Tom_Christensen

Thomas Christensen

James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations

Tom_Christensen

Room 1314A International Affairs Building

212-851-9320


Personal Details

On Leave for the Spring 2024 Semester

Thomas J. Christensen is Professor of Public and International Affairs and Director of the China and the World Program at Columbia University.  He arrived in 2018 from Princeton University where he was William P. Boswell Professor of World Politics of Peace and War, Director of the Princeton-Harvard China and the World Program, and faculty director of the Masters of Public Policy Program and the Truman Scholars Program.   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. His research and teaching focus on China’s foreign relations, the international relations of East Asia, and international security.  His most recent book is Lost in the Cold War: The Story of Jack Downey, America’s Longest-Held POW (Columbia Univ. Press, 2022).  His earlier book, The China Challenge:  Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power (W.W. Norton) was an editors’ choice at the New York Times Book Review, a “Book of the Week” on CNN”s Fareed Zakaria GPS, and the Arthur Ross Book Award Silver Medalist for 2016 at the Council on Foreign Relations. Professor Christensen has also taught at Cornell University and MIT. He received his B.A. with honors in History from Haverford College, M.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University. He has served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, as co-editor of the International History and Politics series at Princeton University Press, and as a member of the Academic Advisory Committee for the Schwarzman Scholars Program. He is currently the Chair of the Editorial Board of the Nancy B. Tucker and Warren I. Cohen Book Series on the United States in Asia at Columbia University Press.  Professor Christensen is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Non-Resident Senior Scholar at the Brookings Institution. He was presented with a Distinguished Public Service Award by the United States Department of State.

Education

  • PhD, Columbia University
  • MA, University of Pennslyvania
  • BA, Haverford College

In The Media

Thomas Christensen of SIPA, Andrew Nathan of Political Science, and their co-authors examine an increasingly fragile arrangement.

Oct 12 2022
Foreign Affairs
Climate & Sustainable Development

Sumant Sinha MIA ’92 and Nicole Van Der Tuin MPA ’12 are honored for their achievements, contributions to their communities, and service to SIPA.

May 08 2022

“They have lots of reasons to solidify the ‘One China’ principle, as they put it, in the minds of the leadership of the United Nations,” interim dean Thomas Christensen comments.

Mar 23 2022
The New York Times

Interim Dean Thomas Christensen joined fellow members of the Task Force on U.S.-China Policy in signing this recent statement.

Mar 13 2022
21st Century China Center, UC San Diego

A newly established faculty chair is named for the longtime professor and diplomat. The event also featured a panel discussion of economic policy, trade, and diplomacy.

Jan 26 2022

Research and Publications