Martin Makaryan is a fourth-year transfer student majoring in Political Science and minoring in Global Studies. Born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, Martin moved to the United States in 2017 and intends to pursue careers in foreign policy after obtaining a master’s degree in international relations. He currently serves as a councilmember at the UCLA Political Science Undergraduate Council and is the Political Affairs Chair of the Armenian Students Association (ASA) at UCLA. Martin is currently interning with the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of International Affairs and is a staff writer for the campus-based Journal on World Affairs. His research interests include U.S. foreign policy, international security, and conflict resolution, with an emphasis on Europe and Eurasia. Martin is currently completing the Political Science Departmental Honors Program and is writing a senior thesis under the guidance of Dr. Deborah Larson. He is investigating the American foreign policy decision-making process which led to the U.S. decision of enlarging the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.  By analyzing this consequential foreign policy decision which has been crucial in defining the international order in Europe and the U.S.-European and U.S.-Russian relations, he hopes to draw conclusions which can help better understand U.S. foreign policy and grand strategy, as well as the U.S. policy vis-à-vis Europe and Russia since the end of the Cold War.