Oren Samet

Oren Samet is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of California, Berkeley. His research centers on opposition parties, civil society, and authoritarianism, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. His dissertation explores the international activities of opposition parties, particularly those that have challenged authoritarian incumbents since the end of the Cold War. His account situates these activities in the context of a wide array of strategies available to parties and examines the mechanisms through which they can contribute to the imposition of sanctions and other policy decisions by foreign governments. The research has implications for prospects for democratization in an era of increasing democratic backsliding. Before beginning his Ph.D., Oren was based in Bangkok, Thailand, and worked in the field of international human rights. There, he served as the Research and Advocacy Director of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, working with politicians and civil society leaders across Southeast Asia. He previously worked as a Junior Fellow in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and holds a B.A. from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.

Proposal Title: Challenging Autocrats Abroad: Opposition Parties on the International Stage