Matthew Fleming

PhD Candidate in Political Science

Matthew F. Fleming is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Science at Northeastern University, specializing in International Relations and Comparative Politics. He has a strong background and interest in Indo-Pacific security, particularly the U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral relationship, minilateralism, security issues in Northeast Asia, human rights, and U.S.-Japan and U.S.-Korea foreign relations. Matthew has gained experience as a Research Assistant under Mai’a K. Cross for the Transnational Political Networks and the Future of Global Order Project, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and as a Research Assistant for the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures. Additionally, he has served as a Teaching Assistant for International Law with Denise Garcia.

Related Schools & Departments

Political Science

Research Interest

Indo-Pacific Security, U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Relations, Minilateralism, Security Issues in Northeast Asia, Human Rights, A Free and Open Indo-Pacific, and U.S.-Japan and U.S.-Korea Foreign Relations.

Prior work

Fleming has interned with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs’ Indo-Pacific Strategy Team, the East Asia Institute, North Korean Review, and the Journal of Territorial and Maritime Studies. Fleming was a U.S. delegate at the inaugural U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Global Leadership Youth Summit with the East-West Center and the U.S. Embassies in Seoul and Tokyo. He is also an inaugural member of the Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Alumni Network with the U.S. Department of State and a Young Leader with the Pacific Forum.

Biography

Fleming lived in Northeast Asia for around 4 years and completed a dual-degree master’s program, obtaining a Master’s in Global Affairs and Policy from Yonsei University in South Korea, specializing in International Security and Foreign Policy, and a Master’s in Media and Governance from Keio University in Japan, specializing in Global Governance and Regional Strategy.

Publications

Fleming, Matthew Fletcher. “U.S.-Japan-ROK Trilateralism from Obama to Biden: Expanding on Theoretical Norms of Understanding through Aspects of Building Trilateralism and U.S. Involvement in Japan-Korea Conflict Issues.” 修士学位論文: 慶應義塾大学 (政策・メディア), September 5, 2023. Thesis Advisors: Ken Jimbo (main), Michito Tsuruoka, Koichiro Tanaka. https://search.lib.keio.ac.jp/permalink/81SOKEI_KEIO/6iub1s/alma9926781324704034.

Fleming, Matthew F. Review of The North Korean Conundrum: Balancing Human Rights and Nuclear Security, by Robert R. King and Gi-Wook Shin. North Korean Review 18, no. 2 (Fall 2022): 100–102. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27217169.

Other Selected Publications

Fleming, Matthew. “Integrated Deterrence and Minilateralism: Three Years of Indo-Pacific Security in a Networked Way.” Pacific Forum, January 31, 2025. https://pacforum.org/publications/yl-blog-100-integrated-deterrence-and-minilateralism-three-years-of-indo-pacific-security-in-a-networked-way/.

Fleming, Matthew, and Stephen R. Nagy. “Navigating Instability with Resilient Optimism Post-Trump Election: Indo-Pacific Minilateralism & the U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral in a Shifting Political Landscape.” The CDA Institute, November 28, 2024. https://cdainstitute.ca/navigating-instability-with-resilient-optimism-post-trump-election/.

Cha, Minsun, Matthew Fleming, Caroline Gao, Amrullah Rosadi, and Hideki Tomoshige. “Roadmap For The Trilateral Partnership: A New Era of U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Partnership.” East-West Center, July 12, 2024. https://www.eastwestcenter.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/Roadmap%20Report_USROKJPN%20Trilat_EWC_0724.pdf.

Conference Presentations

Fireside Chat with U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Philip S. Goldberg. “Importance of the U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Relationship,” Moderated by Matthew F. Fleming, U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Global Leadership Youth Summit, Busan, South Korea, July 13, 2024.

Korean International Studies Association 14th Annual Convention & North Korean Review/Journal of Territorial and Maritime Studies Joint Conference, “Denuclearization In DPRK Post-Russian Invasion Into Ukraine: Conversation on the Value of Security Assurances and Nuclear Deterrence,” Presenter, DPRK Post Ukraine Panel, Seoul, South Korea, November 24, 2022.

