Miriam Friedman is a Research Intern at the Caspian Policy Center. She is a second-year graduate student in the Master of Science in Foreign Service program at Georgetown University, concentrating in Global Politics and Security with a focus on democracy and identity in the post-Soviet space.  Miriam was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Florida, double majoring in International Studies and Russian, and a minoring in Anthropology.  Before joining the Caspian Policy Center, she worked at the U.S. Department of State and at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, conducting research on economic development, public health, climate, security, as well as women, peace, and security in Central Asia.