Kai Quek

Kai Quek studies strategic interactions in international relations, with a focus on US-China interactions. He is especially interested in (1) state-to-state signaling, (2) the dynamics of deescalation, and (3) the origins of collective beliefs such as nationalism. His theoretical research on signaling has established new signaling mechanisms in political science. His research on deescalation pioneered the genre of real-world crisis management experimentation, by developing the first large-scale experiment in international security for managing a live real-world dispute. The experiment measured the nationalistic backlash leaders face for backing down in a territorial crisis, and tested strategies the government can use to reduce the backlash and decrease the risk of war.

He is associate editor for the Japanese Journal of Political Science and is on the Board of Editors for International Organization.