PROJECTS
Recent & Upcoming Special Features
Venue: International Political Science Association (IPSA) World Congress, 2021.
Research Panel: Comparative Public Policy RC30.05
Co-Authors: Ozan Demircan (Handelsblatt Global), Patricia Barros (Dalhousie University)
In the post-Cold War Era, international aid gained considerable relevance as a foreign policy tool. Among the earliest and largest of these donors was, for many years, the USA, however, in the 1990s this would become a tool adopted by countries all over the globe. States of the Global South may have been recipients in decades past, but now they are increasingly active members of foreign aid initiatives. Since then, the scope of South-South Cooperation (SSC) has grown so considerably that it has changed the politico-economic landscape of development aid in the modern era. This project looks at past and present patterns evident in Turkish official development aid (ODA) donations over the last two decades with respect to Turkey’s growing cooperation with Somalia. The research contributes an in-depth perspective to a broader question gaining momentum in academia: have ‘South State’ donors improved their cooperation activities in accordance with their critiques related to former ‘North State’ donors, is this another show of soft power, or something between? By looking at longitudinal changes within Turkey, we hope to provide deeper insights into the changing ODA policies emanating from the Near East toward African partners.
CAN BLOCKCHAIN IMPROVE ELECTION SECURITY?
A Comparative Analysis of Emerging Blockchain E-voting Systems
Faculty: Economics and Administrative Sciences
Department: Political Science
Program: M.A. of International Relations: Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East
Status: Complete
This comparative case study investigates whether blockchain can improve election security by increasing transparency in the electoral cycle’s voting and vote tabulation phases. Statistically declining perceptions of trust in electoral institutions, rising populist rhetoric, and deepening polarization are stress-testing democratic infrastructure to the extent that a worldwide exploration for more viable alternative voting methods is underway. Although emerging blockchain e-voting systems may be the indirect product of contemporary electoral insecurity, it is another question whether they are ready for full-scale implementation. Thus, this manuscript qualitatively investigates and compares five ongoing projects worldwide based in Estonia, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, and the United States. What unique opportunity costs and policy voids surround these emerging technological infrastructures and their data management systems? Each pilot project is reviewed with a nod to the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) Election Security Profile developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Election Security Framework (ESF) standards.
Archive Title (Turkish): Blokzincir Seçim Güvenliğini Artırabilir mi? Gelişen Blockzincir E-Oylama Sistemlerinin Karşılaştırmalı Bir Analizi
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Zeynep Kadirbeyoğlu
Genre: Novel, Political Thriller
Publication: pending
Status: In progress
“Breadcrumbs Worth Burning” is a coming-of-age story of a young man who finds a book abandoned in a Spanish train station. Searching for the author's contact information (to return it), he discovers instead that the journal belongs to a runaway. As curiosity devolves into obsession, he takes it upon himself to compile the dislocated entries of the journal. As he reads, he finds the runaway's journey abroad is not ony juxtaposed with that of a homebound caregiver trying to save her son from violent psychosis, a former child soldier fleeing for political asylum and a university under police siege, but also his own. As each individual in the journal refuses a Faustian bargain (the willingness to sell one’s soul for personal gain), resulting in exile or censorship, he too is irrationally unable to refuse the world built by the entries of the journal.
By unapologetically delving into the human psyche, "Breadcrumbs Worth Burning" confronts asymmetries of global society, the individual’s place within that society, and oneself within their own mind’s eye.
Previous
PUBLICATIONS, PROJECTS & PRESENTATIONS
Beneath the direction of Kate Vitasek, CEO and founder of Vested, Inc. I contributed as an associate author to the Forbes publication of "Supply Crisis Season: The West Coast Port Negotiations."
The article address renewed tensions between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employers and International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU) as well as their role in the latest supply chain crisis. Ultimately, experts recommend that instead of slowing the port system to a standstill and waiting for the other side to blink, PMA and ULWU should negotiate how they are going to negotiate using a formal relational contracting process
This comparative case study investigates whether blockchain can improve election security by increasing transparency in the electoral cycle’s voting and vote tabulation phases. Statistically declining perceptions of trust in electoral institutions, rising populist rhetoric, and deepening polarization are stress-testing democratic infrastructure to the extent that a worldwide exploration for more viable alternative voting methods is underway. Although emerging blockchain e-voting systems may be the indirect product of contemporary electoral insecurity, it is another question whether they are ready for full-scale implementation. Thus, this manuscript qualitatively investigates and compares five ongoing projects worldwide based in Estonia, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, and the United States. What unique opportunity costs and policy voids surround these emerging technological infrastructures and their data management systems? Each pilot project is reviewed with a nod to the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) Election Security Profile developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Election Security Framework (ESF) standards.
