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Political Science Department
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Yelena Biberman-Ocakli

Yelena Biberman-Ocakli 2014Contact Information & Background:

Associate Professor of Political Science
Ladd 314
Phone: 518-580-5241
E-Mail: ybiberma@skidmore.edu

CV

Podcast: [ | | ]

Education

  • Ph.D. Brown University, 2014 (Political Science)
  • M.A. Brown University, 2010 (Political Science)
  • M.A. Harvard University, 2006 (Regional Studies)
  • B.A. Wellesley College, 2004 (International Relations)
  • Visiting Student. Oxford University, 2002-03 (Philosophy and International Relations)

PUBLICATIONS:

Book

  • , New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  • “” (with Christopher Mann), Journal of Peace Research (2024).
  • “” (with Jared Schwartz and Samantha Hotz), International Politics (2023).
  • “” (with Jared Schwartz and Farhan Zahid), Asian Security 19, No. 1 (2023): 43-58.
  • “,” Strategic Studies Quarterly (Fall 2021): 6-33.
  • “” (with Megan Turnbull), Political Science Quarterly 133, no. 4 (Winter 2018-19): 695-727.
  • “,” Journal of Strategic Studies 41, no. 5 (2018): 751-781.
  • “” (with Rachel Castellano), Asian Security 14, no. 2 (2018): 106-118.
  • “,” Modern Asian Studies 51, no. 5 (2017): 1598-1625.
  • “” (with Trevor Cloen and Farhan Zahid), Perspectives on Terrorism 12, no. 1 (2018).
  • “” (with Sahar Gul and Feryaz Ocakli), Asian Affairs: An American Review 43, No. 3 (2016): 78-97.
  • “” (with Farhan Zahid), Terrorism and Political Violence 31, no. 2 (2019: online February 2016): 169-184.
  • “” (with Feryaz Ocakli), Politics & Policy 43, No. 2 (April 2015): 197-214.
  • “,” Political Science Quarterly 126, No. 4 (Winter 2011-2012): 669-680.
  • “,” Problems of Post-Communism 58, No. 2 (March/April 2011): 17-27.
    • Awarded 2011 Millar Prize
  • “Assessing the Costs of Weak Diplomatic Institutions” (Ukrainian: «Оцінюючи Втрати Внаслідок Слабких Інститутів Дипломатії»), Academic Bulletin of the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine (Науковий Вісник Дипломатичної Академії України) Vol. 15 (2010): 228-234.
  • “Political Science and the Rules of Causal Inference” (Russian: «Политология и правила выявления причинно-следственных отношений»), Polis 10, No. 6 (2009): 168-176.

Other Scholarship

  • of The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia, by Christopher Clary, Pacific Affairs, forthcoming in December 2023.
  • of Colonial Institutions and Civil War: Indirect Rule and Maoist Insurgency in India, by Shivaji Mukherjee, The Journal of Asian Studies 82, No. 2 (2023): 275-277.
  • “,” Asia Policy 16, no. 1 (January 2021): 193-196.
  • Yelena Biberman, “Violence by Proxy: Russia’s Ex-Rebels and Criminals in Chechnya,” , Ed. Bettina Koch (Wiesbaden: Springer, 2016), 135-150.

