Oriana Skylar Mastro
Biography
Publications
Oriana Skylar Mastro is a Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Her book, The Costs of Conversation: Obstacles to Peace Talks in Wartime (Cornell University Press 2019), won the American Political Science Association's Best Book in International Security (pre-tenure faculty member).
![In defence of AUKUS](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-1235302801.jpg?itok=s6bBASWX)
In defence of AUKUS
This is not only about nuclear-powered submarines; it is about a strengthened US commitment to Australia.
![What are China’s leaders saying about the South China Sea?](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-1300307582.jpg?itok=G63rSfvs)
What are China’s leaders saying about the South China Sea?
The rhetoric weaves between cooperative and competitive, leaving the question of what – and who – to believe.
![How China is bending the rules in the South China Sea](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-1184744330.jpg?itok=JP9SLhaF)
How China is bending the rules in the South China Sea
Beijing’s misapplication of international law in the disputed waters is more complex than it seems on the surface.
![Russia and China team up on the Indian Ocean](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/Cjo7DTxK3PqNlpYApay4jyv7dYRLNvD0%20copy.jpg?itok=nsjRZDUa)
Russia and China team up on the Indian Ocean
The US and its allies may have military dominance in the region, but it’s no guarantee of influence.
![Beijing’s line on the South China Sea: “Nothing to see here”](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-1160896257%20copy.jpg?itok=2onnC12c)
Beijing’s line on the South China Sea: “Nothing to see here”
China’s official denials of growing military capability in the region look a lot like gaslighting.
![China-India: Talk is cheap, but never free](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-1228307392.jpg?itok=uK2HmwSx)
China-India: Talk is cheap, but never free
Temper the negotiation hopes. States often worry a willingness to talk will communicate weakness to an adversary.