Uploaded May 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Susan A. Thornton is a retired senior diplomat with extensive experience in Eurasia and East Asia. She is currently a Senior Fellow and Research Scholar at the Yale University Paul Tsai China Center and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Until July 2018, she was Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State and led East Asia policy making amid crises with North Korea, escalating trade tensions with China, and a fast-changing international environment.
In previous State Department roles, Ms. Thornton worked on China and Korea policy, including stabilizing relations with Taiwan, the US-China Cyber Agreement, the Paris Climate Accord and the Agreed Framework on North Korean denuclearization.
In overseas postings in Central Asia, Russia, the Caucasus and China, Ms. Thornton’s leadership furthered U.S. interests and influence in a host of difficult operating environments.
Ms. Thornton received her MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS and her BA from Bowdoin College in Economics and Russian.
Apart from her foreign policy work, Ms. Thornton devotes her spare time to community, education, fresh food and connecting with nature on her family farm in Lisbon, Maine.
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Susan A. Thornton is a retired senior diplomat with extensive experience in Eurasia and East Asia. She is currently a Senior Fellow and Research Scholar at the Yale University Paul Tsai China Center and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Until July 2018, she was Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State and led East Asia policy making amid crises with North Korea, escalating trade tensions with China, and a fast-changing international environment.
In previous State Department roles, Ms. Thornton worked on China and Korea policy, including stabilizing relations with Taiwan, the US-China Cyber Agreement, the Paris Climate Accord and the Agreed Framework on North Korean denuclearization.
In overseas postings in Central Asia, Russia, the Caucasus and China, Ms. Thornton’s leadership furthered U.S. interests and influence in a host of difficult operating environments.
Ms. Thornton received her MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS and her BA from Bowdoin College in Economics and Russian.
Apart from her foreign policy work, Ms. Thornton devotes her spare time to community, education, fresh food and connecting with nature on her family farm in Lisbon, Maine.
For more videos in the Krasno Events Series, please check out: youtube.com/user/KrasnoUNC For other similar events, please check out: krasnoevents.com For updates and notifications, follow us on Twitter @KrasnoEventsUNC
