US-PRC Defense Relations: Looking Back and Looking Forward

For non-Columbia affiliates, registration is required to access the Morningside campus. After registering you will receive an email with a QR code that must be presented along with a government-issued ID (your name must match exactly the name registered for the event) at either the 116th Street & Broadway or 116th Street & Amsterdam gates for entry. Please register using a unique email address (one email address per registrant) by 4:00pm on April 14 for campus access.

Names will be submitted for QR codes 1-2 days prior to the event. Registrants will receive an email from CU Guest Access with the QR code before or on the day of the event. NOTE: You cannot access campus using the QR code from Eventbrite.

Speaker: David Finkelstein, Distinguished Research Fellow for National Security Affairs, CNA

Moderator: Elizabeth Wishnick, Adjunct Senior Research Scholar, WEAI; Senior Research Scientist, CNA

One of the less illuminated dimensions of the US-PRC relationship is that between its two militaries. Over the course of four decades, the Pentagon and the PLA have gone from Cold War partners to strategic competitors. Dr. Finkelstein’s talk will provide historical and strategic context for understanding how the two militaries came to the place they are in today, and why it matters for the future of the bilateral relationship and the Indo-Pacific region.

Speaker's Bio: David M. Finkelstein is CNA’s inaugural Distinguished Research Fellow for National Security Affairs. He is counted among the nation’s foremost specialists in Asian security issues, with special focus on the People’s Republic of China. Formerly a career US Army officer, he held several China and Asia-related positions while on active duty. He holds a PhD in Chinese history from Princeton University, is a graduate of West Point, and studied Mandarin at Nankai University in China.

This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute.