Center for a New American Security

Senior Advisor and Korea Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Victor Cha was named to the newly created Korea Chair at CSIS in May 2009. He is also a professor of government and director for Asian Studies at Georgetown University. From 2004 to 2007, he was director for Asian affairs at the White House, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. policy for Japan, the two Koreas, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Island nations. He also served as U.S. deputy head of delegation to the Six-Party Talks and has acted as a senior consultant on East Asian security issues for different branches of the U.S. government. A recipient of numerous academic awards, including the prestigious Fulbright scholarship (twice) and MacArthur Foundation fellowship, Dr. Cha spent two years as a John M. Olin National Security Fellow at Harvard University and as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation.

Dr. Cha is the author or coauthor of numerous books and articles, including Beyond the Final Score: The Politics of Sport in Asia (Columbia University Press, 2009), Nuclear North Korea: A Debate on Engagement Strategies (Columbia University Press, 2003), and Alignment Despite Antagonism: The U.S.-Korea-Japan Security Triangle (Stanford University Press, 1999). He is also a frequent contributor and guest analyst for various media outlets, including Choson Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, CNN, National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, Asahi Shimbun, and Japan Times. Dr. Cha holds a B.A., an M.I.A., and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, as well as an M.A. Oxford University.