FPRI Appoints Michael Beckley as Director of the Asia Program and Jacques deLisle as Chair of the Asia Program

• May 19, 2023

The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Michael Beckley as the Director of the Asia Program and Jacques deLisle as Chair of the Asia Program and Member of the Board of Advisors. 

“We are very excited to have Michael Beckley leading FPRI’s Asia Program, given the region’s importance to US policymakers,” commented FPRI President Carol “Rollie” Flynn. “Michael is a recognized expert on great power competition and the balance of power between the United States and China, and I am confident that this program will flourish under his able leadership.” Ms. Flynn further remarked, “We are also very fortunate to have a distinguished Asia hand like Jacques deLisle serving as Chair of the Asia Program and as a member of FPRI’s Board of Advisors, as well as continuing as a member of the Orbis Board of Editors.”

Dr. Michael Beckley is an expert on the balance of power between the United States and China, US alliances and grand strategy, and US economic and defense policy in the Indo-Pacific. He is the author of two critically-acclaimed books on US-China strategic competition: Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China (2022) and Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower (2018). His other publications include an extensive portfolio of incisive book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, research reports, and articles in popular media, including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, and the Washington Post. He is a frequent expert commentator for TV, radio, and podcasts, including PBS, NPR, Fox News, and Wired.

In addition to his role at FPRI, Dr. Beckley also serves as an Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University and as a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. Previously, he was an International Security Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and worked for the US Department of Defense, the RAND Corporation, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He continues to advise offices within the US Intelligence Community and US Department of Defense. As Director of the Asia Program, Dr. Beckley will lead the program and spearhead major research initiatives.

“Michael Beckley is bringing a lot of energy to the Asia Program and he has an ambitious vision for the program’s research agenda. As FPRI continues to expand its geographic coverage and produce more in-depth research, I can think of no better person to lead our Asia Program than Michael Beckley,” added FPRI Research Director James Ryan. 

Jacques deLisle is a distinguished expert on Chinese politics and legal reform, U.S-China relations, cross-strait relations, and China’s engagement with the international legal order. He currently serves as the Stephen A. Cozen Professor of Law, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary China at the University of Pennsylvania. His relationship with FPRI stretches back over 20 years. In 1999, Mr. deLisle joined the program as a Senior Fellow and later served as the Director of the Asia Program and member of the Orbis Board of Editors. In his new role as Chair of the Asia Program and member of the FPRI Board of Advisors, Mr. deLisle will continue to provide invaluable guidance and counsel to FPRI and its Asia team.