Cheng Xu

Cheng Xu is an Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College specializing in qualitative methods, international relations, comparative politics, and security studies. With a PhD from University of Toronto and background as a Canadian Army infantry officer, his research examines insurgency, civil war, genocide, and mass political violence with emphasis on Southeast Asia.

Xu's scholarly work addresses critical issues including rebel-to-party transitions, sexual violence in conflict, digital diplomacy, and Indigenous resistance movements. His field research analyzes how civilian communities negotiate with armed groups and examines connections between counterinsurgency operations and mass atrocities.

Prior to academia, Xu served as a senior policy analyst advancing Canada's Feminist Foreign Policy and completed military deployments as an infantry officer and paratrooper.