Inhwan Oh

Inhwan Oh is a Senior Research Fellow and Executive Director at the East Asia Institute in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston College and has held academic positions at the College of William & Mary as a Visiting Assistant Professor, and at the Korea Military Academy as an Assistant Professor and instructor. His research centers on International Relations, with a focus on U.S.-China relations, maritime security, and the dynamics of naval power transitions in the Asia-Pacific.

His research interests include:

• International Relations theory
• U.S.-China strategic competition
• Maritime security and naval power projection
• Preventive war and power transition
• Status and recognition in world politics
• Race and international hierarchy

His recent scholarly work explores the conditions under which leading sea powers respond militarily to challengers during naval arms races. His forthcoming article in The Journal of American-East Asian Relations examines Japan’s restraint in the Washington naval system despite racial humiliation, arguing that elite consensus around civilizational status drove policy. Another paper under review reinterprets the Fashoda Crisis by analyzing Britain’s selective resolve in peripheral theaters, introducing the 'contagion effect' as a key explanatory variable. His dissertation develops an 'Interactive Theory of Power Projection' that integrates geographic direction, strategic contagion, and alliance opportunities to explain conflict onset.

His scientific awards and fellowships include:

• Fulbright Graduate Ph.D. Scholarship
• Hans J. Morgenthau Fellowship
• Charles Koch Foundation U.S. Foreign Policy Dissertation Grant
• Stand Together Trust U.S. Foreign Policy Dissertation Grant

Inhwan Oh has taught a wide range of courses including U.S.-China Relations Seminars, Research Methods, International Politics of Rising Powers, Military Strategy, and World Wars. He has served as an instructor and teaching assistant at Boston College, William & Mary, Korea Military Academy, and Seoul National University. He is actively engaged in academic leadership as Executive Director of the East Asia Institute, where he contributes to regional policy analysis and strategic discourse.