Aleksandar Matovski

Aleksandar Matovski is an Assistant Professor in the Institute for Regional and International Security (IRIS) at the Naval Postgraduate School. His research explores the internal dynamics and strategic behavior of authoritarian regimes, with a focus on Russia and Europe. He is the author of Popular Dictatorships: Crises, Mass Opinion and the Rise of Electoral Authoritarianism which examines how deep systemic crises contribute to the rise, resilience, and aggressive conduct of electoral autocracies—the most prevalent and enduring form of authoritarianism in the world today.

Matovski holds a Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University, M.A. in War Studies from King’s College London and B.A. in Law from Saints Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje. Prior to his academic career, he was National Security Advisor in the Government of North Macedonia and Political and Military Advisor in the North Macedonian Ministry of Defense, as well as a Research Director in the Forum Center for Strategic Research and Documentation in Skopje, North Macedonia.

In the Ministry of Defense and the Prime Minister’s Office in North Macedonia, he was engaged in the management of the ethnic conflict in the country in 2001, the implementation of the subsequent peace process, integration into NATO and the European Union, and the talks about the final status of neighboring Kosovo.