PhD in Political Science (2004). In 1994 graduated from Philosophy Department of the Kazakhstan National University. 2008 – internship at the Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (France). In 2008 completed senior management training at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (Honolulu, USA). 2005-2010 – Deputy Director for Science of the Presidential Strategic Studies Institute of Kazakhstan. 2010-2011 – divisional manager at analytics department of the Security Council of Kazakhstan. 2011-2014 – senior information resource and analysis manager at the National Welfare Fund “Samruk-Kazyna”. Since 2014 – Head of Service of the international and national programs of the Library of the First President of Republic of Kazakhstan – The Leader of the Nation. Author of 2 textbooks for graduate students and more than 100 research papers, including 5 multi-authored monograph. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2006.
Arguello Irma
City : Buenos Aires
Affiliation : Founder and Chair, Nonproliferation for Global Security Foundation (NPSGlobal)
Biography :
Founder and Chair, Nonproliferation for Global Security Foundation (NPSGlobal), Buenos Aires, Argentina. She developed a managerial career at international organizations such as ExxonMobil Corporation and the Latin American Petrochemical Association, where she held several local and international managerial positions. After she left the company, she became a consultant, specialized in strategies formulation and implementation, new projects, and management of change. Ms. Arguello pursued Defense and Security studies (Master level) at the Escuela de Defensa Nacional, Argentina. As a part of her academic activities, she is currently developing the brand new Regional Postgraduate Course on Disarmament and Nonproliferation, to be launched in 2009. For several years she has been teaching a four-week Seminar on the matter, open to the public. Her former teaching experience also includes topics like Modern Physics and Management, at several universities and institutes. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2010.
Buzhinskiy, Evgeny P.
City : Moscow
Affiliation : PIR Center
Position : Chairman of the Executive Board
Expertise :
Political and military aspects of international security
Lieutenant-General (Retired), Ph.D. Military Sciences. In the Armed Services since 1968. Graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages, M.V. Frunze Military academy. 1976-1992 – served in different positions in the General Staff of the USSR and Russian Federation. From 1992 to 2002 – served in positions of: Senior Officer, Deputy Head of Direction, Head of Direction, Deputy Head of Department, Head of the International Treaties Department of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Promoted to the rank of Major-General in 2000, to the rank of Lt.-General – in 2003. In 2002 he was appointed on the position of Head of the International Treaties Department – Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense. Retired from active duty in 2009. In 2009-2017 – PIR Center Consultant, then Senior vice-president. PIR Center’s Chairman of the Executive Board since 2014. From 2016 – Associate professor and Head of Center for Applied Political-Military Research of School of World Politics, M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University. Deputy CEO of “Vega Radio Engineering Corporation” from 2009 to 2018. Vice-President of Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). Expertise: arms control, political and military aspects of international security, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, military use of the outer space, Russia-NATO, Russia-U.S., Russia-China relations. 10/20
Duarte Sergio
City : Brasilia
Affiliation : Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
Position : President
Biography :
A career diplomat, who from July 2007 to February 2012 served as United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. Ambassador Duarte served the Brazilian Foreign Service for forty eight years. He was the Ambassador of Brazil in a number of countries, including Austria, Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia, China, Canada, Nicaragua, Switzerland, the United States, Argentina and Italy. In addition, he has been posted as the Brazilian representative to several International organizations, focusing on disarmament issues. From 1999 to 2000, he was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the IAEA. Ambassador Duarte was a representative in international organizations on disarmament issues. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2012.
Dunay Pal
City : Bishkek
Affiliation : Director of OSCE Academy
Biography :
Previously – Director, International Training Course (ITC), Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Geneva, Switzerland.Between July 2004 and the beginning of 2007 he was Senior Researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Between July 1996 and 2004 he was Course Director of the International Training Course in Security Policy. In 1991 he was Head of the Security Policy Department of the Hungarian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. His first thesis addressed the verification of the CFE treaty. His second one addressed Hungary’s neighbourhood policy after the system change. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2010.