Policy

  • “” (with Jonathan D. Moreno), Hastings Bioethics Forum, April 16, 2024.
  • “,” Inkstick, August 3, 2023.
  • “,” Responsible Statecraft, July 11, 2023.
  • “,” Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, June 26, 2023.
  • “CRISPR and Global Security” (with Bernard Possidente), Science, eLetter in response to Joy Y. Wang and Jennifer A. Doudna, “,” March 30, 2023.
  • “” India Policy (I-Policy) Commentary, Carter Center, February 9, 2023.
  • “” (with Sophie Mae Berman), SouthAsiaSource, September 26, 2022. [Reposted by Peace Research Institute Oslo Blogs]
  • “,” Harvard University Davis Center Insights, June 13, 2022.
  • “How to Kill a Superpower: Do You Remember the Belavezha Agreement?” (with Zachary Troyanovsky), Inkstick, December 8, 2021.
  • “,” SouthAsiaSource, Atlantic Council, July 23, 2021.
  • “,”&Բ;Inkstick, June 15, 2021. [Featured in American Foreign Service Association ]
  • “” (with Maj. Alex Deep), Commentary & Analysis, Modern War Institute at West Point, April 28, 2021.
  • “,” Modern War Institute at West Point Report, Series 2021, no. 1 (February 2021): 1-18. [Peer-reviewed]
  • “,” SouthAsiaSource, Atlantic Council, February 17, 2021.
  • “” Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Expert Speak: Atlantic Files, October 23, 2020.
  • “” (with Jared Schwartz), New Atlanticist, June 29, 2020.
  • “” (with Samir Ahmad), Washington Post, Monkey Cage, March 4, 2020. [Covered in ; ; ; ]
  • “” (with Matthew Simkowitz), Washington Post, Monkey Cage, November 19, 2019.
  • "” Policy Roundtable: The Future of South Asia, Texas National Security Review, October 1, 2019.
  • “” (with Jared Schwartz), Foreign Policy, April 5, 2019.
  • “” (with Jared Schwartz), East Asia Forum, Australian National University, March 29, 2019.
  • “,” Political Violence @ a Glance, February 22, 2019.
    • Reprinted in
  • “” (with Samir Ahmad), Greater Kashmir, January 20, 2019.
  • “” (with Niloufer Siddiqui), Washington Post, Monkey Cage, May 7, 2018.
  • “,” New Atlanticist, February 7, 2017.
  • “” (with Farhan Zahid and Philip Hultquist), Military Review (November-December 2016): 37-43.
  • “,” Sustainable Security (Oxford Research Group), October 19, 2016.
  • “” (with Gage Willand), Political Violence @ a Glance, June 23, 2016.
  • “” Political Violence @ a Glance, May 25, 2016.
  • “” (with Orr Genish) Small Wars Journal, September 27, 2015.
  • “,” Atlantic Council Issue Brief, April 27, 2015.
  • “,” Washington Post, January 6, 2015.
  • “” Washington Post, Monkey Cage, May 27, 2014.
  • “,” Foreign Policy, January 22, 2008.
  • “Between the East and West,” Moscow Times 4326 (Feb. 8, 2010), 7.
  • “Unwelcomed Missiles” (with Feryaz Ocakli), Russia Profile, December 29, 2009.
  • “Back on the Radar: The Organizers of Anti-Radar Demonstrations in the Czech Republic Claim that Ordinary People Want a Say in the Debate,” Russia Profile, July 28, 2009.
    “Iran: Code Orange?” Foreign Policy In Focus, June 30, 2009.
  • “Learning from the Soviets in Afghanistan,” Foreign Policy In Focus, June 20, 2008.
  • “Children of the Revolution: A New Generation of Russians Tries to Become Politically Active,” Russia Profile, February 5, 2008.
  • “Why Alma Mater Matters,” Russia Profile 5, No. 6 (July 2008): 8-9.
  • “A Rural Referendum: Villagers Hope Medvedev Will Continue Down Putin’s Path,” Russia Profile, March 3, 2008.
  • “Banking on Russian Women,” Passport Moscow (September 2008): 30-32.
  • “U.S.-Iran Relations Need Reform,” Wellesley News, September 2003.

AWARDS, HONORS, AND FELLOWSHIPS:

