Konstantin Ash is an assistant professor in political science at the University of Central Florida. Konstantin's research focuses on political contention in the Middle East, North Africa and the former Soviet Union. Specifically, he looks at a broad set of questions related to participation in protest and political violence, the role of identity in driving political behavior and electoral politics of both authoritarian and newly democratic governments. In support of this agenda, Konstantin has conducted field work in Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia. His previous research articles have been published in Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Democratization, International Interactions and Terrorism and Political Violence.