Gregory B. Poling directs the Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. He is a leading expert on the South China Sea disputes and conducts research on US alliances and partnerships, democratization and governance in Southeast Asia, and maritime security across the Indo-Pacific. He is the author or coauthor of works on the South China Sea and US relations with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia at large. His writings have been featured in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, and the Naval War College Review, among others.