Headshot of Oriana Skylar Mastro

Oriana Skylar Mastro, PhD

  • Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
  • Courtesy Assistant Professor of Political Science

Shorenstein APARC
Stanford University
Encina Hall
Stanford,  CA  94305-6055

Biography

Oriana Skylar Mastro is a Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Courtesy Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University where her research focuses on Chinese military and security policy, Asia-Pacific security issues, war termination, and coercive diplomacy. She was previously an assistant professor of security studies at Georgetown University. Mastro continues to serve in the United States Air Force Reserve as a strategic planner at Indo-Pacific Command. For her contributions to U.S. strategy in Asia, she won the Individual Reservist of the Year Award in 2016 (CGO) and 2022 (FGO).

She has published widely, including in International Security, Security Studies, Foreign Affairs, the Journal of Strategic Studies, The Washington Quarterly, the Economist, and the New York Times. Her most recent book, Upstart: How China Became a Great Power (Oxford University Press, 2024), evaluates China’s approach to competition. Her book, The Costs of Conversation: Obstacles to Peace Talks in Wartime, (Cornell University Press, 2019), won the 2020 American Political Science Association International Security Section Best Book by an Untenured Faculty Member.

She holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Stanford University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University.

Her publications and commentary can be found at orianaskylarmastro.com and on Twitter @osmastro.

publications

Book Chapters
November 2023

The Military Challenge of the People’s Republic of China

Author(s)
cover link The Military Challenge of the People’s Republic of China
Journal Articles
January 2023

The Next Flashpoint?

Author(s)
cover link The Next Flashpoint?
Journal Articles
October 2022

How South Korea Can Contribute to the Defense of Taiwan

Author(s)
cover link How South Korea Can Contribute to the Defense of Taiwan

Current research

In The News

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin
Commentary

The Next Tripartite Pact?

China, Russia, and North Korea’s New Team Is Not Built to Last
cover link The Next Tripartite Pact?
Panelists discuss the US-Japan alliance
News

A Pivotal Partnership: The U.S.-Japan Alliance, Deterrence, and the Future of Taiwan

A panel discussion co-hosted by Shorenstein APARC and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA examined the key dynamics at play in the unfolding regional competition over power, influence, and the fate of Taiwan.
cover link A Pivotal Partnership: The U.S.-Japan Alliance, Deterrence, and the Future of Taiwan
World leaders sit around a table during the APEC 2023 summit in San Francisco.
News

APEC Summit Dominated by U.S.-China Relations, Policy Challenges

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, which concluded the 2023 APEC host year for the United States, included a highly-anticipated meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Shorenstein APARC scholars weigh in on the significance of the meeting in the context of China’s geopolitical ambitions, the outcomes of the APEC summit, and other topics.
cover link APEC Summit Dominated by U.S.-China Relations, Policy Challenges

Selected Multimedia