Odil Gafarov is a non-associate fellow at the Institute for Advanced International Studies. His research interests include unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, and China’s foreign policy and military strategy. He is a recognized security expert for the United Nations Office on Counter-terrorism (UNOCT), the European Commission, and other international organizations. Before pursuing his Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University, he coordinated projects in Uzbekistan on preventing violent extremism, including the rehabilitation and resocialization of repatriated Uzbek nationals from conflict zones. Previously, he managed youth development projects under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Odil holds an M.A. in Economics and Management from Peking University, an M.A. in International Relations from Renmin University of China, and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy.