Ararat Kostanian is a political scientist, media analyst, and academic with more than a decade of experience in diplomatic analysis, think-tank research, and academic publishing. Specializing in international relations, peace studies, and social cohesion, he focuses on the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. He developed the “Proactive Hedging” framework for analyzing small-state stability and regional security, has appeared in more than 50 international media outlets, and has published research with leading academic journals and publishers, including Palgrave Macmillan and SAGE. He holds a Masters degree from the Australian National University and was recently awarded his doctorate from the Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia, in Jakarta.