Anglo-American University in Prague Doc. Pelin Ayan Musil, PhD
Doc. Ayan Musil is a senior lecturer at Anglo-American University. She holds an MA in Political Science from Central European University (Budapest, 2005) and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Bilkent University (Ankara, 2009). During her doctoral studies, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and spent a year at the Department of Government at Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.). In 2019, she was a short-term visiting scholar at Stanford University, hosted by the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies.
She has been the principal investigator on two research projects funded by the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) and has participated in two Horizon Europe projects as a member of the Czech research team led by the Institute of International Relations Prague. Her research focuses on the rise of far-right populist parties, democratic recession in Muslim and post-communist contexts, as well as opposition strategies and movements.
She is the author of two monographs, co-editor of three edited volumes, has published extensively in leading academic journals, and authored several policy papers and expert memos.
Specialization
Democratization, regime change, political parties and party systems, social movements, qualitative research, contemporary Turkey
Publications
Academic Articles
- Pelin Ayan Musil and Anita Tusor (2025). “Leveraging Crises: How the Russian Aggression in Ukraine Benefited the Populist Government in Hungary’s 2022 Election Campaigns.” Czech Journal of International Relations.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2024) “How incumbents create uneven patterns of competition during autocratization: the AKP case of Turkey” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 24(2), 277–295.
- Pelin Ayan Musil and Sebnem Yardimci-Geyikci (2024) “Transnationalization of Opposition Strategy Under Competitive Authoritarianism: Evidence from Turkey and Hungary,” Government and Opposition, 59(2), 341-359.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2024) “How opposition parties unite in competitive authoritarian regimes: the role of an intermediary party” Democratization, 31(1) 210-232.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2023) “The AKP’s Appeal to the Kurdish Vote in Turkey: Exploring the Role of an Outsider Party Identity” Archiv orientální 91(2): 205-228.
- Pelin Ayan Musil and Salim Cevik (2024) “Regime Trajectories in Tunisia and Turkey: A Comparative Perspective” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 51(5): 1187-1205.
- Alexei Anisin and Pelin Ayan Musil (2023) “Resistance and Military Defection in Turkey,” Mediterranean Politics 28(2): 202-226.
- Alexei Anisin and Pelin Ayan Musil (2022) “Protester-police fraternization in the 2013 Gezi Park uprisings,” Social Movement Studies 21(4): 395-412.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2023) “Revisiting the Concept of Moderation in the Age of Populism: the AKP case of Turkey,” Middle East Law and Governance 15(4), 435-461.
- Pelin Ayan Musil and Jacob Maze (2021) “Pro-Rebel Party Behavior during Civil Wars: The Case of the Pro-Kurdish Parties in Turkey,” Civil Wars (23)1: 25-56.
- Pelin Ayan Musil and Jan Vašenda (2020) “Party Regulation in Turkey: A Comparison with Modern Europe,” Turkish Studies (21)1: 83-107.
- Pelin Ayan Musil and Hasret Dikici Bilgin (2016) “Types of Outcomes in Factional Rivalries: Lessons from non-Democratic Parties in Turkey,” International Political Science Review 37(2): 166-183.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2015) “Emergence of a Dominant Party System after Multipartism: Theoretical Implications from the Case of the AKP in Turkey,” South European Society and Politics, 20(1): 71-92.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2015) “Czech Public Opinion on Turkey’s Accession to the EU: An Analysis through the Lenses of Sociological and Discursive Institutionalism,” New Perspectives 23(1): 71-96.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2014) “Does Antagonism precede Agonism in Challenging Neoliberalism: The Gezi Resistance in Turkey,” Acta Politologica 6 (3): 326-342.
- N. Fehim Kennedy, Nazli Senses and Pelin Ayan (2011). “Grasping the Social Through Movies” Teaching in Higher Education 16(1): 1-14.
- Pelin Ayan (2010) “Authoritarian party structures in Turkey: A Comparison of the Republican People’s Party and the Justice and Development Party,” Turkish Studies 11 (2): 197-215.
Books and Book Chapters
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2025) “Supporting Liberal-Minded Local Activism in Far-Right National Contexts.” In Mats Braun, Pelin Ayan Musil, Daniel Sitera (eds) Svět v proměnách 2025: Analýzy ÚMV. Institute of International Relations Prague, pp. 63-67.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2024) “How Türkiye’s Balancing Strategy between Russia and the West Matters.” In Ondrej Ditrych, Mats Braun, Pelin Ayan Musil (eds) Svět v proměnách 2024: Analýzy ÚMV. Institute of International Relations Prague, pp. 22-28.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2022) Transformation of Islamist and Kurdish Parties in Turkey: Consequences for Regime Change. New York: Springer.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2021) “The Rise and Fall of Moderate Islamism as a Political Project: The Legacy of 9/11 in Turkey’s Relations with the West“. In Lutfi, Ameem; Schwartz, L. Kevin (eds.). Legacies of 9/11 and the Global War on Terror: Volume 1. Prague: Oriental Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, pp.40-42.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2021) “The Global Wave of Autocratization and the Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications for the Czech Republic.” in Alica Kizekova (ed) České zájmy v roce 2020: Analýzy ÚMV. Institute of International Relations Prague, pp. 98-111.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2018) “Assessing the Level of Party Cartelization in Contemporary Turkey” in Sabri Sayari, Pelin Ayan Musil, Ozhan Demirkol (eds.) Party Politics in Turkey. A Comparative Perspective. London: Routledge, pp. 80-97.
