Sinem Arslan

Dr Sinem Arslan is a visiting fellow at the LSE Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus - Hellenic Observatory. She holds two master’s degrees, from LSE and Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, and completed her PhD at the University of Essex on the transnational dynamics of civil war peace processes. Her areas of expertise include civil wars and comparative peace processes, with a special emphasis on secessionist conflicts and the de facto states that emerge in the aftermath of such conflicts. Using qualitative, quantitative, and GIS mapping techniques, her research investigates the dynamics of political violence and peace processes comparatively. Dr Arslan has taught various modules on civil war dynamics, conflict, and peace processes, as well as on de facto states, and has been involved in numerous peacebuilding and peace education projects in the Middle East and Africa. Her recent research project investigates patron–client relations in de facto states and their implications for peace processes. The study, which combined a population survey of 1,000 respondents with 70 in-depth interviews with high-level politicians, investigates the changing dynamics of Turkish intervention in Northern Cyprus and the extent of Turkish Cypriot independent political agency. The findings, currently being developed into a book manuscript, have informed policy discussions with the major stakeholders in the UN, UK, Cyprus, and Türkiye, and have shaped the policy positions adopted by Türkiye’s opposition parties.