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Hi! My name is Destiny Sibehatu Kassa. I am a PhD Student at the University of Toronto in the Department of Political Science. I am also a research assistant with the Environmental Governance Lab at the University of Toronto. My field of study is International Relations. I received my MA in Political Economy at the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan and my BA in English at York University in Toronto.
My research and teaching interests include International and Comparative Political Economy, China in the World, Global Environmental Politics, and Critical International Relations Theory. I am philosophically agnostic, believing in leading with my question then deciding what tools and approaches serve the question best. My work aims to develop a better understanding of social reality, utilizing as Robert Cox (2008) would call both Problem-Solving and Critical Theories.
In prior lives, I worked in various roles in different industries such as hospitality, publishing, and finance. I am born and raised in Toronto, Canada with experience in East and Southeast Asia which also is my geographical focus in my research.
While I do have consistent research topics (such as China clearly), I do not constrain myself to an area of expertise, instead researching topics which are salient to me.
- "No Master Plan: Constrained-Statecraft in the Belt and Road Initiative": to be presented at International Studies Association Pretoria 2026 and ISA Virtual 2026
- "Powering Irreplaceability: Taiwan and the Indispensability Trap of Technological Deterrence"
- "Desexualized Relations: Resexualizing the International"
- "Leapfrogging into Dependency: Chinese Green Technology and the Politics of Infrastructure Control"
I have been a teaching assistant in classes on International Relations, Political Theory and Chinese Politics. My philosophy for teaching revolves around my own experiences as an academic "late-bloomer" focusing on reinforcing essential concepts and providing the resources necessary to understand difficult concepts. I extend this approach by utilizing honesty in-order to build trust and develop teaching strategies tailored for different classrooms. In short, I believe that every student is able to understand anything with the correct resources.
- Might and Right: Justice and Power in International Relations with Dr. Nancy Bertoldi (Winter 2026) and Dr. David Zarnett (Fall 2025)
- China in the Global Political Economy with Dr. David Zweig and Dr. Gerald Chan (Winter 2025)
I have taught English in China, Taiwan and Korea as well as to newcomers to Canada. My students ranged between the ages of 4 and 40. Even with my more formal shift to International Relations, I continue to stay committed to teaching students how to improve their English writing and reading proficiency as I believe this is a skill, even as a native speaker, you can never master.