  • 2024. Academic Associate, Centre for Biomedical Ethics, Singapore
  • 2023-24. Wilson China Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
  • 2023. American Institute of Afghanistan Studies John F. Richards Fellowship
  • 2022. Andrew W. Marshall Foundation Paper Prize Finalist in New Revolutions in Military Affairs
  • 2022. Andrew W. Marshall Foundation Paper Prize Semi-Finalist (with Jared Schwartz) in Future Reconfigurations in Asia
  • 2021-Present. Harvard University Davis Center Associate
  • 2020-21. Modern War Institute at West Point Fellow
  • 2020. Alma Ostrom and Leah Hopkins Awan Civic Education Fund, APSA Centennial Center Research Grant
  • 2016-Present. Atlantic Council South Asia Center, Washington, DC, Nonresident Senior Fellowship
  • 2018. 91 Faculty Development Committee Ad Hoc Grant
  • 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21. Judith Johns Carrico Faculty Grant
  • 2016, 2017. 91 Faculty Student Summer Research Grant
  • 2017. Jacob Perlow Grant, 91
  • 2014-2015. Atlantic Council US-Pakistan Exchange Fellowship
  • 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019. 91 Faculty Development Grant
  • 2014. 91 Center for Leadership in Teaching and Learning Course Development Grant
  • 2014. American Institute of Pakistan Studies Travel Grant
  • 2014. Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences Travel Grant
  • 2013-2014. Watson Institute for International Affairs Graduate Fellowship [declined, to accept a teaching position at Union College]
  • 2012-2013. Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowship, United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
  • 2012-2013. American Institute of Pakistan Studies Junior Fellowship
  • 2012. Smith Richardson Foundation World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship
  • 2011. Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy Research Grant (Special Recognition: John L. Stanley Award)
  • 2011. James R. Millar Graduate Student Prize from the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research (NCEEER)
  • 2011. New York Public Library Short-Term Research Fellowship
  • 2011. American Political Science Association Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs Fellow
  • 2011. Foreign Language and Area Studies Summer Fellowship, South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI), University of Wisconsin-Madison (Urdu)
  • 2011-2012. Brown University Graduate School Internal Dissertation Fellowship
  • 2011, 2012, 2013. Brown University Office of International Affairs Research Travel Grant
  • 2010, 2011, 2012. Brown University Graduate School Research Travel Grant
  • 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. Brown University Graduate School Conference Travel Grant
  • 2010. Brown University Political Science Department Methods Training Fellowship
  • 2009. IREX U.S. Embassy Policy Specialist Fellowship
  • 2009. Watson Institute for International Affairs Graduate Program in Development Summer Fieldwork Grant
  • 2008-2009. Stanley J. Bernstein ’65 Graduate Fellowship, Brown University
  • 2006-2007. Fulbright Fellowship
  • 2005. Harvard University Davis Center Research Travel Grant
  • 2005. Harvard University Ukrainian Institute Research Travel Grant
  • 2005. Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Summer Fellowship
  • 2002-2003. National Science Foundation Award for the Integration of Research and Education
  • 2002, 2003. Francis Beirne National Essay Contest First Place Prize
  • 2003. Target “All-Around” Award
  • 2003. Wellesley Class Of ‘69 Community Service Award
  • 2002. Centuria of Excellence Award
  • 2001, 2002, 2004. Wellesley College Spirit of Service Award
  • 2001. Youth Venture Grant
  • 2001. Wellesley College First Year Academic Distinction

