Bruce Gilley
Associate Professor of Political Science, Portland State University; Author, China's Democratic Future: How It Will Happen and Where It Will Lead

From 1995 to 2002 Dr. Bruce Gilley lived in and reported from China for the Far Eastern Economic Review He is a frequent advisor to governments and non-profits on matters of democracy and human rights in Asia. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Democracy and as a program evaluator for Radio Free Asia's Mandarin Service. Dr. Gilley received his B.A. in International Relations at the University of Toronto and a Masters of Economics at Oxford. After working in China for ten years, he earned a PhD at Princeton as a Woodrow Wilson Scholar. In addition to China's Democratic Future (2004), Dr. Gilley is the author most recently of The Right to Rule: How States Win and Lose Legitimacy (2009). His articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Comparative Political Studies, and the European Journal of Political Research as well as the Wall Street Journal and The International Herald Tribune.
Video Files
Great Decisions 2013: China in Africa (February 8) - Bruce Gilley
What interests govern China’s engagement in Africa? Should China’s growing emphasis on political ties and natural resource extraction inform U.S. relations with African nations? Watch Video ››
Promoting Democracy: Bruce Gilley
The U.S. has had a history of advancing and supporting democracy around the world. What place does democracy promotion have in U.S. foreign policy today? With a choice of tools ranging from economic aid to military force, what are the appropriate yet effective methods that the U.S. should use to promote democracy? Watch Video ››
Events with this presenter
Promoting Democracy
The U.S. has had a history of advancing and supporting democracy around the world. What place does democracy promotion have in U.S. foreign policy today? With a choice of tools ranging from economic aid to military force, what are the appropriate yet effective methods that the U.S. should use to promote democracy? Read More ››
China’s Rocky Political Transition
One of the leading scholars on contemporary politics in China, Bruce Gilley weighs in on recent developments. Could encroaching capitalism and pressures for more democratization mean a kinder, softer China? Are all these recent events indicative of a larger wave that is rewriting China’s political rules? Read More ››
Great Decision Series: China in Africa
What interests govern China’s engagement in Africa? Should China’s growing emphasis on political ties and natural resource extraction inform U.S. relations with African nations? Read More ››
Champion Democracy
The Council joins forces with Oregon Humanities for their perennially popular Think & Drink series, to explore how America engages the world - featuring Olga Oliker and Bruce Gilley. Read More ››