Nick Miller
Thesis title: The CIA’s Analysis of Chinese and North Korean Politics During the Cold War: Forgotten and Set up For Failure
Year of study: 4
- School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
Contact details
- Email: N.Miller-11@sms.ed.ac.uk
Background
Nick Miller is a doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh pursuing a PhD in East Asian Studies. His doctorate focused on the examination of how the CIA analysed Chinese and North Korean politics during the Cold War. Previously he was an East Asian Security Analyst for the United States Department of Defence. Some of his past roles within the US Air Force were Pacific Command Adversary Training Manager, 64th Aggressor Squadron Certified North Korean Air Defence Briefer, and liaison officer to the 613th Air Operation Centre and Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) command. Where he assisted in the coordination of strategic, operational, and tactical issues facing PACAF.
Research summary
Cold War, China, North Korea, leadership analysis, intelligence studies, Cultural Revolution, Chinese Communist Party, Korean Worker's Party, Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, and Xi Jinping
Papers delivered
April 2025 – “The CIA’s analysis into Mao Zedong’s succession and the Cultural Revolution,” 75th Political Science Association Annual International Conference – Birmingham, United Kingdom (Upcoming)
March 2025 – “The CIA’s Analysis of Chinese Politics During the Cold War”, 26th Annual Conference of Scottish Association for the Study of America, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
February 2025 – “The CIA’s Analysis of Chinese Politics During the Cold War,” Society for Intelligence History – Washington D.C., United States
November 2024 – “Larry Wu-tai Chin: Mao’s Mole Inside the Central Intelligence Agency,” National Intelligence History Conference (Inaugural) – Bletchley Park, United Kingdom
June 2024 – “Researching the CIA: or How I Learned to Love the US government bureaucracy,” Oral History and Politics Workshop – University College London
“The CIA’s Analysis of Chinese and North Korean Politics During the Cold War: Forgotten and Set Up for Failure,” Scottish Graduate Schools for Arts and Humanities – Summer School Programme
April 2024 – “The CIA’s Analysis of Chinese Politics During the Cold War,” Analytic Policy and Tradecraft Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, U.S. Department of Defence