As of November 2011 Mustafa is a consultant to IHS Global Insight; a UK based information Analysis Company. Mustafa Fetouri is a Libyan academic and award winning journalist. A gifted public speaker and MENA region expert; Mustafa received his education in Europe; starting his undergraduate studies in the American university, Greece, and finishing his post graduate education in Maastricht, The Netherlands where he graduated from Maastricht School of Management. After his graduates he spent few years working at the same school, particularly in its outreach MBA programs. In this capacity he taught and run training programs in over dozen countries including: Egypt, China, Malaysia, Jordan, Libya, and at home campus in Maastricht, The Netherlands. As a freelance journalist and Op-Ed writer he won EU’s Beirut based Samir Kassir Award for the Freedom of the Press in 2010. He has numerous published articles often cited by researchers, and media in dealing with the MENA region with particular focus on Libya. He has been guest on numerous media outlet like the BBC, CBS, Al-Jazeera, France 24, and Bloomberg TV besides dozen other print publications such as TIME magazine, WSJ, and Washington Post. Mr. Fetouri is also experienced trainer in the media and journalism where he has trained many Libyan journalists in Libya between 2008-2010 as a public speaker and regional expert Mr. Fetouri has been key note speaker and active participant in many international conference in Europe; Middle East and Asia. He frequently invited to speak to various audiences in different think-tanks across the globe.
Karaveli Halil
City : Ankara
Affiliation : Senior Associate, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program Joint Center, Johns Hopkins University
Biography :
Senior Fellow with the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program Joint Center, and Managing Editor of the Turkey Analyst, in which he writes a biweekly column. From 1991 to 2007, Mr. Karaveli served as editorial writer at the Swedish daily Östgöta Correspondentenfor 16 years. His publications include Reconciling Statism with Freedom: Turkey’s Kurdish Opening, (2010) Prospects for a ‘Torn’ Turkey: A Secular and Unitary Future?,(with Svante Cornell, 2008);and Turkiet – en nygammal stormakt? (Turkey – a reborn great power?), Swedish Institute of International affairs (1993). Mr. Karaveli holds a B.Sc. in Political science from the University of Gothenburg, and has been awarded the Swedish-Turkish Friendship Award. Mr. Karaveli’s recent research has been focused on the impasse of Kemalism and on the reconciliation of the Turkish state tradition with societal freedom. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2010.
Kortunov, Andrey V.
City : Moscow, Russia
Affiliation : Director General, Russian International Affairs Council
Biography :
Doctor of History. PIR Center Advisory Board member. Graduated from Moscow State University of Foreign Affairs in 1979. In 1982 – 1995 – Junior research associate, then Senior research associate, the Head of Department 1995-1997 – Deputy Direcrtor, The Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies, RAS. Scientific interests – international relations, donestic and international policy of Russia, Russian-Anerican relations. PIR Center Advisory Board member since 2003. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2010.
Makgetlaneng Sehlare
City : Pretoria
Affiliation : Head, Governance and Democracy Research Program, Africa Institute of South Africa
Biography :
A Chief Research Specialist and Head of the Governance and Democracy research programme at the Africa Institute of South Africa in Pretoria, South Africa. Holds PhD in Political Science, with African Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Economy and International Relations. He has published extensively on the South African economic transformation, South Africa–Africa political, economic and trade relations, African continental and Southern African regional integration, South Africa’s Africa policy, the United States’ Africa policy, Africa’s development initiatives from the Lagos Plan of Action for Economic Development of Africa to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, socio-political and economic conflicts, and the reconstruction and development of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe. He is a member of the International Relations Subcommittee of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress. He also serves as a member of the ANC Task Team on the Pan-African Parliament. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2012.
Nikolai Zlobin
City : USA
Affiliation : Center on Global Interests
Position : President
Biography :
a Russian-American political expert, journalist working from Washington, D.C.. He is the author of numerous books, articles and essays on politics, history and global security. During his career, he has worked at a number of prominent universities and think-tanks based in Russia and the U.S. He has been published in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune. In late 2012, Zlobin founded the Center on Global Interests, a Washington, D.C.-based center for research and analysis of global affairs particularly focused on U.S.-Russia relations.
