Yasir Kuoti

Yasir Kuoti is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science specializing in international relations and comparative politics with a regional focus on the Middle East and North Africa. Substantively, his research interests include Iraqi politics and security, regime politics, religion and politics, and terrorism and political violence, with relevant publications in the Journal of International Affairs, Small Wars Journal, World Policy Journal, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, War on the Rocks, Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Monitor, Middle East Research Institute, among others. Prior to joining the Ph.D. program in fall 2024, Yasir held several policy and research positions in both the United States and Iraq. A native Arabic speaker, he holds a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Magna Cum Laude) and M.A. in International Affairs from Marquette University. To learn more about Kuoti’s research and publications, visit his webpage.

In Spring 2025, Sam received a CISS Summer mini-grant to train in critical research methods essential for ensuring the methodological rigor of his research which examines how authoritarian regimes use political rhetoric as a precursor to state repression; how such repression fuels the emergence of armed groups; and why some of these armed groups transition to politics while others do not. Learn more in our featured article.