I study international relations and comparative politics. My current research focuses on the emergent norms surrounding the use and proliferation of armed unmanned aerial vehicles. I am particularly interested in teasing out the uniqueness of drones as compared to other weapons technologies, especially banned weapons technologies. I pair my interest in international civilian protection norms with an acute concern towards studying the totality of civilian experience of drone warfare.

I was born and raised in San Diego, California and graduated from the University of San Diego in 2011 with a B.A. in Communication Studies and minors in Peace & Justice Studies and Classical History. I decided to continue pursuing my interests in human rights by enrolling in a Master's program at the Kroc School of Peace Studies. While at the Kroc School, I focused on the deleterious effects of U.S. counterterrorism policies in Yemen and Pakistan. I worked at B'Tselem's Jerusalem office during my Master's program, cataloging video footage from the West Bank and Gaza according to potential human rights abuses.

Interests:

International Relations, International Law, Human Rights, Human Security, U.S. Foreign Policy, INGOs/NGOs, Social Movements

Articles Under Review and R&Rs:

Nylen, Alexandria. 2017. "Frontier Justice: International Law and 'Lawless Spaces' in the 'War Against Terrorists.'" Under Review at the European Journal of International Relations.

Nylen, Alexandria and Charli Carpenter. 2016. "Questions About Killing: Constructing International Law Through Public Opinion Surveys." R&R at the European Journal of International Security