Congratulations to the School of Politics and International Relation's doctoral research Selim Yilmaz on recently passing his PhD viva.
Selim’s research theorises problem-solving statecraft for states’ competition in non-military ways. His theory, “Balance of Initiatives”, offers an alternative perspective to understand power competition in world politics.
Reflecting on his PhD journey, Selim said:
“As a self-funded student, I taught at four UK universities to finance my research journey. Moving between different universities, classrooms and student communities developed my ability to adapt to different academic settings, communicate complex ideas clearly, and grow as a researcher and educator.
Among all, I am grateful to my supervisors, Dr Matthew Rendall and Dr Jason Klocek, for their unconditional support in guiding me at this important stage of my life. Beyond that, my mentor, Professor Norrin Ripsman, has been an inspiration in theorising international relations. His influence decisively encouraged me to tackle the challenges of theorising and shaped the way I have learned to think about IR.
My greatest gratitude goes to Dr Rendall as he has nurtured, cultivated and protected my intellectual curiosity for knowledge. I truly believe that no other supervisor in the UK academic context could have helped me as much in developing my ideas. I started off with an unclear curiosity, and the long hours of conversations we had gradually sculpted my reflections into clear ideas. Dr Rendall never imposed any directions on me, and instead gave me the free space I needed to reflect and question independently. Looking back, I genuinely believe that his supervision shaped not only my thesis, but also the kind of scholar I hope to become.
To conclude my reflections, theorising is an iterative process of questioning, revising and returning to the evidence and requires engagement with history. If a PhD is a marathon, then theorising is a triathlon.”
Selim's these was examined by Professor Andrew Mumford (ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½) and (University of Surrey).
Posted on Tuesday 18th August 2026