The discomfort of Southeast Asian countries with their traditional American ally was highlighted during the main Asian conference on defense issues, the Shangri-La Dialogue, which was held from May 29 to 31 in Singapore. The countries of South-East Asia, very dependent on hydrocarbon resources from the Middle East, are bearing the brunt of the consequences of American adventurism in the quagmire of the war against Iran. An additional blow in relations with the United States, destabilized since the return of Donald Trump to the White House, notably with the imposition of customs duties.
The very diplomatic reactions of the representatives of Asian countries to the remarks of the American Secretary of State for Defense Pete Hegseth are an indicator of the reluctance of the countries of the region in the face of an ally that has become unpredictable. Indeed, bluntly, Pete Hegseth openly denigrated the interest of summits like the Shangri-La Dialogue, judging this type of gathering less important than the purchase of military equipment, as reported by the daily South China Morning Post. He notably declared:
“I’m sorry to say this here, but [il nous faut] less Shangri-La and more ships and submarines.â€
“We don’t need