Conferences, Workshops, and Invited Talks

  • University of Virginia Karsh Institute of Democracy and Carter Center, Charlottesville, VA, 2024 
  • MIT Wargaming Lab Summer Institute, Dedham, Massachusetts, 2024 
  • Wilson China Fellowship Conference, Washington, D.C., 2024
  • S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2024 
  • Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 2024
  • School of Social Sciences, Public Policy & Global Affairs Program, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2024  
  • Centre for Biomedical Ethics, Singapore, 2024 
  • Sandia National Laboratories Strategic Force Analysis (Nuclear) Boot Camp, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2023 
  • Strategic Multilayer Assessment, Joint Staff/J-39 Deputy Directorate for Global Operations, 2023
  • Countering a Resurgent and Transnational Terrorist Threat in Afghanistan, Atlantic Council South Asia Center, 2023 
  • Research Security in Today’s Geo-Political Era Conference, University of Waterloo, Canada, 2023 
  • Technology and International Politics Workshop, Diplomatic Academy of Russian Foreign Ministry, 2023 
  • Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad, Pakistan, Regional Dialogue: Contemporary Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Threats in South Asia, 2023
  • U.S. Naval War College, Ethics of Technology, 2022
  • New York Conference on Asian Studies, 2022
  • Union College, Faculty Panel on War in Ukraine, 2022 
  • Workshop on Teaching Intelligence, Central Florida Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence, 2021
  • Strategic Dialogues on Afghanistan: Implications of the Taliban’s New Government for Afghanistan, 2021 
  • Strategic Dialogues on Afghanistan: Democratization and the Road Ahead for Afghanistan, 2021
  • Hamilton College, Civil War Seminar Webinar, 2020
  • Central University of Kashmir, Department of Politics and Governance, Webinar, 2020
  • Center for Social and Political Research, Karachi, Pakistan, Webinar, 2020
  • Association of Asia Scholars, Webinar, 2020
  • U.S. Department of State, Ralph J. Bunche Library Speaker Series, 2019
  • India Security Workshop, NYU-Abu Dhabi, 2019
  • International Studies Association Annual Meeting, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019
  • Raisina Dialogue, New Delhi, India, Delegate, 2018
  • New England Political Science Association Annual Meeting, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017
  • American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, 2010, 2014, 2018
  • National Security Seminar, U.S. Army War College, 2016
  • Silver Bay YMCA, Silver Bay, NY, 2016
  • Pi Sigma Alpha, National Political Science Honor Society at 91, Keynote Address, 2016
  • International Student Union, 91, 2016
  • Center for Contemporary South Asia Book Manuscript Workshop (daylong examination of my Gambling with Violence book manuscript), Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University, November 11, 2016
  • 91 Women in Business, 2016
  • Annual Conference on South Asia, 2013, 2014, 2015
  • American Institute of Pakistan Studies Junior Scholars Conference, 2015
  • International Studies Association Northeast Annual Conference, 2015, 2017
  • Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, India, 2015
  • Center for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, 2015
  • Association for the Study of Nationalities Annual Conference, 2015
  • Political Violence Workshop at Hamilton College, 2015  
  • Newcomb Foreign Affairs Roundtable, Newcomb, NY, 2015
  • Skidmore Encore, 2015
  • National Police Academy, Islamabad, Pakistan, 2014
  • National Ground Intelligence Center, Charlottesville, VA, 2014
  • Modern South Asia Workshop at Yale University, 2014
  • Pay It Forward: Women Helping Women in International Relations, International Studies Association Annual Convention, 2014
  • Cambridge University Press Watson Seminar, book manuscript reviewer, 2013
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Strategic Use of Force Working Group, 2013, 2013
  • Jennings Randolph Senior Fellows and Peace Scholars Workshop, USIP, 2013
  • Olympia Summer Seminars: Transformation of Conflict, Olympia, Greece, 2012
  • Midwest Political Science Association Conference, 2009, 2012, 2014
  • Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia, 2012
  • Institute of Kashmir Studies, University of Kashmir in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 2012
  • Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India, 2012
  • National Seminar for Research Scholars on “Understanding Pakistan,” Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India, 2011
  • Harvard University Post-Communist Politics and Economics Workshop, 2011
  • IREX/Woodrow Wilson Center Regional Policy Symposium, 2009
  • Inter-Ivy Sociology Symposium at Columbia University, 2009
  • IREX Regional Office in Kiev, Ukraine, 2009
  • American Center in Moscow, Russia, 2008
  • U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, 2008
  • History of Russian-American Diplomatic Relations: 200 Years, FLEX Alumni Conference in Yaroslavl, Russia, 2007
  • Russian Academy of Education Conference on Professional Education, Chebaksary, Russia, 2006
  • Harvard University Graduate Student Conference on Comparative and Security Policies, 2006
  • Harvard University Davis Center Undergraduate Research Conference, 2004
  • Wellesley College Ruhlman Conference, 2004; Tanner Conference, 2003

Additional Training

Policy and Public Scholarship

  • International Policy Summer Institute, Bridging the Gap: Connecting Research and Policy, American University, Washington, D.C., 2019
  • Summer Workshop on Analysis of Military Operations and Strategy (SWAMOS), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 2013

Methodological

  • Research and Design for Causal Inference, Northwestern Law, 2014
  • Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences Geographic Information System (GIS) Institute, 2012
  • Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research, Syracuse, NY, 2010

Pedagogical

  • Workshop on Teaching Intelligence, Central Florida Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence, 2021
  • Project Vis Data Visualization, 91, 2017
  • Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies Basin Harbor Workshop, 2014
  • Brown University Sheridan Center Teaching Certificate I, 2009-10, and Certificate III, 2010-11

Manuscript Reviewer

Oxford University Press, American Political Science Review, International Studies Quarterly, Civil Wars, Asian Security, Asian Affairs: An American Review, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Nationalities Papers, Problems of Post-Communism, African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, Brown Journal of History (Associate Editor, 2011).

Languages

  • Urdu/Hindi – advanced introductory
  • Russian – fluent
  • Spanish – intermediate
  • Turkish – introductory
  • Belarusian, Ukrainian – working knowledge
  • Mandarin Chinese – in progress

Political Science Department Contact

PHONE

518-580-5240

FAX

518-580-5259

HOURS

8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m

MAIL

Ladd Hall, Room 309
91
815 North Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

contacts

Natalie Fuehrer Taylor
Associate Professor and Department Chair

Barbara McDonough
Administrative Assistant