@sheenagreitens
Associate Professor at UT-Austin. I study authoritarian politics, security, & East Asia, especially China and Korea. Non-resident scholar at Carnegie Endowment & U.S. Army War College, editor of the Texas National Security Review. Views my own.
Foreign influencers help authoritarian regimes: while they may not sway domestic audiences already saturated with propaganda, they can reshape the perceptions of more credulous foreign publics journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Texas friends, don’t forget to vote today!
What does strategic stability mean in a world of multipolar nuclear competition and rapid tech change? Our editor in chief, @sheenagreitens.bsky.social, lays out the framework for our upcoming issue.
Read the full introduction at: tnsr.org/2026/02/the-...
#StrategicStability #NatSecWhat
Vital step in Taiwan's long journey of truth and reconciliation. Authoritarianism and historical trauma continue to shape politics, culture, identities and inter-generational relations in Taiwan very directly.
focustaiwan.tw/politics/202...
Does violence linger? Can a single massacre reshape political identity for generations? Data from Taiwan's February 28 Incident reveals enduring opposition to the KMT and shifting attitudes toward unification with mainland China. Read more below:
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Well done, intertubes
As America prepares to launch a war of choice against Iran, I'm reminded of the good old days of Nov 2025 when the National Security Strategy preached the importance of a "focused definition of the national interest" and the need to "set a high bar for what constitutes a justified intervention." 🧐
For those who think it important for the Nation to impose more tariffs, I understand that today's decision will be dis-appointing. All I can offer them is that most major decisions affecting the rights and responsibilities of the American people (including the duty to pay taxes and tariffs) are funneled through the legislative process for a reason. Yes, legislating can be hard and take time. And, yes, it can be tempting to bypass Congress when some pressing problem arises. But the deliberative nature of the legislative process was the whole point of its design. Through that process, the Nation can tap the combined wisdom of the people's elected representatives, not just that of one faction or man. There, deliberation tempers impulse, and compromise hammers disagreements into workable solutions. And because laws must earn such broad support to survive the legislative pro-cess, they tend to endure, allowing ordinary people to plan their lives in ways they cannot when the rules shift from day to day. In all, the legislative process helps ensure each of us has a stake in the laws that govern us and in the Nation's future. For some today, the weight of those virtues is apparent. For others, it may not seem so obvious. But if history is any guide, the tables will turn and the day will come when those disappointed by today's result will appreciate the legislative process for the bulwark of liberty it is.
These words by Supreme Justice Gorsuch should be printed, in full, on tomorrow’s front pages.
"Navigating a World Adrift with Shivshankar Menon"
In our latest podcast episode, former National Security Advisor of India Shivshankar Menon joins @sheenagreitens.bsky.social and Francis J. Gavin to discuss why the pursuit of a "new world order" may be a dangerous distraction.
sadly the world Communist killing record continues to be held by Communist countries by a long, long distance.
ICYMI: Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha sat down with Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens for a wide-ranging conversation on the U.S.-Korea alliance, from the $350B Korean investment and workforce challenges to the North Korea-Russia military axis and the future of wartime operational control. Worth a watch!
🇨🇳 New China Global Podcast episode is out!
This is part 2 of 3-part series that examines the potential consequences for China if a military operation against Taiwan were to fail.
Obviously not the big story from the incredible show last night, but this is getting scrubbed from China's internet
Imagining reading this faculty activity report…. 😂
Wrote about the PLA and the Party’s institutions under Xi.
It can’t tell us why Zhang and Liu fell (can anything?) but it does need to be part of the conversation about the implications of their fall
sinocism.com/p/pla-tremor...
China will stabilize grain and oilseed output, diversify agricultural imports, and increase support for farmers, state media reported on Tuesday, citing a government rural policy blueprint aimed at ensuring food security.
The 2026 National Security Strategy takes a noticeably different tone on China. What’s behind this, and what does it mean for U.S.-China relations? Sheena Greitens (UT Austin) & Ryan Fedasiuk (American Enterprise Institute) join Yun Sun (Stimson Center) to discuss.
▶️ Watch: https://bit.ly/4t65pY4
🤠 My comic book made its way to UT Austin! Thank you to @sheenagreitens.bsky.social and the rest of the team at the Asia Policy Program of The LBJ School / Clements Center / Strauss Center for the invite! International security is not just hard power — the arts are a contested space, too!
First impressions of UT Austin, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the LBJ Presidential Library: I loved the mid-century modern. Thank you @sheenagreitens.bsky.social for the invite to the beautiful campus and I will be diving into her important book, DICTATORS AND THEIR SECRET POLICE.
US Military Primacy and Alliance Resilience with Bence Nemeth | Horns of a Dilemma on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music
In 1956, the Suez Crisis revealed the limits of British power. Could a similar event hollow out the US alliance system today? Bence Nemeth — @bencenemeth.bsky.social — applies his "five factor theory of defense cooperation" to answer this critical question on our latest episode.
"If China Attacks Taiwan", The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios,
January 05, 2026, by Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Zack Cooper, Jake Rinaldi, Charlie Vest, Logan Wright, Joel Wuthnow, Edited by Bonnie S. Glaser www.gmfus.org/news/if-chin...
Pakistan plans a special protection unit for Chinese nationals after Beijing talks, boosting rapid-response counterterrorism and joint police training amid attacks.
Happy Christmas eve & China military power report day to all who celebrate. Hope you've all been opening your "purged CMC members & PLA generals of 2025" advent calendar.
media.defense.gov/2025/Dec/23/...
US drops plan to deport Chinese national who exposed Xinjiang abuses,
apnews.com/article/chin...
"Trade, Technology, and the US–Korea Alliance" with Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha
In our latest podcast episode, Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha joins Sheena Chestnut Greitens (@sheenagreitens.bsky.social) to discuss the US–Korea alliance. They examine the $350 billion investment in US manufacturing and the strategic challenges posed by North Korea’s alignment with Russia.
‘In addition, the rules focus on the PLA’s war readiness by clarifying disciplinary requirements regarding the party committee’s leadership and “eradicating fake combat capabilities”, the report said.’
"The Democratization of Violence in the Greater Middle East" with Carter Malkasian
Dr. Carter Malkasian joins Sheena Chestnut Greitens (@sheenagreitens.bsky.social) and Ryan Vest (@rgvest.bsky.social) to discuss war and state-building in the Middle East and South Asia.
Congrats, Josh!
China’s Foreign Police Training: A Global Footprint – Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Isaac B. Kardon, and Cameron Waltz for Carnegie: ‘Foreign police training is one of the most concrete and measurable outcomes associated with the Global Security Initiative’
