Journal Articles:
2025. "Pathways to Protraction: Rethinking U.S.-China Conflict." The Washington Quarterly, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Spring), pp. 125-142.
2025. "Security without Exclusivity: Hybrid Alignment under U.S. China Competition." International Security, Vol. 49, No. 3 (Winter). With Isaac Kardon.
2025. "Inter-Korean Relations: The Yoon Administration in Historical Context." Korea Observer, Vol. 56, No. 1. (March).
2025. "The United States & Asia in 2024: Evolving Contours of Cooperation and Competition." Asian Survey, Vol. 65, No. 2 (March).
2024. "China's Use of Non-Traditional Strategic Landpower in Asia." Parameters, 54/1 (Spring): 35-50. [pdf]
2023. "Authoritarian Audiences: Theory and Evidence for Subnational Propaganda Targeting in North Korea." Comparative Politics 56/1 (October). With Heather Ba and Yu Bin Kim.
** Winner of the 2022 ISA-Midwest Frank J. Klingberg award for Best Paper presented by a faculty member.
2022. "China's Response to War in Ukraine." Asian Survey, Vol. 62, No. 5-6 (Fall).
2022. "Toward Market Leninism in North Korea: Assessing Kim Jong Un's First Decade." Asian Survey, Vol. 62, No. 2 (March). With Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein. [pdf of accepted version]
2022. "Information Capacity & Social Order: The Local Politics of Information Integration in China." Governance, Vol. 35, No. 2 (April). With Huirong Chen. [pdf]
2021. "The Geopolitics of Citizenship: Evidence from North Korean Claims to Membership in the South." Journal of Korean Studies, Vol. 26, No. 1 (March). Link here.
2021. “Research Transparency in Authoritarian & Repressive Contexts.” With Eva Bellin, Yoshiko Herrera, and Diane Singerman. Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 19, No. 1 (March). [Note: part of "The Qualitative Transparency Deliberations: Insights & Implications."]
2020. "Surveillance, Security, & Liberal Democracy in a Post-COVID World." International Organization (supplemental special issue on the pandemic). Fall. [Link here]
2019/20. "Counterterrorism and Preventive Repression: China's Changing Strategy in Xinjiang." International Security, Vol. 44, No. 3 (Winter). (Currently ungated version here.)
2019. "Rethinking Democratic Diffusion: Bringing Regime Type Back In." Comparative Political Studies. With Edward Goldring.
2019. "Repressive Experiences Among China Scholars: New Evidence from Survey Data." The China Quarterly: 1-27. With Rory Truex.
2017. “Rethinking China’s Coercive Capacity: An Examination of PRC Domestic Security Spending, 1992-2012.” The China Quarterly 232 (December): 1002-1025.
2013. “Authoritarianism Online: What Can We Learn From Internet Data in Non-Democracies?” PS: Political Science & Politics, 46 (2), April: 262-270.
2011. “’中国崛起’: 对概念运用的探讨” [“‘China’s Rise’: Investigating the Operationalization of a Concept”]. 中国国际战略评论 [China International Strategy Review] (Peking University, 2011). In Chinese.
2007. “Illicit Activity & Proliferation: North Korean Smuggling Networks.” International Security 32 (1), summer: 80-111.
2025. "Pathways to Protraction: Rethinking U.S.-China Conflict." The Washington Quarterly, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Spring), pp. 125-142.
- Featured in this webinar with the Foreign Policy Research Institute (28 May 2025).
2025. "Security without Exclusivity: Hybrid Alignment under U.S. China Competition." International Security, Vol. 49, No. 3 (Winter). With Isaac Kardon.
- Discussed on this Carnegie Endowment podcast (22 May 2025).
- Featured at the Irregular Warfare Initiative here (4 June 2025).
2025. "Inter-Korean Relations: The Yoon Administration in Historical Context." Korea Observer, Vol. 56, No. 1. (March).
2025. "The United States & Asia in 2024: Evolving Contours of Cooperation and Competition." Asian Survey, Vol. 65, No. 2 (March).
