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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Is There a Realistic Possibility of India Entering the CPTPP?

Can India realistically join the CPTPP amid protectionist lobbies, tariff limits, and costly reforms—or will New Delhi stick to flexible regional deals over binding mega trade pacts?

European Rearmament: Should Ballistic or Cruise Missiles Be Prioritized?

As Europe rearms, the key question looms: ballistic or cruise missiles? Ukraine’s FP-5 shows the logic—cost-effective, precise, and scalable. For Europe, cruise may be the pragmatic path to real deterrence.

Significance of Zohran Mamdani’s Win for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Zohran Mamdani’s historic NYC mayoral win marks a Gen Z-powered shift toward inclusive, community-driven politics—an immigrant’s victory redefining diversity, equity, and hope in America’s richest city.

A Decade of Teacher Shortages in Tajikistan

Tajikistan’s education system faces a deepening teacher crisis—nearly 4,000 vacancies by mid-2025, low pay, migration, and poor training threaten quality learning. A 30% pay rise helps, but far from enough.

The UAE Eyes a Leading Role in Security Cooperation and Technological Innovation

The UAE is redefining global security through innovation and cooperation—combining AI-driven policing, international training, and multilateral alliances to build a safer, tech-enabled world.