Loosineh Markarian is a PhD candidate at Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Originally from Iran, she obtained her BA in Media Studies from University of Tehran in 2007 and her MA in International & Intercultural Communication from University of Denver in 2009. Her research focuses on the intersection of political economy and civil-military relations, and it examines the impact of economic liberalization and privatization policies on social, political, and functional controls of economically-active militaries in autocratic regimes. Loosineh has worked as a research assistant at the Global Studies Center of the University of Tehran, the Estlow International Center for journalism and New Media at the University of Denver on projects related to religion and media representation. She is currently working as a research assistant at Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security & Diplomacy at the University of Denver.