Victor Cha is senior vice president for Asia and Korea Chair at CSIS. He is also the distinguished university professor and professor of government at Georgetown University. He was appointed in 2021 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) and was responsible for Japan, Korea, Australia/New Zealand, and Pacific Island nations. Dr. Cha was 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 seven books, including the award-winning Alignment Despite Antagonism: The United States-Korea-Japan Security Triangle (Stanford, 1999) (winner of the 2000 Ohira Book Prize), The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future (Ecco, 2012) selected by Foreign Affairs as a “Best Book on the Asia-Pacific for 2012", Powerplay: Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia (Princeton, 2018), and Korea: A New History of South and North (Yale, 2023). Dr. Cha is a two-time Fulbright scholar, former Olin fellow at Harvard, and former Hoover, CISAC, and Koret fellow at Stanford. He currently serves on 10 editorial boards of academic journals and is coeditor of the Contemporary Asia book series at Columbia University Press. He serves on the board of the National Endowment for Democracy and is a senior fellow at the George W. Bush Institute. He is also a foreign affairs contributor for MSNBC and NBC News. Dr. Cha received his PhD, MIA and BA degree from Columbia University and a BA Honors from Oxford University.
Areas of Expertise
Media Queries
- H. Andrew Schwartz
- Chief Communications Officer
- 202.775.3242
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- Media Relations Coordinator, External Relations
- 202.775.7317
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In the News
Why South Korea must see going nuclear as a non-starter
Victor Cha and Andy Lim in South China Morning Post — February 13, 2024
(News Focus) Rising N.K. threats raise questions over U.S. policy efficacy
Victor Cha in Yonhap News Agency — January 30, 2024
Is North Korea’s Kim Jong Un planning war? Experts have conflicting views
Victor Cha in Al Jazeera — January 24, 2024
Is Kim Jong-un Really Planning an Attack This Time?
Victor Cha in New York Times — January 21, 2024
Beijing fears unpredictability of Trump-Lai combination: analyst
Bonny Lin and Victor Cha in Nikkei — January 17, 2024
After a rough run, North Korea could at last find itself 'sitting pretty' in the new year with both Russia and China courting it, Korea watcher says
Victor Cha in Business Insider — January 16, 2024
The War in Ukraine Has Created a New ‘Axis of Evil’
Victor Cha in The Wall Street Journal — December 21, 2023
North Korea’s spy satellite launch: All you need to know
Victor Cha in Al Jazeera — November 22, 2023
All Victor Cha Content
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Revisiting U.S. Policy Towards North Korea: The Capital Cable #91
Event — April 4, 2024
Press Briefing: Japanese State Visit and Trilateral Leaders’ Summit
Event — April 2, 2024
Diplomacy or Crisis with DPRK in 2024?
Podcast Episode by Victor Cha — March 22, 2024
The Impossible State Live Podcast: Diplomacy or Crisis with DPRK in 2024?
Event — March 18, 2024
The Impossible State Live Podcast: Biden Administration's North Korea Policy
Event — March 7, 2024
Biden Administration's North Korea Policy
Podcast Episode by Victor Cha — March 6, 2024
Major Munitions Transfers from North Korea to Russia
Commentary by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., Victor Cha, and Jennifer Jun — February 28, 2024
Is North Korea Going to War? The Capital Cable #88
Event — February 22, 2024
Is North Korea Really Ready for War?
Podcast Episode by Victor Cha — February 15, 2024
The Impossible State Live Podcast: Is North Korea Really Ready for War?
Event — February 13, 2024