Thomas Christensen
James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations
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
SIPA faculty Thomas J. Christensen and Keren Yarhi-Milo remember their distinguished colleague.
China scholar Thomas Christensen discusses the Biden administration’s China strategy and the role of the Columbia-Harvard China and the World program during unprecedented times.
“I don’t think China is on a mission to export its model abroad and undermine democracy abroad,” Thomas Christensen said. “But I do think they are on a mission to defend their model from criticism and defend single-party authoritarian rule.”
Thomas Christensen warns against misconstruing the U.S.-China relationship as a Cold War and using containment strategies in response.
A recent panel discussion featured Professors Stephen Biddle, Thomas Christensen, Stephen Sestanovich, and Keren Yarhi-Milo.