Emma M. Ashford

Emma M. Ashford is a visiting research fellow at the Cato Institute with expertise in international security, and the links between domestic politics and foreign policy, including democratization and economic and political development. She is an expert on the politics of petrostates, including Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iraq, and several states within the Former Soviet Union. Her work focuses on the ways in which domestic institutions shape foreign policy outcomes, in particular on the ways in which oil-induced weak institutions can lead to conflict and state aggression. Her current research examines the Russian foreign policy decision-making process during crises. Formerly a Bankard Predoctoral Fellow at the University of Virginia, Ashford has worked with the Russia-focused Center on Global Interests, and her work has been published by Foreign Policy, The National Interest, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, and Al Jazeera America. She holds a PhD and BA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, and an MA in International Affairs from American University’s School of International Service.