Dr. Sophal Ear is a political scientist, author, and professor. Currently, he is the Associate Dean and Associate Professor in the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, where he lectures on global political economy, international organizations, and regional management in Asia.Previously, Ear taught at Occidental College, the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. He has consulted for the World Bank, was Assistant Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme in East Timor, Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Advisor to Cambodia's first private equity fund Leopard Capital, Audit Chair of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and Treasurer of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center.Ear's first book, "Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy," was published in 2013. His second book, "Viral Sovereignty and the Political Economy of Pandemics: What Explains How Countries Handle Outbreaks?" was published in 2021. He co-authored "The Hungry Dragon: How Chinas Resources Quest is Reshaping the World," which was published in 2013. He wrote and narrated the documentary film "The End/Beginning: Cambodia," which was released in 2011, and was based on his 2009 TED Talk.