Dr. Kinnari Doke
Founder & President

Expertise

International Security, Nuclear Security, Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Conflict Dynamics, Deterrence, Escalation, and Strategic Stability.

Background

Dr. Kinnari Doke is the Founder and President of Hesperus Geopolitical Advisory, where she provides independent analysis on geopolitical risk, international security, political strategy, and the intersection of economic and coercive statecraft. Dr. Doke is also a Nuclear Futures Fellow with Ploughshares, where her work examines emerging nuclear risks and strategic foresight, including the implications of AI-enabled nuclear decision-making for signaling, misperception, and escalation.

Her work examines how states respond to coercion, navigate competing strategic pressures, and use economic, diplomatic, and security instruments to advance national interests. She brings particular expertise in nuclear proliferation, sanctions policy, strategic autonomy, and state responses to geopolitical pressure, with extensive research focused on India, Iran, North Korea, and the broader dynamics shaping the international security environment. Her commentary has appeared in the Indian Military Review, addressing developments including the Israel–Iran conflict and India's evolving approach to strategic and precision warfare.

She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Georgia State University and an M.A. in International Law, Security and Terrorism from the University of Nottingham. Prior to founding Hesperus, Dr. Doke worked across academic research, policy analysis, international affairs, and strategic research. Her experience includes research on U.S.–China relations, India's strategic autonomy, nuclear proliferation, sanctions, soft power, technological competition, and regional security.

Earlier in her career, in 2016, Dr. Doke worked with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, supporting stakeholder engagement and program coordination for the 14th Convention of the Indian Diaspora, which brought together more than 7,200 delegates from around the world.

Dr. Doke has extensive experience in research, teaching, and international security field-building. At Georgia State University, she served as the lead instructor for Global Issues, teaching students on contemporary international and geopolitical developments. She has also taught and supported courses in international relations, American foreign policy, terrorism, and constitutional law. Beyond academia, she serves as President of the India Chapter of Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Cooperation (WCAPS), and is actively engaged with professional networks including Women in Nuclear and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Youth Group.

Dr Doke has served as a Research Scholar with the India-China-America Institute. She conducted research on U.S.–China relations, India's strategic autonomy, soft power, diaspora engagement, authoritarian regimes, and technological competition, examining how states use political and strategic instruments to advance influence.

At Hesperus, Dr. Doke brings this experience together to help decision-makers understand geopolitical change, anticipate emerging risks, and assess the strategic implications of an increasingly contested international environment.