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. She is also a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and 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)
The Military Challenge of the People’s Republic of China
Reports
September 2023

China’s Nuclear Enterprise

Author(s)
China’s Nuclear Enterprise
Reports
July 2023

Deepening US-Taiwan Cooperation through Semiconductors

Author(s)
Deepening US-Taiwan Cooperation through Semiconductors

Current research

In The News

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.
APEC Summit Dominated by U.S.-China Relations, Policy Challenges
An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the “Golden Dragons” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 192 launches off the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Jan. 23, 2022.
News

How the U.S. Should Adjust Its Defense Budget to Address China's Military Modernization

With contributions from military, government, and academic experts, a new volume explores what changes will be necessary in the U.S. military budget to keep the nation secure in a new geopolitical environment. A chapter by Center Fellow Oriana Skylar Mastro focuses on how to update military spending to enhance U.S. capability to deter Chinese ambitions in Taiwan and beyond.
How the U.S. Should Adjust Its Defense Budget to Address China's Military Modernization
U.S. Seaman Xi Chan stands lookout on the flight deck as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) transits the Taiwan Strait during routine underway operations.
Commentary

This Is What America Is Getting Wrong About China and Taiwan

For a half-century, America has avoided war with China over Taiwan largely through a delicate balance of deterrence and reassurance.
This Is What America Is Getting Wrong About China and Taiwan

Selected Multimedia

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