Sager Abdulaziz
City : Jeddah
Affiliation : Chairman and Founder, Gulf Research Center, President of Sager Group Holding
Biography :
Chairman and Founder, Gulf Research Center, President of Sager Group Holding, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In November 2003, Dr. Sager was appointed as a member of the Makkah Province Council. In addition, he serves as a member on the advisory board of the Arab Thought Foundation; the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF); the Faculty of Economics and Administration of King Abdulaziz University; the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP); the German Orient Foundation; and on the advisory group for the 4th Arab Human Development Report for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Dr. Sager has special research interest in Gulf strategic issues and is a regular contributor and commentator to international and regional media. He is the author of numerous publications. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2010.
Sanaei Mehdi
City : Moscow
Affiliation : Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Position : Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran in Russian Federation
Biography :
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Russian Federation. Previously – Head of the Iranian Center for Research on Russia, Central Asia and Caucasus, Professor of Tehran University, Tehran, Iran. Head of Russian and Eastern Europe Studies Department of World Studies Institute, Tehran University (since 2005), Member of Parliament of IRI (since 2008). Member of the Valdai Discussion Club. Previous positions: Visiting professor (permanent member) at Moscow Humanities University, Political Sciences Faculty (1999-2004), The Head of Institute of Culture of ECO Regional Organization (2005 –2006), Cultural attaché at the Embassy of IRI in Russia (1999 – 2003), Cultural attaché at the Embassy of IRI in Kazakhstan (1995 – 1998). Author of eight books in Persian and Russian. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2011.
Satanovsky, Yevgeny Y.
City : Moscow, Russia
Affiliation : President, President, The Middle East Institute (MEI)
Biography :
Candidate of Economics, Advisory Board member Founder and President of ARIEL GROUP; President of the Institute for Middle East Studies; Vise-President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC); Member of the Russian Society of Friends of Arab States; Member of the Center for Oriental Literature of the Russian National Library; Author of the monographs: Israel in Contemporary World Politics: Probable Strategic Adversaries and Strategic Partners, 2001; The Economy of Israel in the 1990s, 1999; and more than 50 articles published between 1987 and the present in academic collections and periodicals in Russia, Israel, and the US. PIR Center Advisory Board member since 2004. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2006.
Tian Chun-Sgeng
City : Beijing
Affiliation : Deputy Director, China Association for Economic Studies on Russia and Central and Eastern Europe
Biography :
Professor, Deputy Director, China Association for Economic Studies on Russia and Central and Eastern Europe, Beijing, China. The Secretary General of Eurasian Research Institute for Social Development in Beijing. Since 1992 a member of the board of Chinese community of the world economy. Since 1989, the Secretary General of the Chinese community of the former Yugoslavia and Romania. She passed a research internship at Harvard University. Specialization: Economics of Transition, China and Russia, China and Central and Eastern Europe.Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2011.
Tolipov Farkhod
City : Tashkent
Affiliation : Director, Bylim Karvoni Nongovernental Research and Training Center
Biography :
An independent political scientist (Tashkent, Uzbekistan). Passed an intern at the NATO Defense College (Rome, 1997), Harvard University (USA, 1999), taught at the University of Georgia (USA, 2004). Lectured at the Centre named after J. Marshall (Germany, 2004-2005.), Geneva Center for Security Policy (Switzerland, 2007). In the period 1998-2002, worked in the Office of the President of Uzbekistan. He has published over 70 scientific articles and monographs. The author of the monograph “Grand Strategy of Uzbekistan in terms of geopolitical and ideological transformation of Central Asia”, co-author of the monograph “Central Asia: geo-economics, geopolitics and security.” Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Central Asia and Caucasus, member of the Editorial Board China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly (USA), a member of the Central Eurasian Studies Society. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2010.
Unnikrishnan Nandan
City : Delhi
Affiliation : Vice President, Observer Research Foundation
Biography :
Director of the Eurasian Studies, Senior Fellow of Observer Research Foundation, Delhi, India. From 2001 to 2004 he was an independent filmmaker and freelance journalist. His television productions during this period are: Documentary on Indo-Russian defense ties telecast by Doordarshan, documentary on Indo-Russian Relations in English and Russian for the Ministry of External Affairs, documentary film on the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, directed for AIM Television. His articles on late Ahmed Shah Masood were published in Frontline. Interview with Masood was published in The Hindu. His various articles on Russia and Central Asia were published in Financial Express. Member of PIR Center International Expert Group since 2010.
