Tian Qiu

I am currently a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Washington, Seattle. I previously earned my M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago and B.A. in International Affairs, with a minor in Japanese, from Skidmore College.

My research interests lie at the intersection of International Relations and Comparative Politics. Much of my whimsies center on nationalism, political division, and international conflict, particularly how leaders, as representatives of the state, respond when the people they govern do not perceive the world, or even their own “nation” (not the state), in the same way. I am particularly interested in what happens when national identities become fractured, and how such divisions shape the ways in which leaders navigate domestic and international challenges.