Uncertainty over U.S. policy, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and rising tensions over Taiwan are likely to take centre-stage at this week’s Shangri-La Dialogue, one analyst told Reuters on Tuesday (May 26).
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to face questions over Washington’s actions in Iran and whether the war could further strain U.S. attention and commitments in Asia, said Chong Ja Ian, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore.
Greater volatility in U.S. policy could push U.S. allies such as Japan, Australia, the Philippines and South Korea to take a more active defence role, while tensions over Taiwan remain closely tied to broader instability in the South and East China Seas, he added.
The Shangri-La Dialogue, the region's premier defence forum, runs from Friday (May 29) to Sunday (May 31) in Singapore. It draws an eclectic mix of top defence officials, senior military officers, diplomats, weapons makers and security analysts.
