Victor Cha

President, Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair
Victor Cha

Victor Cha is president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also a distinguished university professor and professor of government at Georgetown University. From 2021 to 2025, he was appointed by the Biden administration to serve on the Defense Policy Board in an advisory role to the secretary of defense. From 2004 to 2007, he served on the National Security Council (NSC), where he was responsible for Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Island nations. Dr. Cha was the U.S. deputy head of delegation at the Six Party Talks and received two outstanding service commendations during his tenure at the NSC. He is the author of nine books, including the award-winning Alignment Despite Antagonism: The United States–Korea–Japan Security Triangle (Stanford University Press, 1999), which won the 2000 Ohira Book Prize, and The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future (Ecco, 2012), selected by Foreign Affairs as a “Best Book on the Asia-Pacific for 2012.” His other books are Nuclear North Korea: A Debate on Engagement Strategies (Columbia University Press, 2003); Beyond the Final Score: The Politics of Sport in Asia (Columbia University Press, 2009); Powerplay: Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia (Princeton University Press, 2018); Korea: A New History of South and North (Yale University Press, 2023); The Black Box: Demystifying the Study of Korean Unification and North Korea (Columbia University Press, 2024); North Korea’s Sea-Based WMD Capability (Bloomsbury, 2025); and China’s Weaponization of Trade: Resistance through Collective Resilience (Columbia University Press, 2026). Dr. Cha is a two-time Fulbright scholar and a former Olin fellow at Harvard University, as well as a former Hoover, Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation, and Koret fellow at Stanford University. He currently serves on the editorial boards of ten academic journals and is coeditor of the Contemporary Asia book series at Columbia University Press. He serves on the boards of the National Endowment for Democracy and the Korea Society and is a senior fellow at the George W. Bush Institute. Dr. Cha received his PhD, MIA, and BA from Columbia University and a BA with honors from Oxford University.

Programs & Projects

Areas of Expertise

Media Queries

Victor Cha's Analysis

Korea-China Standoffs in the PMZ

Recent AIS analysis show continued standoff between South Korean and Chinese Coast Guards in the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ).

Commentary by Jennifer Jun and Victor Cha — October 27, 2025

Victor Cha's Podcasts

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Was President Trump's Asia trip a success?

Victor Cha and Brian Hart join Will to discuss if President Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping met expectations.

Podcast Episode by Will Todman, Victor Cha, and Brian Hart — October 31, 2025

In the News 8 of 887 results

Show More

All Victor Cha Content

Filter by

1 - 10 of 857 results
State of Play

Was President Trump's Asia trip a success?

Victor Cha and Brian Hart join Will to discuss if President Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping met expectations.

Podcast Episode by Will Todman, Victor Cha, and Brian Hart — October 31, 2025

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Unpacking the CRINK Axis

Join the CSIS Korea Chair for a discussion unpacking the growing ties among China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, which some have called a CRINK axis or an "Axis of Upheaval." 

Event — October 28, 2025

Korea-China Standoffs in the PMZ

Recent AIS analysis show continued standoff between South Korean and Chinese Coast Guards in the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ).

Commentary by Jennifer Jun and Victor Cha — October 27, 2025

U.S.-China Trade War | The Capital Cable #123

On the CSIS Capital Cable, experts discuss the ongoing U.S-China trade war, a potential Trump-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in late October, and what this means for allies and partners in the region, including Korea and Japan. 

Event — October 23, 2025

The Impossible State

Upcoming U.S.-ROK Summit and the Future of Inter-Korean Engagement

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Andrew Yeo, and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed the future of inter-Korean engagement, the upcoming APEC meetings, and the upcoming summit meeting between Presidents Trump and Lee. 

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha and Sydney Seiler — October 22, 2025

The Impossible State Podcast