Friend or foe? America's foreign policy future

2026 Sir Howard Kippenberger Chair Zack Cooper talked to Jack Tame and the Q+A team.

25 October 2026

Zack Cooper is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies US strategy in Asia, including alliance dynamics and US-China competition. He also teaches at Princeton University. He previously worked at the National Security Council and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Dr. Cooper is the author of Tides of Fortune: The Rise and Decline of Great Militaries from Yale University Press. He has also co-authored books, reports, and articles on US strategy and alliances in Asia. His writing has appeared in academic journals and popular press, including International Security, Security Studies, Foreign Affairs, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, among other outlets. Dr. Cooper graduated from Princeton University with a PhD and an MA in security studies and an MPA in international relations. He received a BA in public policy from Stanford University.

Watch the full interview below.