Until January 2021, I served as Strategy and Policy Advisor at the Dutch Ministry of Defense. In this role, I advised the ministry’s senior leadership on the impact of geopolitical shifts, technological change, emerging threats and other long-term developments on the operational environment and the required abilities of the armed forces. I was the ‘penholder’ of the Dutch Defense Vision 2035 (published October 2020).
Previously, I directed the MENA Peace and Security research program at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) in Abu Dhabi and co-directed its Stabilization Research Initiative. With PwC’s Middle East’s government advisory/education team, I was a member of the core team designing and established this academy that provides academic education and professional training to the UAE’s diplomatic corps. I also taught an MA course in European Foreign and Security Policy.
I received my PhD degree in 2012 from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), in the field of International Relations. I also hold an MA degree from SAIS, in addition to an MA in Diplomatic History, a minor in Journalism, and a BA in Italian language and literature. In 2021, I received a certificate from Yale’s School of Management in Decision Making.
Among my most recent book publications are a co-edited volume on stabilization efforts in the MENA region (2019, Palgrave) and a monograph on European involvement in Libya (2016, Palgrave). I regularly publish with outlets in Europe and the Middle East.