Tom Clifford

Year Zero’s Legacy: Confronting the Horrors of Tuol Sleng

A wrong sign pointed to a right place—Tuol Sleng. Once a school, now a museum of pain. Beneath jacarandas, Cambodia's darkest chapter quietly demands to be remembered.

Mounting Economic Challenges and Unemployment Grip China

The August temperatures are baking Beijing so the party's leaders are sampling the waters in Beidaihe, the summer resort north of the capital. They can...

US-China Relations: Blinken’s Visit to China Signals Fragile Peace Amidst Growing Tensions

It is not Munich 1938 but US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's first visit to China on Sunday does have a whiff of "peace...

China Shaken by Protests Over Its Zero Covid Policy

It was a tiny incident, not captured by TV cameras, nor did it make headlines across the world. But it suggested a seismic shift...

Beijing’s COVID Policies Are not Healthy

Difficult to gauge in a country without political polling, but there does seem to be an almost palpable sense of opportunity lost.  The Whac-A-Mole approach...

A China Angle on Ukraine

Embassy alley in Beijing, in reality a patchwork of tree-lined streets with two story houses, mostly built in the 1960s in a style reminiscent...

China’s Economy Must Still Naviagte Challenges

The temptation to be flippantly Wildean and evoke the spirit of Oscar is sometimes too tempting for the mortal flesh. For the United States...

China Enters the Era of Cultural Resolution

The most powerful leader since Mao. In reality, President Xi Jinping has less control than the paranoid Mao but is more powerful as China...

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Turkey and Drone Warfare in the Pakistan-India Conflict

Turkey's drones reshape South Asia's battlefield. In May’s India-Pakistan clash, Islamabad deployed 400+ Turkish UAVs—marking a new era of proxy warfare and Ankara’s deepening role in global flashpoints.

Kyiv’s Unwavering Anti-China Stance: Ukraine Seeks to Lead Europe in Shifting Perceptions of Beijing

Kyiv is leading Europe’s anti-China turn—accusing Beijing of fueling Russia’s war machine and pushing EU allies to confront China’s role. Ukraine’s fight now includes reshaping Europe’s entire view of Beijing.

Deep-Sea Mining: Who Will Control the Pacific’s Mineral Wealth?

Who will control the Pacific’s depths? The U.S.–China rivalry dives underwater, where rare earths, power plays, and murky laws turn the seabed into the next great geopolitical frontier.

The Canada Question in Trump’s MAGA Strategy

Trump’s MAGA playbook eyes Canada—trade wars, Arctic tensions, even 51st state talk. Ottawa pushes back with sovereignty claims and infrastructure in Nunavut. Is this economic pressure or veiled expansionism?

Trump Pushes Boeing to Refocus Geo-Strategy at the Expense of China

Trump’s Gulf tour lands Boeing \$120B+ in deals—part of a bold pivot from China to Middle East allies. But in a world of rising tariffs and shaky supply chains, can the strategy fly?