Professional Affiliation

Assistant Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology

Expert Bio

Lincoln Hines is an Assistant Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor for the West Space Seminar at the U.S. Air War College. 

His research focuses on Chinese foreign policy and security, the politics of outer space, public opinion, and questions regarding status and nationalism in world politics. His research and policy commentaries have appeared in outlets such as Research & Politics, Space Policy, The Washington Quarterly, and The Washington Post. 

Previously, he was a Guggenheim predoctoral fellow at the National Air and Space Museum and a Nonresident WSD-Handa Fellow at the Pacific Forum. He holds a PhD in Government from Cornell University, an MA in International Affairs from American University’s School of International Service, and a BA in Foreign Affairs and East Asian Studies from the University of Virginia.

Wilson Center Project

China’s Space Ambitions: Sources and Prospects for US-China Competition

Project Summary

Today, China is one of the world’s most powerful spacefaring actors. China’s growing military space capabilities provide it with several tools to undercut U.S. military predominance, expand China’s anti-access/area denial capabilities, and to provide it new tools of coercion. China’s military space capabilities are growing against the backdrop of a deteriorating US-China relationship on Earth and in the space domain. How do Chinese analysts and policymakers understand the role of space in deterrence and for escalation? How do they understand the risks of escalation and of debris generation? To answer these questions, this project draws upon a wide array of Chinese sources to understand how key actors in China’s space community understand the role of space in Chinese military strategy.