2024. "China's Use of Non-Traditional Strategic Landpower in Asia." Parameters, 54/1 (Spring): 35-50. [pdf]
- Discussed on this Irregular Warfare Initiative podcast with LTG Charles Hooper (13 June 2024).
- Also featured on this Decisive Points podcast (U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, 9 May 2024).
2023. "Authoritarian Audiences: Theory and Evidence for Subnational Propaganda Targeting in North Korea." Comparative Politics 56/1 (October). With Heather Ba and Yu Bin Kim.
** Winner of the 2022 ISA-Midwest Frank J. Klingberg award for Best Paper presented by a faculty member.
2022. "China's Response to War in Ukraine." Asian Survey, Vol. 62, No. 5-6 (Fall).
- For a presentation and discussion on this article, see this video from the Hoover Institution at Stanford.
2022. "Toward Market Leninism in North Korea: Assessing Kim Jong Un's First Decade." Asian Survey, Vol. 62, No. 2 (March). With Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein. [pdf of accepted version]
2022. "Information Capacity & Social Order: The Local Politics of Information Integration in China." Governance, Vol. 35, No. 2 (April). With Huirong Chen. [pdf]
2021. "The Geopolitics of Citizenship: Evidence from North Korean Claims to Membership in the South." Journal of Korean Studies, Vol. 26, No. 1 (March). Link here.
2021. “Research Transparency in Authoritarian & Repressive Contexts.” With Eva Bellin, Yoshiko Herrera, and Diane Singerman. Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 19, No. 1 (March). [Note: part of "The Qualitative Transparency Deliberations: Insights & Implications."]
2020. "Surveillance, Security, & Liberal Democracy in a Post-COVID World." International Organization (supplemental special issue on the pandemic). Fall. [Link here]
2019/20. "Counterterrorism and Preventive Repression: China's Changing Strategy in Xinjiang." International Security, Vol. 44, No. 3 (Winter). (Currently ungated version here.)
- Discussed with Jude Blanchette in this CSIS Pekingology podcast (Summer 2020).
- For a video presentation and discussion of our findings, see this Brookings panel (January 2020).
- You can also read this online Q&A with The Diplomat (1 February 2020).
- For a Turkish-language summary of our findings and some policy implications, see this post.
2019. "Rethinking Democratic Diffusion: Bringing Regime Type Back In." Comparative Political Studies. With Edward Goldring.
- See also this post at LSE's Democratic Audit blog about the paper (June 2019).
2019. "Repressive Experiences Among China Scholars: New Evidence from Survey Data." The China Quarterly: 1-27. With Rory Truex.
- Online Supporting Information here.
- For a video presentation and discussion of our findings, see this CSIS panel (October 2018).
- You can also read this Inside Higher Ed story on our findings, or listen to this Sinica podcast.
2017. “Rethinking China’s Coercive Capacity: An Examination of PRC Domestic Security Spending, 1992-2012.” The China Quarterly 232 (December): 1002-1025.
2013. “Authoritarianism Online: What Can We Learn From Internet Data in Non-Democracies?” PS: Political Science & Politics, 46 (2), April: 262-270.
2011. “’中国崛起’: 对概念运用的探讨” [“‘China’s Rise’: Investigating the Operationalization of a Concept”]. 中国国际战略评论 [China International Strategy Review] (Peking University, 2011). In Chinese.
2007. “Illicit Activity & Proliferation: North Korean Smuggling Networks.” International Security 32 (1), summer: 80-111.
Book Chapters:
2023. "Regional Challenges & Opportunities: Asia." in 2023 Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment (U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute).
2022. "How Does China Think about National Security?" in The China Questions II (Harvard University Press). [PDF of page proof. This version has typos.]
2022. "Asian Allies & Partners in a Taiwan Contingency: What Should the United States Expect?" in Defending Taiwan (American Enterprise Institute, 2022). [PDF here.]
2021. "Dealing with Demand for China's Global Surveillance Exports." In Global China: Assessing China's Growing Role in the World (Brookings Institution Press).
2021. "Claiming Citizenship: Rights Claims and Recognition for North Koreans Entering South Korea." In Celeste Arrington and Patricia Goedde, eds. Rights Claiming in South Korea (Cambridge University Press). [Accepted draft.]
