Papers, policy notes, and essays from my studies in Political Science and Japanese Studies. German- and Japanese-language works keep their original titles with an English subtitle. The tag shows the language.
Compares how Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan adapt their security strategies within the US hub-and-spoke alliance model while China's rise and North Korea's nuclear program strain extended deterrence. The three respond differently, shaped by domestic constraints, threat perceptions, and history.
Argues that combining realist power dynamics (economic incentives, security imperatives, OPEC+) with constructivist identity shifts explains the China-brokered 2023 Saudi–Iran rapprochement best. Uses process tracing on official statements from 2021–2023 and ripeness theory to explain the deal's timing.
UZH course paper — Saudi Arabia and Iran: The Regional Rivalry between Realist and Constructivist Approaches (Prof. Elham Manea).
Policy note on Iran's internal cohesion. Recurring unrest in Sistan-Baluchestan and the Kurdish northwest stems from developmental disparities and governance gaps. The note proposes a Social Harmony Council, provincial inclusion mechanisms, and early-warning capacity to strengthen state legitimacy.
Addressed to President Masoud Pezeshkian (Islamic Republic of Iran).
Policy note arguing that Saudi Arabia should use the US drawdown from the region as an opportunity for economic engagement with Iran. The proposed strategy has three pillars: indigenous deterrence, economic statecraft (a Gulf Economic Dialogue Initiative), and mediation in proxy conflicts such as Yemen.
Addressed to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia).
NLP analysis of more than 180,000 Swiss parliamentary speeches in German, French, and Italian (UZH × DemoSquare). Emotionality in the National Council has risen modestly since the early 2000s, is driven mainly by the SVP, and shows distinct gender, party, and institutional patterns.
Published trilingual; English section shown here.
The Impact of the 2007–09 Global Financial Crisis on the Total Fertility Rate in Okinawa and Tokyo
Bachelor thesis testing whether economic recessions hit fertility harder in wealthier regions. It compares total fertility rates in Tokyo and Okinawa prefectures across 2000–2014 against Japanese GDP during the 2007–09 crisis.
Grade 5.5 (UZH scale).
Dozing at Work: A Comparison of Japan and Switzerland
Course essay on inemuri, the Japanese practice of dozing while present at work or in public. It defines the concept, compares workplace norms in Japan and Switzerland, and reflects on first-hand experience from a year living in Osaka.
Japan's Declining Birthrate: Causes, Consequences and a Comparison with Switzerland
Written in Japanese during the MEXT exchange at Osaka University. It explains shōshika (the declining birthrate): its causes, social consequences from labor shortages to infrastructure strain, proposed countermeasures, and a comparison with Switzerland.
From 'Climate' to Climate Change
Essay in the history of Japanese philosophy applying Watsuji Tetsurō's concept of fūdo (climate) from Fūdo – Wind und Erde to contemporary climate change, asking how his account of climate shaping human life remains relevant today.
Term paper on how China builds soft power in Africa, with a focus on television and media. It includes a case study of Senegal and a comparison with Western models of soft-power diffusion.
"China in International Affairs" course (Dr. Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu).
Soft Power in Japanese Foreign Policy: Japan's Soft Power in the ASEAN Region
Traces how Japan's soft power in the ASEAN region developed between 2008 and 2019, drawing on Ministry of Foreign Affairs survey data and case studies of Thailand and Myanmar.