Biography

James Lee received his PhD in Politics from Princeton University in 2018. His research interests are at the intersection of Political Science and Diplomatic History. Within Political Science, his areas of specialization are in International Relations and Comparative Politics. His dissertation examines the geopolitics of foreign aid and the role of economic development in American grand strategy during the Cold War. One of his main findings is that, in its efforts to facilitate the administration of foreign aid, the United States supported national development planning in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. By doing so, the United States took a surprising role in the creation of the “capitalist developmental state,” a model of planned capitalism that has traditionally been understood as a challenge to the “Washington Consensus.”
As a Max Weber Fellow, James will work on expanding and revising the dissertation in preparation for publication as a book. His research target is to complete a chapter that will compare US strategy in East Asia with US strategy in Europe during the Cold War. This chapter will focus on the historical debate surrounding the role of anti-Communism in the Marshall Plan as well US perceptions of the security of West Germany during the Berlin Crises.
James specializes in US relations with Taiwan and the history of the One China Policy. He currently serves as the Senior Editor for Taiwan Security Research, an academic website that aggregates English-language news, commentary, and scholarly analysis of developments affecting Taiwan’s security. He has previously served as a teaching assistant in undergraduate-level courses on the International Relations of East Asia, the Political Economy of Development in East Asia, and Chinese Foreign Policy.