Korean Political Science Association’s Summer Conference, “Denuclearization in DPRK Post-Russian Invasion into Ukraine: Conversation on the Value of Security Assurances and Nuclear Deterrence,” Presenter, Contemporary Perspectives on North Korea Panel, Seoul, South Korea, August 24, 2022.

Contact info:
Renaissance Park, 9th Floor
1135 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02120
Email: fleming.ma@northeastern.edu
Website and LinkedIn: “matthewffleming.com/” “linkedin.com/in/matthewffleming/“

More Student Paths

Charles T. Wallace-Thomas IV

Charles took "Sustainable Renewable Energy Development in the Global South" with Professor Shalanda Baker, which pushed him to further question systems as they exist, no matter their entrenched in society.
He did community service as part of the Ujima Global Leaders Program through the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute. He worked on the Timebank team, helping give back to local communities.
Charles split his time for his first co-op between the Center for Economic Democracy and the Boston Ujima Project, where he analyzed studies on community needs, including infrastructure and childcare.
He was one of the co-creators of the #BlackAtNU campaign and advocated for racial literacy courses and a restorative and transformative justice center on campus.
Charles made his own research project- a macroeconomic index to measure democratic participation in municipal economies, partnering with NU, the Columbus Foundation and the Center for Economic Democracy.
He worked at the Participatory Budgeting Project as a Program Associate, helping city systems and other organizations actively decide how to invest money across different spaces.
Charles graduated in 2022. ..

Casey Greenleaf

Casey took Global Markets and Local Cultures. After traveling, she better saw how the coursework mirrored real life, and knew her education was preparing her for the world.
She went on a DOC to Argentina and Uruguay, and become highly proficient while living in Buenos Aires and visiting the glaciers of the Patagonia region.
Casey completed her first co-op at the Museum of Fine Arts as a community arts program assistant. She gained valuable hands-on experience assisting in arts classes for local communities.
She joined the Sociology & Anthropology Student Association during her third year. It allowed her to get to know her fellow students and mirrored the small school experience she loved.
Casey studied abroad in Nepal for her capstone thesis. She lived alone for a month while she researched and wrote about the lived experience of climate change in the lower Himalayas.
She worked for the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, founded by Professor Sarah Wylie. She produced promotional videos, developed a virtual research event, wrote event programming, and more.
Casey graduated in 2020. ..

Sunita Pfitzner

Sunita took Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection, taught by Professor Risa Kitagawa. The course invited students to question the motives behind acts of violence against governments.
She traveled on a Dialogue of Civilizations to Jordan and Egypt; while there she grew interested in Middle East politics and the Arabic language.
Sunita worked at the Institute for Economics and Peace in Sydney, Australia, where she analyzed data on the corruption of police forces in Mexico.
Sunita was a member of the International Relations Council and traveled abroad with the club to compete in Model Arab League, Model NATO, and Model UN conferences.
Sunita conducted research with Berna Turam, developing a greater understanding of the Mediterranean migrant crisis. She also researched the feminist response to Covid-19 with Val Moghadam.
She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2022.
..

Yasser Aponte

Yasser was in the Foundation Year program at Northeastern. The program was a rigorous deep dive into core subject classes that helped Yasser bridge the gap between his high school and college experiences.
He took Issues in Cities and Suburbs with Professor Erin Graves in Fall 2018. As someone deeply invested in urban life, he found the course was an enlightened look at the problems endemic to cities.
Yasser joined the Boston Beer Company as a Program Operations and Event Assistant for his first co-op. He worked on inventory, public relations, brewery events, and workspace organization.
He implemented community gardens all over Boston on deserted plots of land during his time as the Northeastern Campus Director for the campus’ United Nations Millennium Fellowship.
Yasser maintained a farm in Dorchester for The Food Project. He harvested crops, distributed produce through donations and food markets, and worked on overall logistics.
In 2020, Yasser won the Community Service Leadership award, given to students who show exemplary community engagement. He was recognized for his work at The Food Project, Northeastern Crossing, and more.
He graduated 2022 with his Bachelor’s in International Affairs and Religious Studies and his Master’s in Security and Resilience Studies, through Northeastern’s PlusOne program...