Joze M. Pelayo conducts research in foreign policy and development in Washington, DC, with a focus on the Middle East, democracy and human rights. He is a recent graduate of the University of Oregon’s (UO) International Studies & Development Master’s program and has worked in Venezuela, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and Russia. Pelayo worked with civil society organizations focused on Syrian refugees in Lebanon in 2015 under the UO Sandra Morgen Public Impact Fellowship and in Palestine for the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee in 2016 under the Conni-Slape Fellowship. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization the author is associated with.