Welcome!

I’m a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at Emory University.

I study how political participation and public opinion influence elite behavior in contexts such as armed conflict, foreign policy decision-making, and authoritarian consolidation. My work proceeds along two main lines.

First, I examine how political participation shapes elite behavior, even in high-stakes settings of ongoing conflict or democratic backsliding. I find that elites remain sensitive to participatory signals—such as elections and public opinion—and adapt their strategies in response. Across this research, I develop new theoretical frameworks to explain how elites perceive and manage political risks.

Second, I investigate how public opinion affects elite decision-making in counterinsurgency and foreign policy. Here, I analyze how citizens respond to conflict, focusing on the interaction of partisan identity, foreign policy predispositions, and perceived threats with elite rhetoric.

I hold an MA and a BA in International Relations from Bilkent University (Turkey).