Interested in hiring an FIU PhD?

The Department of Politics and International Relations is pleased to have exceptional students who are now on the job market. If you have any questions, please contact the individual candidate.

International Relations PhD Candidates and Recent Graduates 

  • Leonidas Konstantakos, PhD in International Relations, Graduated Spring 2022

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       Curriculum Vitae

       Program: International Relations

       Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Harry Gould

       Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Mohiaddin Mesbahi, Dr. Paul Warren, and Dr. Alexander Barder 

    Research Interests: Political Philosophy, Just War Theory, Ethics, International Norms, Security 

    Dissertation Abstract: The ancient philosophy of Stoicism, itself one of the foundations for international law, can improve contemporary just war thinking by forming a coherent set of philosophical principles to serve as a foundation for a just war theory.  A Stoic approach considers justifications for moral actions to come not from an appeal to human rights, conformity to deontological rules, or from the utility of the actions themselves, but from virtuous character traits and corresponding virtuous actions.  As such, a Stoic approach to just war theory is a virtue ethics perspective in which metaethical incentive for moral action is the agent’s own flourishing and successful life (eudaimonia).  Such a theory is concerned with ‘internal justice’ rather than the ‘external justice’ of international laws, rules, or norms; it is based on the conception of oikeiosis, with its dual aspects: the presumed natural desire for self-preservation, leading to the selection of things appropriate to the human constitution; and the supposed social instinct, most notably exemplified by affection for those in the agent’s ‘concentric circles of concern.’  A minor theme of this project attempts to develop an education program in Stoic just war theory based on the ancient Stoics’ own program for education. 

    Email: lkons001@fiu.edu

  • Philip Guerreiro, PhD in International Relations, Graduated Spring 2023

Political Science PhD Candidates and Recent Graduates 

  • Garrett Pierman, PhD in Political Science, Graduated 2021

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       Curriculum Vitae

       Program: Political Science

       Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Clement Fatovic

       Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Alexander Barder, Dr. Ronald Cox, Dr. Whitney Bauman

    Title: A Future of Our Own Making: Technological Possibilities For Democracy

    Short Abstract: Early enthusiasm for the potential of digital platforms to invigorate and transform democracy has given way to concerns about whether digital politics is necessarily democratic. Broadly, this study seeks to examine how—and if—the internet functions as a public space conducive to democratic practices. The web offered something new- a means by which people could not only consume media (as was largely the case with radio and television) but could themselves become creators of content, critics, and commentators. This interactivity through the technological marvels of the internet could have resulted in a flourishing of democratic practices across the boundaries of class, race, gender, and geography. However, the construction of platforms such as Facebook and twitter, and the ways in which users inhabit them, may have less democratic results than the optimists hoped. With the increasing extent to which politics is conducted on the internet, through online platforms, scholars have begun to question the democratic potential of the web. The study surveys existing literature on digital deliberative democracy, then reads a history of the internet through Actor Network Theory, Gilles Deleuze, and others to theorize that the contemporary internet is an actor-network with capitalist internal resonances that empowers corporate interests to the detriment of everyday peoples’ ability to empower themselves and each other to participate in democratic deliberation.

    ORCID webpage: https:/orcid.org0000-0003-0157-405X

    Email: gpier018@fiu.edu

  • Daniel I. Pedreira, PhD in Political Science, Graduated

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      Curriculum Vitae

      Dissertation Committee Members

      Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Dario V. Moreno

      Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Tatiana Kostadinova, Dr. Eduardo A. Gamarra, and Dr. Matthew C. Mirow

    Research Interests: Executive branch politics, Cuban Politics, Latin American politics, democratization, authoritarianism.

    Dissertation Title: Semi-Presidentialism in Cuba: Institutionalization and Personalization under the 1940 Constitution

    Dissertation Abstract:

    The drafters of Cuba’s 1940 Constitution codified a semi-presidential system in the hopes of avoiding “the perils of presidentialism” that plagued the Cuban Republic’s early decades. Yet Cuba’s semi-presidential system lasted for less than twenty years. This dissertation seeks to determine the extent to which Cuba’s executive branch was institutionalized or personalistic in nature. Covering each presidential administration during the period, this dissertation takes a quantitative and qualitative approach towards analyzing several defining features of Cuban semi-presidentialism, including presidential and ministerial decrees, mentions of executives and institutions in newspaper and magazine headlines, the different roles of executive branch actors, and caricature themes in relation to different administrations. Notably, this dissertation represents the first study conducted on semi-presidentialism in Cuba. This dissertation will also impact the broader field of political science by contributing to the existing literature on semi-presidentialism. The findings may provide insights into why democracy collapsed in Cuba after only two decades of semi-presidentialism. The functions of semi-presidentialism under both democratic and authoritarian regimes during this period can offer useful comparisons into similarities and differences across regime types. In doing so, they can also shed light on prospects for democracy’s return to Cuba under the current authoritarian regime.

    Professional Website:http://danielpedreira.com

    Email:dpedreir@fiu.edu

  • Jermaine Young, PhD in Political Science, Gaduated 2022

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       Curriculum Vitae

       Dissertation Chair: Dr. Clement Fatovic

       Dissertation Committee members: Dr. Barry Levitt; Dr. Alexander Barder;     and Dr. Percy Hintzen

       Dissertation Title- Normalization of the Exception in Jamaica over time: The Nexus of Emergency Powers and Criminal Justice.

    Short Abstract- Since antiquity, the study of emergency powers has tended to revolve around the dichotomy between norm and exception, suggesting that governments follow established rules of law in ordinary circumstances and resort to extraordinary measures only in times of genuine emergency. My dissertation challenges this dichotomy by analyzing Jamaica’s colonial and post-colonial experiences with emergency powers to show continual legal violations rooted in state violence for upholding the rule of law. Utilizing a qualitative case study methodology consisting of primary and secondary sources, it focuses specifically on States of Emergencies (SOEs) and Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) for criminal justice ends in the 2010s . This study shows that SOEs and ZOSOs involve unlawful mass extended detentions, renditions, and the derogation of fundamental rights of Jamaicans (primarily those from a lower socio-economic background) and other forms of state violence that echo illiberal colonial practices. Contrary to earlier theorizations, the dissertation demonstrates that the boundaries between norm and exception in Jamaica have eroded in ways that are inconsistent with the country’s stated commitments to the rule of law and democratic values.

     Research Interests- Emergency Powers, Post-Colonial Theory, Prime Ministerial Power, Foundations of Political Thought

     Website: personal one being developed. FIU - https://pir.fiu.edu/people/political-science-graduate-students/jermaine-young1/jermaine-young.html

     Email:jyoun092@fiu.edu