2020. "The North Korean Diaspora." In Routledge Handbook of Contemporary North Korea (Routledge). [Accepted draft].
2019. "Explaining Economic Order in North Korea." In Korea and the World: New Frontiers in Korean Studies (Rowman & Littlefield).
2014. “The U.S.-Philippine Alliance: Opportunities and Challenges.” Strategic Asia 2014-15 (National Bureau of Asian Research).
2009. “Is China Rising?” Eva Paus, Penelope Prime, and Jon Western, eds. Global Giant: Is China Changing The Rules of the Game? (Palgrave Macmillan). With Alastair Iain Johnston. Alternate version published as:
2023. "Regional Challenges & Opportunities: Asia." in 2023 Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment (U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute).
2022. "How Does China Think about National Security?" in The China Questions II (Harvard University Press). [PDF of page proof. This version has typos.]
2022. "Asian Allies & Partners in a Taiwan Contingency: What Should the United States Expect?" in Defending Taiwan (American Enterprise Institute, 2022). [PDF here.]
2021. "Dealing with Demand for China's Global Surveillance Exports." In Global China: Assessing China's Growing Role in the World (Brookings Institution Press).
2021. "Claiming Citizenship: Rights Claims and Recognition for North Koreans Entering South Korea." In Celeste Arrington and Patricia Goedde, eds. Rights Claiming in South Korea (Cambridge University Press). [Accepted draft.]
2020. "The North Korean Diaspora." In Routledge Handbook of Contemporary North Korea (Routledge). [Accepted draft].
2019. "Explaining Economic Order in North Korea." In Korea and the World: New Frontiers in Korean Studies (Rowman & Littlefield).
2014. “The U.S.-Philippine Alliance: Opportunities and Challenges.” Strategic Asia 2014-15 (National Bureau of Asian Research).
2009. “Is China Rising?” Eva Paus, Penelope Prime, and Jon Western, eds. Global Giant: Is China Changing The Rules of the Game? (Palgrave Macmillan). With Alastair Iain Johnston. Alternate version published as:
- “The People’s Republic of China at 60: Is it Rising?” in William C. Kirby, ed., The People’s Republic of China at 60: An International Assessment (Harvard University Press, 2011).
Other Scholarly Writing:
2025. "Counter-Espionage & State Security: The Changing Role of China's Ministry of State Security." China Leadership Monitor. March.
2023. "New Leaders in "National Security" after China's 20th Party Congress." China Leadership Monitor. December.
2023. "National Security after China's 20th Party Congress: Trends in Discourse and Policy." China Leadership Monitor. September.
2020. "The Saohei Campaign, Protection Umbrellas, and & Impact on China's Political-Legal Apparatus." China Leadership Monitor. September. [Downloadable pdf.]
2019. Response to H-Diplo ISSF roundtable reviews of Dictators and Their Secret Police. April. [Downloadable pdf.]
2019. "Domestic Security in China Under Xi Jinping." China Leadership Monitor, Issue 59. March. [Downloadable pdf.]
2017. “Black Flags Over Mindanao: Terrorism in Southeast Asia.” Testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Asia & the Pacific. 12 July.
2025. "Counter-Espionage & State Security: The Changing Role of China's Ministry of State Security." China Leadership Monitor. March.
2023. "New Leaders in "National Security" after China's 20th Party Congress." China Leadership Monitor. December.
2023. "National Security after China's 20th Party Congress: Trends in Discourse and Policy." China Leadership Monitor. September.
2020. "The Saohei Campaign, Protection Umbrellas, and & Impact on China's Political-Legal Apparatus." China Leadership Monitor. September. [Downloadable pdf.]
2019. Response to H-Diplo ISSF roundtable reviews of Dictators and Their Secret Police. April. [Downloadable pdf.]
2019. "Domestic Security in China Under Xi Jinping." China Leadership Monitor, Issue 59. March. [Downloadable pdf.]
2017. “Black Flags Over Mindanao: Terrorism in Southeast Asia.” Testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Asia & the Pacific. 12 July.
Photo: Street slogan in China: "Carry forward creating peace, uphold social stability."