School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Areas of Interest and Specialization

World politics; power and critical international relations; armed conflict and peace; the state, societal actors, separatism, and interventionism; the greater Horn of Africa and the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden politics

Profile

Prof. Aleksi Ylönen is a Professor of International Relations who specializes in Comparative Politics, Political Sociology, and History. He is particularly interested in politics and power in the regional and international context of state fragility and armed conflict. Prof. Ylönen has held a number of positions in various research and higher education institutions in Africa and Europe, and he is an active member of several professional organizations and networks. Prof. Ylönen’s scholarly publications include books, journal articles, essays, book chapters, and other work in numerous academic outlets. Prof. Ylönen provides frequent analysis, policy advice, and media commentary.

Academic Degrees

• Doctorate in International Relations and African Studies, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain, 2011).
• International Master’s Degree in Peace, Conflict, and Development Studies, UNESCO Chair of Philosophy for Peace, Jaume I University (Spain, 2007).
• Bachelor of Arts in History, with a Minor in Economics, College of Charleston (USA, 2000).

Recent Publications

Books

• Záhorík, J., & Ylönen, A. (Eds.) (2025). The Horn of Africa since 2018: Continuities, Transformations, and Prospects. Routledge.
• Ylönen, A. (2024). The Horn Engaging the Gulf: Economic Diplomacy and Statecraft in Regional Relations. Bloomsbury Academic.
• Bach, J-N, Abbink, J., Ancel, S., Ahmed, A., Fantini, E., Ferras, P., Mwakimako, H., Nallet, C., Ylönen, A., & Záhorík, J. (Eds.) (2022). Routledge Handbook of the Horn of Africa. Routledge.
• Ylönen, A., & Záhorík, J. (Eds.) (2017). The Horn of Africa since the 1960s: Local and International Politics Intertwined. Routledge.
• Ylönen, A. (2016). On state, marginalization, and origins of rebellion: The formation of insurgencies in southern Sudan. Africa World Press.

Journal Articles

• Záhorík, J., Ylönen, A., & Lego, J. (2025). Multiple Layers of Pan-Africanism and Pan-Ethiopianism in Current Debates on Nationalism and Ethnicity in Ethiopia, Nationalities Papers.
• Ylönen, A. (2024). Persisting Challenges of International Relations Analysis: Big Men Politics, State Fragmentation, and Local Power in the Horn of Africa, African Conflict & Peacebuilding Review, 14(2), 33–61.
• Ylönen, A. (2023). Governing the Horn’s External Linkages: Agency, Domestic Politics and Local Power in the Horn of Africa – Gulf Relations, Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, 17(4), 386–403.
• Ylönen, A. (2023). External Relations and Local Agency in the Horn of Africa, Current History, 122(844), 185–190.
• Ylönen, A. (2022). External Power Competition in the Horn of Africa: Somaliland’s Quest for International Recognition and Development, RUSI Journal, 166(6-7), 74–82.

Book Chapters

• Ylönen, A., & Záhorík, J. (2025). Enduring Authoritarianism, Endemic Instability, and Elusive Peace in Sudan. In J. Záhorík, & A. Ylönen (Eds.), The Horn of Africa since 2018: Continuities, Transformations, and Prospects (pp. 34–52). Routledge.
• Ylönen, A. (2025). Eritrea: Political Continuity in Eritrea: Domestic and Foreign Policy Considerations. In J. Záhorík, & A. Ylönen (Eds.), The Horn of Africa since 2018: Continuities, Transformations, and Prospects (pp. 76–93). Routledge.
• Ali, N. M., & Ylönen, A. (2022). Somaliland – Struggling for recognition: External actors and dynamics. In J-N. Bach, et.al. (Eds.), Routledge handbook of the Horn of Africa (pp. 98–109). Routledge.
• Ylönen, A. (2022). Engaging foreign Powers for regime survival: The relative autonomy of coastal Horn of Africa states in their relations with Gulf countries. In R. Mason & S. Mabon (Eds.), The Gulf States and the Horn of Africa: Interests, influences and instability (pp. 249-272). Manchester University Press.
• Ylönen, A., & Meckelburg, A. (2020). Ethiopia: Between domestic pressures and regional hegemony. In G. Carbone (Ed.), Africa’s thorny Horn: Searching for a new balance in the age of pandemic (pp. 122–148). Ledizioni.

Teaching

• IRL2005 - Comparative Foreign Policy
• IRL3000 - Comparative Political Systems
• IRL3060 - African International Relations
• IRL4030 - International Political Economy
• IRL4055 - Africa-Middle East Relations
• IRL4811 - Critical Issues in Africa
• IRL4850 - Studies in Contemporary International Crisis
• IRL4900 - International Relations Project
• IRL4910 - International Relations Internship
• IRL6200 - International Organizations
• IRL6235 - Advanced International Political Economy
• IRL6030 - Issues of Development and Conflicts
• IRL6035 - Politics and Patterns of Cooperation and Conflict
• IRL7001 - Epistemological Debate on the Application of IR Theories
• IRL7007 - Peace and Security Studies