I am Afolabi O. Toye, a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of North Texas, specializing in International Relations and Comparative Politics. I expect to complete my doctorate in Spring 2026 under the supervision of Dr. Marijke Breuning, with committee members Dr. Idean Salehyan, Dr. John Ishiyama, and Dr. Michael Greig. My dissertation, Does Familiarity Breed Contempt or Agreement? How Shared Experiences of Leaders Influence Civil Wars, introduces a leader-centered framework for understanding the onset, intensity, and outcomes of civil wars across Africa.
I hold a Master of Arts in International Studies from Chapman University (2020), where my thesis, China-Africa Relations: The Northern Nigeria Textile Industry, analyzed the structural vulnerabilities created by foreign investment in African industries. I also earned a Master of Arts in International Relations from International Black Sea University, Georgia (2014), and a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria (2010). This academic training across three continents has shaped my comparative and global perspective on politics, governance, and development.
My broader research agenda explores human rights, repression, education, and representation in African governance. My solo-authored work examines how Western education conditions leaders’ human rights behavior and whether Western-educated African leaders promote gender inclusivity at the highest levels of government. I also engage in policy-relevant scholarship, including a co-authored paper in War on the Rocks, “The Secret Peace in Turkey: How Aging Leaders Are Ending a War” (2025), which connects academic research to real-world conflict resolution.
I am equally passionate about teaching. At the University of North Texas, I have taught and assisted courses in International Relations, Comparative Politics, U.S. Government, and African Politics, and I will be the instructor of record for Introduction to International Relations in Fall 2025. My teaching philosophy emphasizes clarity, inclusiveness, and connecting foundational concepts to real-world global challenges.
Through both research and teaching, I aim to advance understanding of how leaders influence governance and conflict while preparing students to think critically about global politics, equity, and democratic resilience.
Afolabi O. Toye-Political Scientist 