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 book Korea: A New History of South and North (Yale University Press, 2023) has been translated into nine languages, including Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, and Ukrainian. 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); 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.

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Photo: Dong-A Ilbo/Getty Images

Photo: Dong-A Ilbo/Getty Images

There’s Real Logic Beneath Trump’s Split Nuclear Strategy

As President Trump moves in opposite directions on Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs, CSIS's Victor Cha unpacks the split nuclear strategy in the Washington Post. 

Commentary by Victor Cha — August 19, 2026

Victor Cha's Podcasts

Poisoning the Well: U.S.-Korea Trade Tension

Dr. Victor Cha, Adam Farrar, Eunjoong Kim, and Wonchul Kim discussed the recent U.S. House Judiciary Committee report on discriminatory practices, expiration of Section 122 tariffs, and the Korean investment deals. 

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha, Adam Farrar, Eunjoong Kim, and Wonchul Kim — July 31, 2026

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Manila Strategy Forum 2026

The Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in collaboration with Amador Research Services, is pleased to announce that the 2026 Manila Strategy Forum.
 

Event — September 9, 2026

After Iran: A Scenario for Renewed Trump-Kim Summitry

The conventional policy wisdom is that President Trump’s enthusiasm for reengagement is not shared by Kim Jong-un. But Victor Cha argues that a unique set of drivers, including North Korean revisionism, could spur a renewal of diplomacy.

Critical Questions by Victor Cha — August 13, 2026

The Impossible State

Poisoning the Well: U.S.-Korea Trade Tension

Dr. Victor Cha, Adam Farrar, Eunjoong Kim, and Wonchul Kim discussed the recent U.S. House Judiciary Committee report on discriminatory practices, expiration of Section 122 tariffs, and the Korean investment deals. 

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha, Adam Farrar, Eunjoong Kim, and Wonchul Kim — July 31, 2026

The Impossible State Podcast
State of Play

Was This World Cup More Political?  

Max Bergmann, Victor Cha, and Enoh Ebong join Will to assess the geopolitical dimensions of this year's World Cup in a live episode of State of Play.

Podcast Episode by Will Todman, Max Bergmann, Victor Cha, and Enoh T. Ebong — July 17, 2026

Photo: iLab/CSIS