Thomas J. Christensen is Professor of Politics and International Affairs and Director of the Princeton-Harvard China and the World Program at Princeton University. From 2006-2008 he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs with responsibility for relations with China, Taiwan, and Mongolia.

Professor Christensen’s research and teaching focus on China’s foreign relations, the international relations of East Asia, and international security. Before arriving at Princeton in 2003, he taught at Cornell University and MIT. He received his B.A. from Haverford College, M.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University. He has published a book, Useful Adversaries: Grand Strategy, Domestic Mobilization, and SinoAmerican Conflict, 1947-1958, and many articles, including “Theater Missile Defense and Taiwan's Security" (Orbis); “China: Getting the Questions Right,” with Richard K. Betts (The National Interest); "Posing Problems without Catching Up” (International Security); and “Deterring a Taiwan Conflict: The Contemporary Security Dilemma” (Washington Quarterly).

Curriculum Vitae