Seva Gunitsky is an American political scientist.^[1] He is an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto.^[2] His research focuses on the ways global forces and international politics affect democracy and domestic politics.^[2] He is the author of Aftershocks: Great Powers and Domestic Reforms in the Twentieth Century, which examines how shocks in the international system affect regime types.^[3][4] The book was selected by Foreign Affairs magazine as one of the best books of 2017.^[2][5] He has also published commentary and analysis in The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, and The New Republic.^[6][7][8] Gunitsky is a frequent commentator on Russian politics and foreign policy.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

Gunitsky was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union.^[1][11] He migrated to the United States at the age of 10, right around the time of the August Putsch, and spoke about having to relearn Russian after immigration, a common problem for Russophone immigrant children.^[1]