Martijn van Ette
Doctoral Researcher
Martijn's doctoral research examines how U.S. foreign policy in Cold War Southeast Asia was shaped by U.S. fears of the Chinese diaspora. The diaspora's influence in Southeast Asian affairs had already attracted U.S. suspicions before the advent of Communism in the region, but the establishment of a Chinese Communist state in the late 1940s further aggravated these concerns. These fears rested on a racialized conviction that the overseas Chinese had remained inherently Chinese, and therefore subservient to the Communist mainland. By tracing their influence on the formulation of U.S. foreign policy in Southeast Asia, Martijn's research contributes to understanding the role of race in postwar U.S. foreign relations.
Martijn has won multiple grants to support this work. He is also active as a media commentator on European security issues, particularly the war in Ukraine, and has contributed to several episodes of the America Explained Podcast.
Martijn joined USLIB after graduating cum laude from the MA International Relations at Leiden University. He also holds an MSc in International Organisation from Leiden University and a BA in History from Erasmus University.