Nina Hachigian, Center for American Progress
Nina Hachigian is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and co-author of The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise.
Ms. Hachigian’s research interests include great power relationships, international institutions, the US-China relationship, and US foreign policy. She has published essays in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Quarterly, Democracy, and Survival, along with op-ed pieces in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the South China Morning Post, among others.
Hachigian received her B.S. from Yale University and her J.D. from Stanford Law School. Prior to working at American Progress, Hachigian was a senior political scientist at RAND Corporation and served as the director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy for four years.
1. What is your assessment of the current Sino-American relationship?
I think it is pretty good. It's never going to be easy or perpetually smooth with such a profound degree of complex interdependence between two big powers. There will always be competition alongside cooperation. But both nations are committed to working together where possible and that is bearing fruit. We are going into a potentially difficult period with political contests in both countries in 2012, however, so things could get worse before they get better.
2. What would you describe as the greatest challenges faced by women interested in working in the field of security studies these days?
In the US, it's the same challenge in almost any field – how to build a rich work life flexible enough to accommodate a great family life too.
3. What is the greatest challenge to the transatlantic relationship?
How will the US, EU and likeminded others work to update, reform and improve the international system so it takes the views of emerging powers into account and does better at solving global problems?
4. What advice would you give to students interested in pursuing a career in political science?
Try to get some experience in government at some point. Publish. And don't give up.
