Shaarif Sameer

About me

I am a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Utah, where I expect to complete my PhD in December 2026. My research lies at the intersection of international relations and comparative politics, with a focus on international security, authoritarian politics, and foreign policy.

My work examines how threats to regime survival shape authoritarian regimes’ alignment with great powers and how these partnerships, in turn, transform authoritarian rule. Substantively, I focus on South Asia, combining regional expertise with broader theories of authoritarianism and international politics. 

Specifically, I examine when and why authoritarian regimes align with great powers, and how these partnerships reshape domestic political institutions, particularly civil–military relations.  My job market paper, "Authoritarian Alignment: Domestic Threats and the Search for External Patronage", currently under review at International Interactions, develops a demand-side theory showing how distinct types of domestic threats - mass mobilization, internal conflicts, and elite-led coup threats - shape both the likelihood and direction of alignment, as well as its downstream consequences for regime survival. In a related paper, “Authoritarian Alignment and Great Power Patronage: Evidence from Pakistan,” currently under review at Foreign Policy Analysis, I examine how a combination of internal and external threats contributed to Pakistan’s post-9/11 alignment with the United States.

I adopt a multi-method approach in my research, combining large-N quantitative analysis with original fieldwork, documentary and archival research, elite interviews, and survey experimentation

My research has been generously supported by the 2025–26 Smith Richardson Foundation's World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship and the Graduate Research Fellowship.

You can reach me at shaarif.sameer@utah.edu.