His work mainly focuses on issues related to Chinese politics and foreign policy and Asian security. In 2005 his Unifying China, Integrating with the World: Securing Chinese Sovereignty in the Reform Era was published by Stanford University Press. He has also written articles that appeared in the Journal of Contemporary China, Pacific Affairs, Asia Policy, and Nations and Nationalism. His most recent publications are the co-edited Contemporary Chinese Politics: New Sources, Methods and Field Strategies (Cambridge University Press, 2010) and New Frontiers in China’s Foreign Relations (Lexington, 2011). Professor Carlson is currently developing a research project that examines the emerging role of transnational public intellectuals in shaping debates within China about the country’s rise and its implications for the international system.