Dr. Jennifer Staats is the director of East Asia and Pacific Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace. She joined USIP in 2016 as the director of the China Program, and she continues to lead USIP’s work on China. She also oversees USIP’s programs in Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Dr. Staats previously served as director for advanced capabilities on the National Security Council staff, working with allies to enhance peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. She also spent several years working in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where she focused on policy issues related to Asia. At the Pentagon, she led the teams that coordinated the Department of Defense’s implementation of the U.S. Rebalance to the Asia-Pacific and developed long-term strategies for the Department. She also served as a director in the Cyber Policy Office and managed the Asian and Pacific Security Affairs portfolio for the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs. Dr. Staats received several awards for her work, including the Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service.

Before entering government service, Dr. Staats was a fellow with the International Security Program at Harvard’s Belfer Center and a research assistant with the Preventive Defense Project chaired by Ashton B. Carter and William J. Perry. She has also lived, worked, and studied in both China and Germany.

Dr. Staats received her doctoral degree from Harvard University, her master's from Princeton University and her bachelor's from the University of the South (Sewanee). She has been named a Fulbright Scholar, NSEP Boren Fellow, Javits Fellow, Rosenthal Fellow and NCAA Postgraduate Scholar. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Publications By Jennifer

After Taiwan’s Election, China Is Now Ratcheting Up the Pressure

After Taiwan’s Election, China Is Now Ratcheting Up the Pressure

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

By: Jennifer Staats, Ph.D.;  Naiyu Kuo

Beijing is intensifying its pressure on Taiwan’s freshly elected president, William Lai Ching-te. Instead of relying on conventional military or economic pressures, however, Beijing has employed multifaceted tools of coercion to demonstrate disapproval of the January election results. Although China is carefully calibrating its behavior to avoid provoking Taipei or the United States, Beijing’s efforts to gradually change the status quo and erase the traditional boundaries between Taiwan and China could lead to escalated tensions and unintentional conflict.

Type: Analysis

Global Elections & ConflictGlobal Policy

Taiwan’s Democracy Prevailed Despite China’s Election Interference

Taiwan’s Democracy Prevailed Despite China’s Election Interference

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

By: Naiyu Kuo;  Jennifer Staats, Ph.D.

The election of Lai Ching-te, or William Lai, as Taiwan’s next president despite firm opposition from China is a positive sign that democracy is alive and well on the island nation. Nevertheless, the fact that Lai, whom China has deemed a “troublemaker” and “separatist,” won by a narrow margin, and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in the Legislative Yuan, will be seen in Beijing as an acceptable outcome, as it restricts Lai’s ability to advance his agenda and reveals the limits of the DPP’s appeal.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & GovernanceGlobal Elections & ConflictGlobal Policy

What You Need to Know About Taiwan’s Pivotal Presidential Elections

What You Need to Know About Taiwan’s Pivotal Presidential Elections

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

By: Kemi Adewalure;  Rosie Levine;  Jennifer Staats, Ph.D.;  Alex Stephenson

Ahead of the November 20 deadline to register candidates, Taiwan’s campaign season for the January 2024 presidential elections is in full swing and voters are presented with four candidates. While economic and energy policies will be key for voters, the chief foreign policy issue is how to manage relations with China. Both Beijing and Washington will be watching closely for what the election augurs for cross-Strait tension and Taiwan’s relationships with the world’s two major powers.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & GovernanceGlobal Policy

Pro-Taiwan Pacific Island Leaders Show Cracks in China’s Appeal

Pro-Taiwan Pacific Island Leaders Show Cracks in China’s Appeal

Thursday, May 18, 2023

By: Camilla Pohle;  Jennifer Staats, Ph.D.

Most Pacific Island countries have formal diplomatic relations with Beijing. But at both the local and national level, some leaders are raising concerns about Chinese bribery, violations of sovereignty, clandestine intelligence operations and political interference in their countries, as well as the possibility that China may invade Taiwan. As Beijing forces its agenda on Pacific Island countries and competes with the United States for influence in the region, Washington should lead by example and build partnerships with the Pacific Islands that emphasize consulting with them as equals and focusing on areas of common interest, like climate change.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Tensions over Taiwan Rise with Tsai’s U.S. Stopover

Tensions over Taiwan Rise with Tsai’s U.S. Stopover

Thursday, March 30, 2023

By: Rosie Levine;  Jennifer Staats, Ph.D.

President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan transits this week through the United States, stopping in New York on her way to Guatemala and Belize, and in California on her way home. Tsai has made six stopovers since she took office in 2016, but this is the first since July 2019. The stopovers are not official visits, but Tsai is expected to meet Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy in California. Beijing has made it known it fiercely opposes the stopover and threatened to retaliate if McCarthy and Tsai meet.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

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