Tom O'Connor
Senior Writer, Foreign Policy & Deputy Editor, National Security and Foreign Policy
Based in his hometown of Staten Island, New York City, Tom O'Connor is an award-winning Senior Writer of Foreign Policy and Deputy Editor of National Security and Foreign Policy at Newsweek, where he specializes in covering the Middle East, North Korea, China, Russia and other areas of international affairs, relations and conflict.
He has previously written for International Business Times, the New York Post, the Daily Star (Lebanon) and Staten Island Advance. His works have been cited in more than 1,600 academic papers, government reports, books, news articles and other forms of research and media from across the globe. He has contributed analysis to a number of international outlets and has participated in Track II diplomacy related to the Middle East as well as in fellowships at The Korea Society and Foreign Press Center Japan.
Follow @ShaolinTom for daily news on Twitter and his official Facebook page.
Email [email protected] with tips or for media commentary and appearances.
Japan says it can't cut China out of economy amid rising military tensions
"I think we need them, and they need us," Japanese Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson Okano Yukiko told Newsweek.
Exclusive—Pakistan PM prepares response to India "being strengthened" by US
"The so-called Indo-Pacific strategy is done for the objectives which suit Western powers," Pakistan caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar tells Newsweek.
NATO chief says weakening Russia will help US focus on challenging China
"If the United States is concerned about China and wants to pivot towards Asia, then you have to ensure that Putin doesn't win in Ukraine," NATO's head said.
Iran president says militias still play vital role as he rebuilds Arab ties
"It is the right of the youth of those countries to have a defensive capacity," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in response to Newsweek's question.
Exclusive: Raisi's wife says West's feminist "violence" won't work in Iran
"Women in Iran have not fought for their rights because they already enjoy their rights," Jamileh Alamolhoda, wife of Iranian President Raisi, tells Newsweek.
Biden walks a careful line through worsening Canada-India tensions
The White House urged India to "fully cooperate" with Canada's probe into a Sikh leader's killing but emphasized the "strategic partnership" with New Delhi.
Azerbaijan warns Armenia will be "isolated" amid new explosion of violence
"Our hand of peace still hangs in the air," Azerbaijani Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim told Newsweek, but "our other hand will always defend."
Iran's Raisi says he's "against the war in Ukraine" and ready to "mediate"
"Our policy in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been in having good neighborly relations with all countries in the region," Raisi told Newsweek.
U.S. military sends cyber team to 'hunt' foes from NATO ally next to Russia
"As long as adversaries target our partners, and if those partners invite us, we're going to go there and hunt," the Cyber National Mission Force told Newsweek.
America's favorite communists are on the frontlines of a US-China rivalry
"It is essential for Vietnam to balance its relations with China and the United States," expert Bich Tran told Newsweek.
Russia warns "all-out war" with US could erupt over worsening cyber clashes
"A devastative computer attack against our critical information infrastructure will not be left without response," Putin's cybersecurity envoy told Newsweek.
Why the US may not be the partner of choice for a rising Africa
"If the West doesn't pay attention to this now, they will again have missed the boat," South African business leader Ivor Ichikowitz told Newsweek.
Exclusive: US general lays battle plan to avoid war in space no one may win
"No one can afford a conflict that extends into space," General Chance Saltzman, head of the U.S. Space Force, tells Newsweek.
More countries line up for A BRICS new world order outside US influence
Calls for reforming the international order, amplified by Beijing and Moscow, are gaining traction in the Global South. Is the U.S. paying enough attention?
With Iran's help, Saudi crown prince seeks to end war and transform kingdom
"MbS needs security to attract investment, and Iran wants the economic dividends of ensuring security," expert and editor Mohammad Ali Shabani tells Newsweek.
A growing BRICS bloc shows U.S. is losing the battle for the Global South
"The U.S. is trailing countries such as Russia, India and China in the Global South," expert Akhil Ramesh tells Newsweek.
How China, Russia, North Korea can counter Biden's Asia allies defense pact
"The 'NATOization' of U.S.-Japan-ROK relations will only push China, Russia and the DPRK closer to each other," expert Nakano Koichi tells Newsweek.
India's violent border state crisis risks civil war near China and Myanmar
"This is closest to a civil war that India has ever seen," Indian expert and army veteran Sushant Singh tells Newsweek.
U.S. forces under 'protection measures' as African troops deploy for Niger
"AFRICOM is monitoring the situation in Niger, and U.S. forces continue to take prudent force protection measures," the U.S. Africa Command told Newsweek.
Imran Khan arrest destabilizes Pakistan and fuels terror, ex-minister warns
"An unstable Pakistan is not good for the world, it's not good for the region," a former official of Imran Khan's administration tells Newsweek.
Russia warns armed intervention "unlikely to contribute to peace" in Niger
"We think that an African solution should be found to that problem, and support African efforts to resolve the crisis," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Russia courts a new Middle East ally to challenge the U.S.
"Russia is seeking to come back on the Lebanese economic, political and diplomatic scene by activating its soft power," expert Yeghia Tashjian tells Newsweek.
As war and terror loom in Asia, Pakistan looks to U.S. and China for help
"Pakistan and India are nuclear weapons states ... with big armed forces and big populations, and therefore, peace should be an imperative."
The countdown to the next great war has begun in Africa
"The moment that troops from Nigeria or Chad cross into Niger, we now have a war in West Africa," policy analyst Ovigwe Eguegu tells Newsweek.
China urges "peaceful" space cooperation as U.S. grapples with UFO debate
"The exploration and peaceful uses of outer space is humanity's common endeavor and should benefit all," the Chinese Embassy spokesperson tells Newsweek.
How Biden could end the Korean War and avoid a nuclear conflict
"We are one bad decision away from nuclear war," former U.S. Indo-Pacific Command deputy commander Dan Leaf tells Newsweek.
Exclusive—China influence reaches U.S. "red zone "
"They've already got their hooks in the critical infrastructure and that's my biggest concern as a military commander," General Laura Richardson tells Newsweek.
Russia hails new "world order taking shape" as Putin prepares Africa summit
"We intend to give an additional impetus to these ties and elevate them to a brand-new level," Ambassador Anatoly Antonov tells Newsweek.
Iran's most powerful unit yet in Syria targets U.S. and Israel, intel finds
The Imam Hossein Division "represents a multinational combat force made up of thousands of fighters from around the Middle East," U.S. ally's intelligence says.
General says U.S. can meet "challenge" of simultaneous Ukraine, Pacific ops
"America is awesome after getting slapped," U.S. Air Force General Mike Minihan tells Newsweek. "But the goal is not to be slapped in the first place."
