Category Archives: FMSO Fellows 2023

Alexandros Tsipouras

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Alexandros Tsipouras
alexandros.tsipouras23@gmail.com

Alexandros Tsipouras is a recent graduate of American University’s School of Internataional Service, earning a B.A. in International Relations with a focus on national security. Prior to being a FMSO/GCKN fellow, he interned at the United Nations and the European Union respectively, focusing on Russian PMC activities in Africa and Europe, illegal arms trafficking, and the Western Balkans. Most of his academic research centers on Chinese influence in Asia, the evolution of PLA doctrine, and wargaming. He is a native English speaker with elementary proficiency in Russian.

Amelia Cheatham

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Amelia Cheatham
acc2248@columbia.edu

Amelia Cheatham holds a Master of International Affairs, focused on International Security Policy, from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University. Between her undergraduate and graduate studies, she worked at the Council on Foreign Relations, where she conducted research and created multimedia content about Latin America and immigration.

She has also interned at The White House, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Most recently, she conducted research about the potential for cyber escalation at Columbia University’s Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies.

With a background in journalistic and legal investigations, she is interested in China’s presence in Sub-Saharan Africa and the U.S.-North Korea and China-North Korea relationships. Her analysis has been published by the Council on Foreign Relations and Foreign Policy.

Artemis Hodoyan

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Artemis Hodoyan
artemishodoyanmon@gmail.com

Artemis Hodoyan is currently pursuing a MS in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security from American University. She earned her B.A. in Political Science and Theology from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and is currently a defense Legislative Assistant (policy advisor) in the U.S. House of Representatives and previously worked in the U.S. Senate.

Her academic and professional interests include foreign policy, defense, intelligence and national security. She is also an alumna of the Wilson Center’s Foreign Policy Fellowship Program. Artemis is a native English and Spanish speaker with elementary proficiency in Arabic.

August Gold

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August Gold
arg2237@columbia.edu

August Gold is currently pursuing a Master’s in International Affairs, with a concentration in International Security Policy and Conflict Resolution with a regional specialization in the Middle East at Columbia University. He holds a B.A. in History from Columbia University, specializing in the history of American Foreign policy, and the ancient Mediterranean.

His previous research experience consists of large data collection projects on the history of modern naval warfare for Columbia University’s Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies. Prior to Columbia University he served four years in the Marine Corps as an infantryman with deployments to Afghanistan and the Pacific.

He also served as a civilian contractor for the Department of Defense and other government organizations. His primary research interests revolve around state and non-state violence, geopolitics, and the history of conflict.

Blaise Enonchong

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Blaise Enonchong
benonchong@gmail.com

Blaise Enonchong, S.J.D. is a trained attorney. He graduated from Penn State’s Master of Professional Studies in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems in 2021. Prior to attending Penn State, Blaise had graduated from Golden Gate University Law School in San Francisco, CA, in 2011 with an S.J.D. He also holds an LL.B/Licence en Droit from the University of Yaounde II, Cameroon, and an LL.M from Howard University School of Law, Washington, D.C. He currently resides and works in Boise, Idaho, as a renewable energy and sustainability consultant.

Christopher Betts

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Christopher Betts
chrisbetts.131@gmail.com

Christopher Betts is a detective for the Columbus Police Counter Terrorism Unit assigned to Ohio’s Statewide Terrorism Analysis and Crime Center. In that capacity, he often conducts briefings to senior members of the local, state, and federal government, as well as U.S. military personnel. He also has extensive professional experience related to racially motivated violent extremist groups and has investigated criminal cases involving ideologically-motivated extremists who threaten to commit acts of mass violence.

He obtained his Master’s in Homeland Security with a focus on counterterrorism from Penn State University and a Bachelor’s from The Ohio State University in International Studies with a focus on security and intelligence.

His primary research interests currently include the expanding Russian and Chinese influence in multiple regions of the world, as well as international terrorism trends in West Africa, specifically the ongoing security situation in the Sahel and Russian PMC activity in the region. He has elementary proficiency in Russian and continues to study in the language.

Eden Yakimov

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Eden Yakimov
edenyakimov@hotmail.com

Eden Yakimov is currently pursuing an M.S. in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security from American University. She also earned her B.A. in Government and Politics with a concentration in International Relations from the University of Maryland. Her research interests include both foreign and domestic terrorism, as well as countering extremism around the world.

Her previous academic focus has centered on radicalization in online spaces and beyond, as well as the changing political climate in the United States. She has spent her time volunteering for political campaigns around the country, and she will start a position at the Department of Justice, Criminal Division in the summer of 2023.

Henry Guevara

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Henry Guevara
guevarahm250@gmail.com

Henry Guevara is a recent graduate of Pennsylvania State University where he recieved his B.A. in International Politics. He will be pursuing his education this fall at the University of San Diego (USD) as a candidate in USDs’ Masters in International Relations (MAIR) program.

His professional career in military-diplomacy includes eighteen years of special operations experience around the world as a Naval Special Warfare SEAL Operator, having served in multiple theaters of operations and campaigns. He has also held high-level staff positions while on assignment in the Middle East working with and alongside strategic partners and allies to counter terrorism and extremism. Henry is a native English and Spanish speaker.

Jacob Edwards

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Jacob Edwards
jedwards3@albany.edu

Jacob Edwards is a Master of International Affairs student at SUNY Albany. He earned his B.A. in International Relations from UC Davis with a focus on East Asian Peace and Security. In 2017, he interned for a county legislator in Long Island, NY. He completed the Summer Language School for Japanese at Middlebury College in 2019 and continues to focus on Japan and East Asian affairs.

His interest lies in naval and military dynamics in the region with a particular focus on the competition between the PLAN and the U.S. Navy. He is a native English speaker along with an intermediate Japanese proficiency.

James Hennessy

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James Hennessy
jamesthennessy@gmail.com

James Hennessy holds a Master of Science in Counterterrorism and Homeland Security from American University as well as a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota: Twin Cities. While at the University of Minnesota, he also received minors in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Chinese Studies) and a minor in History with a focus on East Asia.

His research interests include Chinese global influence, international counterterrorism strategy, U.S. clandestine operations, Taliban-Chinese relations, and unconventional warfare tactics. He is a native English speaker with intermediate proficiency in Mandarin as well as the Shanghai Wu dialect.