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
Reports
September 2023

China’s Nuclear Enterprise

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

Deepening US-Taiwan Cooperation through Semiconductors

Author(s)
cover link Deepening US-Taiwan Cooperation through Semiconductors

Current research

In The News

Oriana Skylar Mastro during an interview on the video podcast "Endgame."
News

Video Interview: Oriana Skylar Mastro on Risk of Taiwan Invasion and How to Deter It

FSI Center Fellow Oriana Skylar Mastro, an expert on Chinese military and Asia-Pacific security, joined APARC Visiting Scholar Gita Wirjawan, host of the “Endgame” video podcast, to consider the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan and what measures could help deter a potential war over the island.
cover link Video Interview: Oriana Skylar Mastro on Risk of Taiwan Invasion and How to Deter It
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