Peter Harris is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University, where his teaching and research focus on international security, US and comparative foreign policy, International Relations theory, and qualitative research methods. He is currently the Associate Chair of the Department of Political Science.

Peter’s first book was co-authored with Jared McKinney, and is called Deterrence Gap: Avoiding War in the Taiwan Strait. His second book is called Why America Can't Retrench (And How It Might). He has published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Asian Security, International Affairs, Marine Policy, Parameters, Political Science Quarterly, and Review of International Studies. He has won two “best article” awards from scholarly journals. His research has been funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Charles Koch Foundation, and Smith Richardson Foundation.

Peter is committed to public outreach. He has published more than 250 articles and op-eds in popular outlets such as ChinaFile, The Diplomat, National Interest, Survival, War on the Rocks, and World Politics Review. He has submitted evidence to the UK Parliament, briefed an incoming ambassador, facilitated trainings on policy and media engagement for other academics, recorded more half a dozen podcasts, and been interviewed for local, national, and international media. Peter is a non-resident fellow with Defense Priorities, a DC-based think tank.

Peter is from Wigan in the northwest of England and holds degrees from the University of Edinburgh, SOAS University of London, and the University of Texas at Austin. He is a strong advocate for study-abroad opportunities, having spent time at the University of British Columbia and University of Virginia as an undergraduate.

In Spring 2025, Peter was the CY Tung Scholar on voyage #135 of Semester at Sea.

Past, current, and prospective students should feel encouraged and to get in touch via email.