PUBLICATIONS

Through its publications, INSS aims to provide expert insights, cutting-edge research, and innovative solutions that contribute to shaping the national security discourse and preparing the next generation of leaders in the field.

 

Publications

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Category: China

Cover of a report titled “A Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence.” The design features blue circular graphics with the word “UNCLASSIFIED” at the top and bottom. The subtitle reads: Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University, August 2025. Two photos appear on the cover: one shows emergency responders wearing bright yellow hazmat suits standing near a fire truck; the other shows a U.S. Army soldier in uniform examining a sample through a laboratory microscope. A disclaimer notes that the views expressed are those of the authors and not official U.S. government policy. Logos for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, National Defense University, and the Institute for National Strategic Studies appear at the bottom.

March 16, 2026

A Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence

The United States and its allies and partners face a rapidly expanding array of biothreats, to include the potential employment of increasingly sophisticated and lethal biological weapons (BW).

In this handout photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Chief of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Col. Gen. Vladimir Zarudnitsky, left, escorts China's Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu during a visit to Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Moscow, Russia, Monday, April 17, 2023.

March 2, 2026

Why Is Xi Still Purging His Generals?

The removal of PLA senior generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli in January 2026 represented the peak, if not the end, of a massive purge of the military leadership that began in mid-2023.

President Xi Jinping, wearing a dark green Mao-style suit, walks past rows of uniformed soldiers standing at attention during a formal indoor military inspection. The troops, dressed in camouflage uniforms and helmets, hold rifles across their chests in tight formation. Flags line the background of the large ceremonial hall.

Feb. 25, 2026

Assessing Xi’s Unprecedented Purges of China’s Military: Key Developments and Potential Implications

On January 24, 2026, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that the military’s top general, Zhang Youxia, and the chief of the Joint Staff Department, Liu Zhenli, had been placed under investigation for serious disciplinary and legal violations.

President of the United States Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping at the Gimhae International Airport terminal, Thursday, October 30, 2025, in Busan, South Korea. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Feb. 25, 2026

The Danger in the Middle: Will Xi’s Purges Increase the Risk of War?

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has purged dozens of senior People’s Liberation Army officers since mid-2023, including two in January, but will this increase the risk of war?

Cover of the academic journal Journal of Chinese Political Science, Volume 18, Number 3 (September 2013). The cover features a deep red background with the journal title in white at the top and a vertical black sidebar on the left displaying Chinese characters. The Springer logo appears at the bottom along with the note “for Association of Chinese Political Studies.” ISSN 1080-6954 is listed beneath the volume information.

Feb. 19, 2026

To Prevent a Great Power War: Conflict Prevention Efforts and Possibilities by the U.S. and China

War between rivalrous great powers (GPW) often is not a deliberate choice.

Zhang Youxia (front) in 2023 swearing an oath as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

Feb. 5, 2026

Xi’s military purges will make him wary of invading Taiwan

On 25 January, China’s People’s Liberation Army announced that Central Military Commission Vice-Chair Zhang Youxia and Chief of the Joint Staff Department General Liu Zhenli were under investigation for “suspected serious violations of discipline and law.”

A member of China's People's Liberation Army stands as DF-5C nuclear missiles are displayed during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3.

Feb. 4, 2026

America risks a nuclear-arms race with China

On 3 February, INSS China Center Director Dr. Phillip Saunders was quoted in The Economist in the story, “America risks a nuclear-arms race with China."

Cover of The 2024 Carlisle Conference of the PLA

Jan. 20, 2026

INSS Contributes Chapter on "PLA High Command in a Protracted War" in Army War College Book

INSS China Center Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow published a chapter on “PLA High Command in a Protracted War: Four Scenarios” in a new Army War College book edited by Joshua Arostegui, The 2024 Carlisle Conference on the PLA: Protracted War Against the PRC.

"The Palgrave Geopolitical Atlas" spelled out on the left hand side, with a photo of the cover of "The Palgrave Geopolitical Atlas: State and Quasi-State Actors in Great Power Competition" publication on the right. Springer Nature is displayed across the top right.

Dec. 16, 2025

Dr. Tom Lynch Contributes U.S. Chapter to The Palgrave Geopolitical Atlas

"Chapter 2: United States" in The Palgrave Geopolitical Atlas: State and Quasi-State Actors in Great Power Competition is part of a comprehensive 54-chapter edited book that examines global state and quasi-state interactions in the new era of Great Power Competition.

National Institute for Public Policy report image of the world, focusing on South America and Africa

Dec. 11, 2025

The Challenge of a Rising, Nuclear-Armed China

This National Institute for Public Policy article examines several specific developments in China’s nuclear arsenal, which, coupled with Beijing’s aggressive foreign policy, hold sobering implications for U.S. national security interests.