Watson Events

Muhammad Omar Afzaal — Picking Your Battles: A Story of Pakistan's Perceptions

Muhammad Omar Afzaal is a Ph.D. student in Political Science, focusing on International Relations and Security. His research engages civil-military relations vis-à-vis interstate conflict and security institutional design. Afzaal is particularly interested in the paradox of nuclear proliferation, how territorial conflict influences civil-military relations, and where national security takes precedence over democracy for nuclear states, especially in South Asia. His past experiences include working on proliferation financing and targeted financial sanctions for the Financial Access for U.S Nonprofits report launched at the World Bank. His previous research undertakings have involved projects for Harvard University, Oxford University, the World Bank and the United Nations University (Maastricht). Afzaal holds a BA in Economics from Grinnell College and a Masters in Public Affairs from Brown University, specializing in civil-military diplomacy and nuclear strategy from Harvard University through the Brown-Harvard program.