Faculty Directory

The Politics of Pariah States

Since 2011, I have collaborated with Professor Leif-Eric Easley on a series of projects related to “pariah states”–countries that have faced international condemnation for violating international norms (such as human rights or prohibitions on developing weapons of mass destruction). We are interested in understanding how pariah states’ foreign relations can shape their decisions to engage in reform and opening. We have written essays on how Myanmar military leaders’ concerns that they were overdependent on China influenced their decision to proceed with liberalizing reforms in 2011. We have also compared Myanmar and North Korea’s relations with China and how their different international environments and domestic political situations indicate divergent paths toward reducing reliance on Beijing.

The Catholic Church and Transnational Moral Norms

I also conduct research on the Roman Catholic Church’s engagement with transnational moral norms. Specifically, I am interested in how the Church’s teachings condition its promotion, implementation, and contestation of moral norms promulgated by intergovernmental bodies and transnational civil society.

My book manuscript (under contract with Routledge) examines the Catholic Church’s engagement with transnational norms regarding human trafficking and access to contraception. I utilize both documentary evidence from the Church as well as in-country primary interviews with various Church actors in the Philippines. Through this research, I aim to understand how the Church can amplify both support for and opposition to transnational moral norms at the intergovernmental and domestic levels, and how contestation over ecclesiological visions within the Church also influences its stance toward transnational moral norms.

Publications

• • Jonathan T. Chow. “Catholicism and Human Dignity in the Philippines,” in Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu (ed.) Human Dignity in Asia: Dialogue Between Law and Cultures (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022).

• • Jonathan T. Chow and Leif-Eric Easley. “Myanmar’s Democratic Backsliding in the Struggle for National Identity and Independence,” in Gilbert Rozman (ed.), Democratization, National Identity and Foreign Policy in Asia (Routledge, 2021).

• • Jonathan T. Chow and Leif-Eric Easley. “Myanmar’s Military Arrests the Civilian Government—and Democracy,” PacNet Commentary 6 (Feb. 2, 2021). Reprinted in the Bangkok Post, Rappler (Philippines), Jakarta Post, Jerusalem Post, Asia Times, and The Daily Star (Bangladesh).

• • Jonathan T. Chow and Leif-Eric Easley. “Renegotiating Pariah State Partnerships: Why Myanmar and North Korea Respond Differently to Chinese Influence”, Contemporary Security Policy (2019). doi.org/10.1080/13523260.2019.1660483

• • Jonathan T. Chow and Leif-Eric Easley. “Myanmar’s Democratic Backsliding in the Struggle for National Identity and Independence,” The Asan Forum (Jun. 25, 2019).

• • Jonathan T. Chow. “North Korea’s Participation in the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights”, Australian Journal of International Affairs 71:2 (2017), 1-18. dx.doi.org/10.1080/10357718.2016.1241978.

• • Jonathan T. Chow and Leif-Eric Easley. “Persuading Pariahs: Myanmar’s Strategic Decision to Pursue Reform and Opening”, Pacific Affairs 89:3 (2016), 521-42. dx.doi.org/10.5509/2016893521.

• • Jonathan T. Chow and Leif-Eric Easley. “Rebalancing not Pivoting: Myanmar’s Reforms and Relations with Washington and Beijing”, PacNet Newsletter 68 (Sep. 8, 2016). Reprinted in the Bangkok Post, Myanmar Times, The Irrawaddy, and The Diplomat.

• • Jonathan T. Chow and Leif-Eric Easley. “Upgrading Myanmar-China Relations to International Standards”, Asan Institute for Policy Studies Issue Brief No. 2015-21 (Dec. 2015).

• • Vinod K. Aggarwal and Jonathan T. Chow. “The Perils of Consensus: How ASEAN’s Meta-Regime Undermines Economic and Environmental Cooperation”, Review of International Political Economy 17:2 (2010), 262-90.

• • Jonathan T. Chow. “ASEAN Counterterrorism Cooperation Since 9/11”, Asian Survey 45:2 (Mar./Apr. 2005), 302-21.

Courses

• FYE 101: A Better and More Sustainable Future for All – Policy, Social Innovation, and the Politics of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
• POLS 109: Introduction to International Relations
• POLS 209: Chinese Foreign Policy
• POLS 229: United States Foreign Policy
• POLS 239: International Relations of East Asia
• POLS 243: Nation and State in Modern Southeast Asia
• POLS 379: International Security Policy

Extracurricular Interests

Outside of my teaching and research, I am the faculty advisor for the Newman Catholic Student Association, as well as for the Wargaming Club. I am also a big fan of our Model United Nations Team. I enjoy playing the piano and organ, singing, and amateur voice acting.