- (in Turkish) Pelin Ayan Musil (2015) “Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi: İdeoloji, Örgüt ve Güncel Söylemler” In Edip A. Bekaroglu (ed.) Araftaki Seçim: Türkiye’de Siyasi Partiler ve Seçim Kampanyaları. Istanbul: Vadi Press, pp. 159-186.
- (in Turkish – textbook) Pelin Ayan Musil (2013) “Hükümet Sistemleri: Başkanlık Sistemi ve Parlamenter Sistem” In Sabri Sayarı, Hasret Dikici Bilgin (eds.) Karşılaştırmalı Siyaset. Istanbul: Bilgi Universitesi Yayınları, pp. 189-208.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2011) Authoritarian Party Structures and Democratic Political Setting in Turkey. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Edited Volumes
- Mats Braun, Pelin Ayan Musil, Daniel Sitera (eds). 2025. Svět v proměnách 2025: Analýzy ÚMV. Institute of International Relations Prague.
- Ondrej Ditrych, Mats Braun, Pelin Ayan Musil (eds). 2024. Svět v proměnách 2024: Analýzy ÚMV. Institute of International Relations Prague.
- Sabri Sayari, Pelin Ayan Musil, Özhan Demirkol (eds). 2018. Party Politics in Turkey. A Comparative Perspective. London: Routledge.
- Pelin Ayan Musil and Juraj Mahfoud (eds). 2013. Research Report: Public Portrayal of Turkey in Visegrad Countries. Istanbul: Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM).
Policy Papers
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2022). “What can we Expect from the 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Turkey?” Institute of International Relations Prague, 22.11.2022.
- Pelin Ayan Musil, Clement Steuer and Sinan Arda (2021). “The Diplomatic Rapprochement between Turkey and Egypt: Implications and Recommendations for the Czech Presidency of the EU.” Institute of International Relations Prague, 30.06.2022.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2020). “The Current State of EU-Turkey Relations and Implications for Czech Foreign Policy.” Institute of International Relations Prague, 23.12.2020
Book Reviews
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2022) “Fragile But Resilient? Turkish Electoral Dynamics, 2002-2015” Party Politics 28(6): 1204-1205.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2016) “Democracy and Islam in Indonesia by Mirjam Künkler and Alfred Stepan, Columbia University Press.” Democratization 23(6): 1092-93.
- Pelin Ayan Musil (2015) “Zones of Rebellion by Aysegul Aydin and Cem Emrence, Cornell University Press.” International Affairs 91(5): 1182-84.
Research Reports
- K. Kochlöffel, P. Kratochvíl, J. Kovář, P Ayan Musil, Z. Sychra (2025). Central European Populism: Is there a convergence around climate change, gender and immigration-related policies? ActEU Horizon Project. Published on 7 April 2025.
- P. Kratochvíl, K. Kochlöffel, J. Kovář, L. Morales, P Ayan Musil, L. Ramiro, Z. Sychra (2024). The Populist Far Right In the EU: A convergence in immigration, climate change, and gender-related policies? ActEU Horizon Project. Published on 5 November 2024.
- J. Daniel, J. Svec, M. Larys and P. Ayan Musil (2024). External Actors’ Engagement in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. Re-ENGAGE Horizon Project. Published on 31 October 2024
- P. Ayan Musil (2022). Reform in Political Parties: Organizational-Ideological Freedom of Parties, Financial Audit, and the Intra-Party Democracy Mandate. Istanbul: Freedom Research Association of Turkey, July.
Selected Op-Eds (published for Media & Public Audience)
Pelin Ayan Musil (2020). “Spojení opozice proti populistickým vládám na periferii Evropy: Volby starostů v Budapešti a Istanbulu” Mezinárodní politika. Institute of International Relations Prague, pp. 22-25.
Pelin Ayan Musil and Sultan Tepe (2024). “Opposition triumph in Turkey’s local elections: democratic recovery or autocratic hiccup?” ECPR The Loop. 22.4.2024.
Pelin Ayan Musil (2023). “Využije turecká opozice šanci vyhrát prezidentské volby? Podporu lidí má, s kandidátem je to horší” VoxPot, 3.5.2023.
Pelin Ayan Musil and Matej Boček (2021). “Western Response to the Global Wave of Autocratization: Defensive, but not very Constructive?” Mezinárodní Politika, 21.10.2021.
Pelin Ayan Musil (2021). “‘I já jsem věřící, ale toto je příliš.’ Jak protesty na Bosporské univerzitě odhalily slabinu turecké vlády” VoxPot, 26.3.2021.
Pelin Ayan Musil (2020). “Parties with a History of Secessionist Violence: What does their Electoral Success Mean for Peace and Democracy?” openDemocracy, 10 March.
Pelin Ayan Musil (2020). “Turecko přilévá olej do ohně v dalším konfliktu: Severní Kypr ovládl Erdoganův spojenec” VoxPot, 17.11.2020.