Researcher to discuss regional cooperation in southeast Asia during cold war

Sue Thompson, Ph.D., a senior lecturer at the National Security College in the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, will discuss regional cooperation in southeast Asia during the cold war era at a presentation on April 10 at 7:30 p.m. The presentation, which will be held in the Mary Lindsay Welch Honors Hall on the corner of 4th and Basin Streets, is free and open to the public.

During her presentation, titled “The United States and Southeast Asian Regionalism: 1945-75,” Thompson will discuss her research that examines the history of foreign power influences — especially American — in the post-war evolution of southeast Asian regionalism.

Thompson will be releasing a book on the topic, “United States Policy on Southeast Asian Regionalism: Collective defense and economic security, 1945-75,” later this year. She has published widely in her area of expertise and has recently completed her first book, “British Military Withdrawal and the Rise of Regional Cooperation in South-East Asia, 1964-73.”

Thompson worked as a ministerial adviser at Parliament House in Canberra and then as a journalist in international news for the Associated Press. She completed her doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London in the United Kingdom. She holds a master’s from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s the Australian National University. Prior to joining the staff at the National Security College, Thompson worked for the Australian Government Department of Defense as research coordinator for the Asia-Pacific Civil Military Centre of Excellence.

The presentation is sponsored by the Department of History and the Global Affairs Affinity Housing Community.