Thomas Christensen

About

Thomas Christensen is an associate professor of Political Science at MIT. His research and teaching focus on international relations theory, the international relations of East Asia, and China's foreign relations. Professor Christensen has published a book, Useful Adversaries: Grand Strategy, Domestic Mobilization, and SinoAmerican Conflict, 1947–1958, and articles on several topics, including "Theater Missile Defense and Taiwan's Security," Orbis, Winter 2000; "China: Getting the Questions Right," with Richard K. Betts, The National Interest, Winter 200/01; and "Posing Problems without Catching Up," International Security, Vol. 25, No. 4, Spring 2001. He is currently studying the role of nationalism and ideology in Communist alliances in East Asia during the Cold War and how the legacy of U.S. Cold War alliances affect contemporary East Asian international relations. Professor Christensen is also working on projects relating to the growth of Chinese power, China's contemporary military doctrine, and American strategy toward East Asia.