Archive Title (Turkish): Blokzincir Seçim Güvenliğini Artırabilir mi? Gelişen Blockzincir E-Oylama Sistemlerinin Karşılaştırmalı Bir Analizi
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Zeynep Kadirbeyoğlu
Beneath the guidance of Dr. Tahir Shad (author), I assisted in preliminary editing of the manuscript, "Religion, Economics, and Politics in FATA-KP: The Enduring Challenges of Merged Tribal Districts in Northwestern Pakistan."
This book provides a unique Pakistani perspective and understanding of a region that has not been studied extensively to date. Pakistan’s Frontier Region has been at the forefront of the War on Terror since 2001. The Federally Administered Tribal Agencies (now known as merged Tribal Districts) are a critical geostrategic area for Pakistan. This work highlights key economic, political, and religious issues in the FATA-KP region in order to identify means to eradicate ongoing conflicts and integrate the region within mainstream Pakistani society. This project proposes a series of phased economic development reforms that can guide FATA’s transition as an integrated territory within the rest of Pakistan. These reforms can and should encourage dimensions of indigenous economic practices, women’s empowerment, the education system, food security, subsistence agriculture, and transportation and communication infrastructure where possible. These improvements can be implemented in 10+ year plans designed to organize a committed effort to develop and integrate FATA with the rest of Pakistan.
About the Authors:
Tahir I. Shad is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. He is the Academic Director for the minor in Middle Eastern Studies.
Syed Hussain Shaheed Soherwordi is Professor, Chairman of the Department of International Relations and Director of the Center for FATA Studies with the University of Peshawar, following a career as researcher and teacher of international relations, conflict resolution, political science and creative leadership.
Authors: Julia Jakus (Boğaziçi University), Ozan Demircan (Handelsblatt Global), Patricia Barros (Dalhousie University)
In the post-Cold War Era, international aid gained considerable relevance as a foreign policy tool. Among the earliest and largest of these donors was, for many years, the USA, however, in the 1990s this would become a tool adopted by countries all over the globe. States of the Global South may have been recipients in decades past, but now they are increasingly active members of foreign aid initiatives. Since then, the scope of South-South Cooperation (SSC) has grown so considerably that it has changed the politico-economic landscape of development aid in the modern era. This project looks at past and present patterns evident in Turkish official development aid (ODA) donations over the last two decades with respect to Turkey’s growing cooperation with Somalia. The research contributes an in-depth perspective to a broader question gaining momentum in academia: have ‘South State’ donors improved their cooperation activities in accordance with their critiques related to former ‘North State’ donors, is this another show of soft power, or something between? By looking at longitudinal changes within Turkey, we hope to provide deeper insights into the changing ODA policies emanating from the Near East toward African partners.
Jakus, J.M. (2020). What can Crude Oil Builds, Futures, and Stock Crashes tell us about the Global Financial System?.
Modern Diplomacy. Retrieved 10 August 2021, from https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/12/12/what-can-crude-oil-builds-futures-and-stock-crashes-tell-us-about-the-global-financial-system/.
Jakus, J. (2020). When Did the Discussion of “Fixed Versus Floating Exchange Rates” Fall Out of Vogue?.
Journal Of Applied Business And Economics, 22(10). https://doi.org/10.33423/jabe.v22i10.3720
Jakus, J.M. (2020). Ceasefire Violated, Civilians of Ganja, Azerbaijan Hit –Again.
Modern Diplomacy. Retrieved 10 August 2021, from https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/10/26/ceasefire-violated-civilians-of-ganja-azerbaijan-hit-again/.
Jakus, J.M. (2020). Beneath the Skin of America’s Protest.
Modern Diplomacy. Retrieved 10 August 2021, from https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/06/05/beneath-the-skin-of-americas-protest/.
Unpublished, 2021.
Unpublished, 2020.
Unpublished, 2020.
IPSA World Congress Archives, 2018.
Blurb, 2018.
Jakus, J. (2017). Laïcité and Laiklik: When Did the Comparability of Assertive Laicism in France and Turkey Dissolve?.
Sociology And Anthropology, 5(11), 923-940. https://doi.org/10.13189/sa.2017.051103