Joshua Shifrinson

Joshua Shifrinson is an associate professor with the School of Public Policy. An expert on contemporary international security, his research engages broad issues of great power politics, U.S. foreign policy, and diplomatic history. Recent projects include a re-examination of the sources and consequences of NATO enlargement, U.S. policy toward Russia and China, and the evolution of American grand strategy during and after the Cold War. 

Cornell University Press published his first book, Rising Titans, Falling Giants: How Great Powers Exploit Power Shifts in 2018; he is presently finishing another volume detailing the uses and abuses of archival research for international relations topics.  Other work has appeared in International Security, the Journal of Strategic Studies, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, and the Washington Quarterly, and has been supported by the Stanton Foundation, CKF, and Bridging the Gap Project. In addition to his research, Shifrinson is a frequent commentator on international security and great power relations for a variety of media outlets. 

Shifrinson received his B.A. summa cum laude in History and Politics from Brandeis University and his PhD in Political Science from MIT.  Prior to joining SPP, he was an associate professor with Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies and held fellowship with the Belfer Center, Dickey Center, Institute for Security and Conflict Studies, and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.