I am Adnan.
I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the College of Business and Global Affairs at the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM). I specialize in International Relations and Comparative Politics with a regional focus on Asia.
At UTM, I teach courses on World Politics, International Relations, Regions of the World (Asia and Africa), and Contemporary Global Issues (Human Rights and Politics of War/Peace). I am part of my College’s Ad – hoc committee on enhancing Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. I am the incoming Chair of the University’s Committee on Committees as well as a member of the University’s Committee of Faculty Research and Development.
My current research interests are mainly in the fields of comparative politics, international relations, and pedagogical innovation. My research philosophy is rooted in trying to answer questions that not only have academic implications but also real-world policy impacts. That is why most of my current research explores overarching questions that we face as states and communities.
Currently I am working on my book, Failsafe: How Bureaucracies Provide Governance Stability in Political Chaos, that is under contract with Lexington Books. The book explores the role of bureaucracies in nascent democracies and how they play the role of a system failsafe, allowing governance to occur uninterrupted even in times of political chaos. This book is based on my extensive field work in Pakistan, Taiwan, and Turkey that I completed during my PhD.
In addition to the book project, in the last year, I have had three review publications appear in journals like Asian Politics & Policy (APP), Journal of Indian and Asian Studies (JIAS), and Journal of Political Science Education (JPSE).You can find links to my articles on the Research Page.
My future research agenda is focused on two areas: Comparative Analysis of Trade and Diplomacy in Southeast Asia and Pedagogical Innovation. The newer work I am pursuing, for which I have won a generous travel grant from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at UTM, studies how states, particularly in east Asia, manage their foreign policies to remain neutral in the time of great power rivalry. I am interested in exploring how countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam manage their relationships with the US and China while both these countries escalate their interaction in the Indo – Pacific region. I am also interested in exploring the role organizations like Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) play in maintaining neutrality in the region. I am working on comparatively analyzing the approach US and China are taking in the Indo Pacific with regards to building alliances. In tune with this work, I am in early stages of exploring how pacific island nations are responding to the dueling nature of great powers that wish to establish dominance in the pacific.
In addition to being a teacher, I have extensive experience in survey design, data analytics, research, and program design, development, and interdisciplinary, evidence-based research. I have previously worked for World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and USAID-funded projects in Asia and Africa.
My public-facing scholarship has appeared in the Huffington Post, Dawn, The Nation, The Conversation, and The Diplomat.
You can email me at arasool1@utm.edu