Brett V. Benson is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Asian Studies at Vanderbilt University. His research interests lie in the areas of international relations and Chinese politics and East Asian relations. He has worked on military alliances and interstate conflict and is the author of the forthcoming book, Constructing International Security: Alliances, Deterrence, and Moral Hazard (Cambridge University Press). His current research focuses on the role of weapons systems in international politics. In particular, he is studying nuclear weapons and strategies countries use to reduce proliferation, the relationship between the sale of conventional weapons and military alliances, and the effects of small arms markets on intrastate conflicts. In addition to his work on international relations topics, he is also involved in a project that examines the effect of religious bias on voters’ decisions in the US presidential election.

Benson teaches courses on international relations, international political strategy, Chinese politics, East Asian crises, and formal methods.

Benson received a M.A. (Economics) and a Ph.D. (Political Science) from Duke University. He was a POSCO Visiting Fellow in residence at the East-West Center in Honolulu, HI in 2011. POSCO Visiting Fellows are awarded to scholars conducting research on topics related to the politics, security, and economics of Northeast Asia and Korea. During his time at the East-West Center, Benson worked on counter-proliferation strategies directed toward North Korea’s nuclear program. Benson was also a Formal-Quantitative Research Fellow in residence at Princeton University in 2011-2012. While at Princeton, Benson completed his book manuscript on alliances and began working on understanding the global market for arms.