Nathan Blade-Smith

Nathan Blade-Smith is an MIA candidate concentrating in International Finance and Economic Policy with a focus on US-China relations and geopolitics. His research examines the political economy of great-power competition and the domestic political dynamics that shape policy options in the two countries. His work on US-China relations has appeared in The Nation and Responsible Statecraft, and he has advised congressional offices on related policy.

Before returning to graduate school, Nathan spent five years as senior development associate at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a leading Washington think tank advocating for a foreign policy of restraint. There, he helped launch and manage new research programs on China, Eurasia, and US defense policy, including a flagship multiyear project on global governance reform. He also played a central role in scaling the organization from a startup into a nationally recognized institution.

He plans to pursue a career at the intersection of research, policy, and US-China economic relations.