Philip J Cunningham
Media researcher
Philip J Cunningham is a media researcher covering Asian politics.
Remembering Tiananmen
It's unlikely much news will be made of the 29th anniversary of the day the tanks stormed into Tiananmen Square.
China proved right over Facebook ban
In retrospect, China did the right thing by saying "no thank you" to Facebook. When gregarious internet evangelists come bearing gifts, it is probably best not to take their wares or let them in the door. Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile -- and trample on national sovereignty, too, if profits and power are at stake.
Surin in America
Conversation was full of surprises with the ever-smiling, soft-spoken Surin, who never demanded attention but commanded it with his quiet charisma.
A bellicose roar
All administrations lie, but welcome to the Trump era where rudeness, in-your-face indiscretion and interchangeability of opinion and fact is the new normal.
Trump the listener
He succeeded with the deplorables by connecting with them, and for better or worse, a deeply divided America is on the cusp of change.
Signs of the times
Former Thai foreign ministers, prime ministers, police, generals and scholars alike expressed dismay with the course America seems to be taking.
Grand old man
Gen Saiyud Kerdphol, now 93, reminisces about fighting with the Japanese, how to beat communists and why the military can do coups but can't run a country.
Ajarn Ben's lens
Benedict Anderson may have seemed the stereotypical absent-minded, leftist professor, but he was a maverick and a searcher for truth.
Fallout of US hubris
<i>The Interview</i> movie proves America has lost its course; America has lost its compass. It's the violence, stupid, writes Philip Cunningham.
Junta’s legacy hinges on applying the law equally
It is easy to imagine a coup d’etat being a terrible bloody affair in countries without a history of coups because the populace would panic, over-react, or misread the signals. But in Thailand there is, oddly enough, a sense of continuity with the interplay of familiar archetypes in such abrupt political change.