Fidelis Atnadu David
Political Science · International Relations & Comparative Politics
I am a Ph.D. student in Political Science at Northern Arizona University and a part-time instructor in the Department of Politics & International Affairs. My work sits in international relations and comparative politics, with a focus on international security, alliance politics and NATO, military power, and the political economy of globalization and militarization.
My dissertation asks why allies change their defense spending priorities. It develops a theory of alliance accountability to explain the politics of burden sharing in NATO. Related work examines military training partnerships, multinational exercises, sanctions, and how regime type shapes the guns-versus-butter tradeoff. My research appears in Contemporary Security Policy, Defence and Peace Economics, The International Spectator, and European Politics and Society.
Methodologically, I use panel data regression, causal inference, and statistical modeling in R and SPSS, alongside fuzzy-set QCA and process tracing. I teach Introduction to Politics at NAU and national security with Envision by WorldStrides.
Dissertation
Why Allies Change Defense Spending Priorities: Alliance Accountability and the Politics of Burden Sharing in NATO
Ph.D. expected May 2028
Recent publications
Fidelis, D. A. (2026). Enemies at the gates: Threat activation and support for strongman rule in Hungary and the European Union. European Politics and Society
DOI for Enemies at the gates: Threat activation and support for strongman rule in Hungary and the European UnionFidelis, D. A., Baah, N. K., & Hameed, M. (2026). The Double-Edged Order: How Globalization Shapes Militarization Across Political Regimes in a Multiplex World. The International Spectator
DOI for The Double-Edged Order: How Globalization Shapes Militarization Across Political Regimes in a Multiplex WorldFidelis, D. A. (2025). Beyond burden-sharing: Signaling and variation in NATO defence spending. Contemporary Security Policy
DOI for Beyond burden-sharing: Signaling and variation in NATO defence spending
News
- Fall 2026Teaching POS 100 Introduction to Politics at Northern Arizona University.
- 2026“Enemies at the gates” is published in European Politics and Society.
- April 2026Presented “The Double-Edged Order” and served as a discussant at MPSA in Chicago.
- 2026“The Double-Edged Order” (with N. K. Baah and M. Hameed) is out in The International Spectator.
- 2025Named Northern Arizona University’s Most Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant.