Yelena Biberman-Ocakli

Contact Information & Background:

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

CV available here

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

• Gambling with Violence: State Outsourcing of War in Pakistan and India, New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.
  

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• “The Technologies and International Politics of Genetic Warfare,” Strategic Studies Quarterly (Fall 2021): 6-33.
• “Militia Welfare: Resource Endowment and Public Goods Provision by Armed Nonstate Groups in Pakistan and Nigeria” (with Megan Turnbull), Political Science Quarterly 133, no. 4 (Winter 2018-19): 695-727.
• “Self-Defense Militias, Death Squads, and State Outsourcing of Violence in India and Turkey,” Journal of Strategic Studies 41, no. 5 (2018): 751-781.
• “Genocidal Violence, Nation-Building, and the Bloody Birth of Bangladesh” (with Rachel Castellano), Asian Security 14, no. 2 (2018): 106-118.
• “How We Know What We Know About Pakistan: New York Times News Production, 1954-1971,” Modern Asian Studies 51, no. 5 (2017): 1598-1625.
• “Terrorist Prison Breaks” (with Trevor Cloen and Farhan Zahid), Perspectives on Terrorism 12, no. 1 (2018).
• “Channeling Islam: Religious Narratives on Pakistani Television and Their Influence on Pakistani Youth” (with Sahar Gul and Feryaz Ocakli), Asian Affairs: An American Review 43, No. 3 (2016): 78-97.
• “Why Terrorists Target Children: Outbidding, Desperation, and Extremism in the Peshawar and Beslan School Massacres” (with Farhan Zahid), Terrorism and Political Violence 31, no. 2 (2019: online February 2016): 169-184.
• “One Shield, Two Responses: Anti-U.S. Missile Defense Shield Protests in the Czech Republic and Poland” (with Feryaz Ocakli), Politics & Policy 43, No. 2 (April 2015): 197-214.
• “The Politics of Diplomatic Service Reform in Post-Soviet Russia,” Political Science Quarterly 126, No. 4 (Winter 2011-2012): 669-680.
• “Bureaucratic Partisanship and State Building: The Case of Ukrainian Foreign Ministry,” 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.

Book Chaper

• “Violence by Proxy: Russia’s Ex-Rebels and Criminals in Chechnya” (pp. 135-150), in State Terror, State Violence: Global Perspectives, Ed. Bettina Koch (Wiesbaden: Springer, 2016).

Policy

• “It’s Time for a Difficult Conversation with Delhi,” SouthAsiaSource, Atlantic Council, July 23, 2021.
• “‘Do as I Do’ Diplomacy,” Inkstick, June 15, 2021. [Featured in American Foreign Service Association Daily Media Digest]
• “The Proxy Gambit” (with Maj. Alex Deep), Commentary & Analysis, Modern War Institute at West Point, April 28, 2021.
• “A Kashmir Peace Deal Now? Ripeness, Readiness, and US Role,” Modern War Institute at West Point Report, Series 2021, no. 1 (February 2021): 1-18. [Peer-reviewed]
• “Eight Reasons Why the United States Should Promote Kashmir Peace Talks Now,” SouthAsiaSource, Atlantic Council, February 17, 2021.
• “What Binds India and the US?” Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Expert Speak: Atlantic Files, October 23, 2020.
• “A Divided Taliban Could Unleash a New Proxy War in Afghanistan” (with Jared Schwartz), New Atlanticist, June 29, 2020.
• “Young Kashmiris Think India and Pakistan Can Resolve Their Differences over Kashmir” (with Samir Ahmad), Washington Post, Monkey Cage, March 4, 2020. [Covered in Al Jazeera; The Telegraph; Kashmir Observer; EurAsian Times]
• “What Lt. Col. Vindman’s Critics Get Wrong about Jews Who Fled the Soviet Union” (with Matthew Simkowitz), Washington Post, Monkey Cage, November 19, 2019.
• "Will the United States and China Keep India and Pakistan from Going to War?” Policy Roundtable: The Future of South Asia, Texas National Security Review, October 1, 2019.
• “China and Pakistan Have Struck a Devil’s Bargain with Militants” (with Jared Schwartz), Foreign Policy, April 5, 2019.
• “Pakistan Is Ready for Stability in Afghanistan” (with Jared Schwartz), East Asia Forum, Australian National University, March 29, 2019.
• “Ending Terror in Kashmir,” Political Violence @ a Glance, February 22, 2019.
  • Reprinted in Sri Lanka Guardian
• “Global War on Dangerous Ideas” (with Samir Ahmad), Greater Kashmir, January 20, 2019.
• “Pakistani Militants Have Created Their Own Political Party. Can It Actually Win Votes?” (with Niloufer Siddiqui), Washington Post, Monkey Cage, May 7, 2018.
• “An Opportunity for Regional Leadership in South Asia,” New Atlanticist, February 7, 2017.
• “Bridging the Gap between Policing and Counterinsurgency in Pakistan” (with Farhan Zahid and Philip Hultquist), Military Review (November-December 2016): 37-43.
• “When the Strong Weaponize the Weak: States and Guerrilla Warfare,” Sustainable Security (Oxford Research Group), October 19, 2016.
• “Between Radicalization and Violence” (with Gage Willand), Political Violence @ a Glance, June 23, 2016.
• “Peace by Assassination?” Political Violence @ a Glance, May 25, 2016.
• “The Problem with Proxies: Ideology is No Substitute for Operational Control” (with Orr Genish) Small Wars Journal, September 27, 2015.
• “Reimagining Pakistan’s Militia Policy,” Atlantic Council Issue Brief, April 27, 2015.
• “In Pakistan, Domestic Threats Begin to Overshadow India,” Washington Post, January 6, 2015.
• “Are There Lessons from Pakistan for Future of Fighting in Ukraine?” Washington Post, Monkey Cage, May 27, 2014.
• “Generation Putin,” 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:

• 2021. 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. Skidmore College Faculty Development Committee Ad Hoc Grant
• 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21. Judith Johns Carrico Faculty Grant
• 2016, 2017. Skidmore College Faculty Student Summer Research Grant
• 2017. Jacob Perlow Grant, Skidmore College
• 2014-2015. Atlantic Council US-Pakistan Exchange Fellowship
• 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019. Skidmore College Faculty Development Grant
• 2014. Skidmore College 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

• 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 Skidmore College, Keynote Address, 2016
• International Student Union, Skidmore College, 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
• Skidmore College 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, Skidmore College, 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