Chi Fang

Chi Fang is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. His research explores how grand strategy and military doctrine shape a state’s decisions regarding weapons acquisitions—specifically, when states choose to produce or procure weapons. His dissertation reconceptualizes weapons acquisition within the context of interstate bargaining and technological diffusion, using social network analysis and qualitative methods to investigate the production and flow of arms since World War II. He also employs mixed methods to examine how Central and Eastern European and Northeast Asian countries have redirected their military doctrines and weapons programs after experiencing geopolitical shocks. This research unveils how international political dynamics influence the organizational structures behind weapons acquisition programs. Chi’s broader research interests include coercive diplomacy, Indo-Pacific geopolitics, and Taiwan. His articles examine the causes and consequences of gray zone tactics in the Western Pacific. He is a 2025–26 Hans J. Morgenthau predoctoral fellow at the University of Notre Dame and was a 2024–25 U.S.-Asia grand strategy predoctoral fellow at the University of Southern California. He holds an MA and BA in diplomacy from National Chengchi University in Taiwan.