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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Dynastic Politics and Governance Crisis in Southeast Asia: The Case of Thailand and Cambodia

From Bangkok to Phnom Penh, power is becoming a family affair. The rise of dynasties in Thailand and Cambodia signals a retreat from meritocracy—eroding democratic institutions and blurring the line between state and bloodline.

Why a Humanitarian Corridor into Rakhine Could Be a Risky Move for Bangladesh

A humanitarian corridor into Rakhine may look noble—but for Bangladesh, it risks security blowback, geopolitical entanglement, and sovereignty loss. Without guarantees, it could do more harm than good for Rohingya and Dhaka alike.

Prabowo’s Russia Visit: The Key Outcomes

Prabowo skips G7 for Russia’s Davos. Signs $2.29B investment deal with Putin, backs BRICS vision. Jakarta’s message: Indonesia isn’t picking sides—but it won’t be sidelined in the new world order.

Chairman Kim Jong Un’s Children: North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons

"I don’t want my children to carry the nuclear weapon on their backs their whole lives,” Kim told Pompeo. His words hint at a deal: if survival is secured, denuclearization may no longer be unthinkable.

Bomb First, Justify Later: Iran’s Strategic Dilemma Under Israeli Hegemony

Israel’s June 13 blitz on Iran wasn’t self-defense—it was a ruthless display of unchecked power. Civilians, scientists, sovereignty—all burned. With U.S. cover and global silence, Israel now bombs with impunity. Who’s the real threat?