Book Praise
“refreshing and stimulating book…Anyone interested in the region’s past—and future—should read it.”
—M. Taylor Fravel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“analytically sharp and compellingly written…Hopefully, it will get the attention it deserves not only in academic discussions, but especially in policy-making circles.”
—International Affairs
“a ‘must read’ for policymakers, would-be policymakers and students of history focused on America’s role in Asia…an impressive, tightly written distillation of the history of America’s foreign policy on Asia.”
—Philip W. Yun, President and CEO, World Affairs
“…a deeply researched analysis…while detente with China may not have always served to accomplish American policy goals, Washington’s relationship with Beijing was more often a stabilizing force in the Asia-Pacific than a destabilizing one.”
—The American Prospect
Welcome! People find their way here for different reasons.
Academic: By day, I’m an American scholar of international relations. I specialize in East Asian and Pacific security, critical analysis of defense issues, and the intersection of working-class interests with foreign policy. I’ve written five books, the first two with Cambridge University Press, about US-North Korea relations. My third book—Pacific Power Paradox—which examines America’s paradoxical role in sustaining, threatening, and ultimately embrittling the “Asian peace” since 1979, came out in January 2023 with Yale University Press. My fourth book, Grand Strategies of the Left, is also just out. And my fifth book, available for pre-order with Yale University Press, is The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy (with Michael Brenes).
Public Intellectual: Current Affairs magazine described me as “a dissident among foreign policy intellectuals”—I love it. By night, I do a lot of pundit stuff; I try to be a public conscience. If you want to hear me sound off, about all things foreign policy, I have a regular newsletter, I’m an occasional writer for the Duck of Minerva, and host The Un-Diplomatic Podcast, which Apple Podcasts listed as one of the “Top Podcasts in Politics” for 2019. I also co-host the Bang-Bang Podcast—a show about war movies, with an anti-imperial twist.
Student/Career Advice: See the Advice for Students section of this site, which is not only for students.
Grappling: In the unlikely event you’re here to track my adventures in Brazilian jiu jitsu, this is the place.✌️