at
https://m.facebook.com/indusdotnews/videos/in-focus-south-asia-future-of-us-china-relations-indus-news/375762564013743/

Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

PSIA Chairman Elizabeth Freund Larus commented on Vietnam national news on visits by U.S. government officials to Southeast Asia. Professor Larus gave U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin high marks for addressing COVID concerns and the lack of vaccines rather than the U.S.-China struggle. Southeast Asian economics rely on China for their economic prosperity, so they’re wary of being caught in the middle of an ideological struggle between the U.S. and China. In Vietnam, where the U.S. recently donated 3 million doses of the Moderna vaccines, Austin was able to discuss enhanced cooperation on maritime security. In the Philippines, Austin secured a major victory for the U.S. in its competition with China for influence in the region by compelling Philippine President Duterte to drop his threat to revoke the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement, an essential part of the U.S.-Philippine alliance. Professor Larus’ comments begin 10 minutes into the program, accessible at https://vnews.gov.vn/video/the-gioi-360-do-ngay-31-7-2021-218114.htm.

Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Department of Political Science and International Affairs Chairman Elizabeth Freund Larus commented on the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines. Five years after the SCS arbitration decision in favor of the Philippines, Manila accuses China of continuing to harass Filipino fisherman in the Philippines’ EEZ. The UN lacks an enforcement mechanism to back its 2016 decision, leaving the US as guarantor of maritime security in the region. Professor Larus’ comments to Indus News begin at 4:28 minutes into the program, viewable at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwRsTUkI0SI