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 Oktay

 

Sibel Oktay
University of Illinois, Springfield

Sibel Oktay is Associate Professor and Director of the School of Politics and International Affairs at the University of Illinois, Springfield and a Nonresident Senior Fellow of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Syracuse University. Oktay is a scholar of foreign policy analysis with regional interests in Europe, the U.S., and the Middle East. Her work investigates how domestic politics impact foreign policy, the effect of foreign policy on public opinion and voting behavior, and how leaders influence these relationships. Her research has been published in the Journal of European Public Policy, European Journal of Political Research, and European Security, among other outlets. She is the author of the book Governing Abroad: Coalition Politics and Foreign Policy in Europe (University of Michigan Press, 2022). A frequent media contributor, Oktay's commentary and analysis have been featured in The New York Times, The Hill, War On The Rocks, and the BBC's Turkey service as well as among other international news outlets in Turkey, Lebanon, Canada, the Netherlands, and Brazil. She serves on the editorial board of the journal International Studies Perspectives. She is 2021-2022 president of the Foreign Policy Analysis section of the International Studies Association and 2023 program co-chair in the Foreign Policy section of the American Political Science Association.


Department of State Profile

Under Secretary for Management
Foreign Service Institute (FSI)


Sibel Oktay serves as an expert Foreign Affairs Officer within the Political Training Division of the School of Professional and Area Studies at FSI (FSI/SPAS/POL). POL's mission is to train the Department's Foreign Service, Civil Service, and Locally Employed Staff, as well as other U.S. government employees to advance U.S. foreign policy and national security interests. Sibel is advising POL primarily on how to update and improve its approach to training on political analysis and multilateral diplomacy. In this capacity, she is redesigning the modules on political analysis and offering them in various training courses, and contributing to the development of new courses on multilateral diplomacy, alliances, and strategic analysis. Sibel is also liaising with multiple offices across FSI to leverage the Department's knowledge base in support of officer trainings and improving the learning assessment methods.