Erol Yayboke

Director, Project on Fragility and Mobility and Senior Fellow, International Security Program
Erol Yayboke

Erol Yayboke is a director of the Project on Fragility and Mobility and senior fellow with the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). His specific research interests include migration and forced displacement, violent conflict and global fragility, conflict-aware stabilization, violent extremism, climate change, civil-military cooperation, and disruptive technologies. Previously, he was a senior fellow and deputy director with the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development. Prior to CSIS, Mr. Yayboke served on the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign as well as the Evidence for Policy Design team at the Center for International Development at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Yayboke has long-term field experience working for organizations (Global Communities, Save the Children, and AECOM International Development) in Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and the Somali Region of Ethiopia, serving in various senior management roles.

Mr. Yayboke teaches a graduate level course on global fragility and resilience at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and is a member of the board of directors for the Andi Leadership Institute for Young Women, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on developing the next generation of women peacebuilders. He holds an M.P.A. from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and a B.B.A. in international business, also from the University of Texas at Austin. He is fluent in Turkish and Spanish.

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Public Safety in Haiti: Now and Tomorrow

In this panel, experts will examine the current state of public safety in Haiti, the capabilities and limitations role of the Haitian National Police (HNP), potential Haitian solutions to the issues, and opportunities for external support. 

Event by Erol Yayboke , Ambassador Frederick Barton , Johnny Celestin , Georges A. Fauriol , William O'Neill , Ambassador Susan Page , and Dr. Peterson Thosiac — June 8, 2023

Forgotten Frontlines: Aruba, Curaçao, and the Venezuelan Displacement Crisis

Aruba and Curaçao are home to the most displaced Venezuelans relative to population size. Recent negotiations on the reopening of borders between the islands and their neighbor are an important opportunity to rethink challenges still facing displaced Venezuelans.

Commentary by Erol Yayboke and Ángeles Zúñiga — May 3, 2023

Conflict Prevention, Climate Change, and Why Ghana Matters Now

Climate change, structural challenges, and security threats are heightening the risk of conflict in Ghana, a stable country amid a region beset by volatility. This CSIS brief analyzes the risks and outlines a comprehensive conflict prevention approach.

Brief by Anastasia Strouboulis , Erol Yayboke , and Abigail Edwards — March 22, 2023

Technology as a Driver of Gender Equality and Peace

As the 67th Commission on the Status of Women meets, the Project on Fragility and Mobility outlines how innovation and technology can be powerful in addressing gender inequalities and should be critical tools within the broader discussion of global fragility.

Commentary by Abigail Edwards , Alexis Day , and Erol Yayboke — March 8, 2023

The Expanding Use of Technology to Manage Migration

Through two case studies of migration, this report analyzes the use of migration management technologies by origin countries, the growing influence of destination countries over their decisionmaking, and the human rights risks associated with these uses.

Report by ​Marti Flacks , Erol Yayboke , Lauren Burke , and Anastasia Strouboulis — March 6, 2023

The State of Statelessness in Ukraine

Russia exploits statelessness in Ukraine to aid in the war effort. It offers stateless persons Russian citizenship in return for military service and forcibly deports people, including over 6,000 children, to Russia from parts of Ukraine with high stateless populations.

Critical Questions by Abigail Edwards , Ángeles Zúñiga , and Erol Yayboke — March 1, 2023

Addressing Fragility in Libya Means Protecting Migrant Rights

Migration management and state fragility are intricately related in Libya, and those interested in stabilization should learn from the shortcomings of past efforts. Doing so will require more than just focusing on stopping flows via the securitization of migration.

Commentary by Lauren Burke and Erol Yayboke — February 27, 2023

Promise and Peril: Migration Management Technologies in West Africa and Central America

In a series of panels focused on North Africa and the Northern Triangle, experts will discuss the threats posed by the misuse of migration management technology and the critical need for proper safeguards and human rights due diligence.  

Event by Erol Yayboke , ​Marti Flacks , William Brownfield , Badara Ndiaye , Amal El Ouassif , Caterina Rodelli , Ángela Alarcón , and Oscar Chacón — February 22, 2023