Elisabeth Dick is a Junior Data Scientist at HCSS. She studies International Relations and Economics at the University of Erfurt, Germany and University of Tampere, Finland. During her studies, she has focused on Quantitative Research Methods and Econometrics and uses it to translate qualitative into quantitative research. She works mostly on measuring political, economic and social connections and dependencies in the global context.
Prior to working at HCSS, Elisabeth tutored Statistics and Quantitative Methods of Empirical Research at the University of Erfurt and completed the Data Internship at HCSS.
Esther Chavannes is a Strategic Analyst at HCSS, primarily focusing on topics where security, politics and law intersect. Most recently she conducted research into the ethical challenges of using Robotic and Autonomous Systems in a military context. Apart from emerging technologies in the Defense sector, she works on security challenges in Southeast Asia, regulatory frameworks of civil technology in the EU, and right-wing political violence in the digital age.
Esther holds a degree in international law, political science and modern history from University College Utrecht and Sciences Po Paris. For her thesis, Esther analyzed the EU’s normative and regulatory power through its trade policy, using the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement as a case study based on her time at the embassy in Hanoi. She is currently in the process of obtaining a Masters degree in Military Strategic Studies at the Netherlands Defense Academy.
Dorith Kool is a Strategic Analyst at HCSS, where she contributes to projects commissioned by the Dutch Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs. Her primary focus is on fragile states and the role of the security sector in stabilising conflicts. Her work also includes research on the nexus between water, peace and security in Iraq. In her previous work she looked at the politicisation of peace settlements in Syria and the political dimensions of the humanitarian sector. Her main research interests include geopolitics and the security implications of climate change, hybrid warfare, security resilience and migration. She also has experience working as an Arabic translator.
Dorith holds a MSc in Middle Eastern Studies from Leiden University and is currently completing a MSc in Military Strategic Studies at the Netherlands Defence Academy.
Dr. Alexander Klimburg is Director of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace Initiative and Secretariat and Director of the Cyber Policy and Resilience Program at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. Dr. Klimburg is an Affiliate at het Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, and an associate fellow at the Austrian Institute of European and Security Policy. He is a former associate and former research fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center.
Dr. Klimburg has worked on numerous topics within the wider field of international cybersecurity since 2007. He has acted as an adviser to a number of governments and international organizations on national cybersecurity strategies, international norms of behavior in cyberspace and cyber-conflict (including war, cyber-crime, and cyber-espionage), critical infrastructure protection, and internet governance. He has participated in international and intergovernmental discussions within the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and has been a member of various national, international, NATO, and EU policy and working groups. He has given dozens of invited talks and regularly participates and organizes track 1.5 diplomatic initiatives as well as technical research groups. He is author and editor of numerous books, research papers, and commentaries and has often been featured in the international media, including in Newsweek, Reuters, and others. His most recent book The Darkening Web: The War for Cyberspace was published by Penguin Press.
Previously, Dr. Klimburg worked for eight years in Vienna as senior adviser at the Austrian Institute of International Affairs and has been closely involved in a number of European cybersecurity policy initiatives. Prior to this, Alexander worked on ICT strategy issues in corporate finance and strategy consulting in Europe and Asia.
A graduate (1st class degree) of the School of Oriental and African Studies and the London School of Economics, he obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Vienna. He is a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Publications:
The Darkening Web: The War for Cyberspace
Synergies between the civilian and the defence cybersecurity markets
European Commission | June 2016
Cyber Security Capacity Building: Developing Access
NUPI | September 2015 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg, Hugo Zylberberg
Cyber Attack Information System
Springer | May 2015 | Authors: Thomas Bleier, Helmut Leopold, Florian Skopik, Alexander Klimburg, Philipp Mirtl
Council of Foreign Relations: "Two Years Later, the EU’s Cybersecurity Strategy Stumbles Forward"
Council of Foreign Relation | February 2015 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
America has a much bigger cyber problem on its hands
The National Interest | January 2015 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Building a Pluralist Future for the Internet
Atlantic Council | September 2014 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Shades of Cyber Grey – Espionage and Attack in Cyberspace
The Fletcher Forum | September 2014 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Roots-Unknown: Cyberconflict Past, Present and Future
Sicherheit und Frieden (Security and Peace) | January 2014 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Mapping the Internet Terrain
Research Note for Annenberg School, University of Pennsylvania | January 2014 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg, Philipp Mirtl, Snezana Gjorgieva
Mediating Security: Comprehensive Approaches to an Ambigious Subject Festschrift for Otmar Hoell
Peter Lang | October 2013 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg, Jan Pospisil
Watering the Grass Roots
Multistakeholder Diaologue (MIND) 6th edition | October 2013 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Commentary: The Internet Yalta
Center for a New American Security | February 2013 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
National Cyber Security Framework Manual
NATO CCD-CoE | December 2012 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg, Melissa Hathaway, Jason Healey, Eric Luiijf, Gustav Lindstrom
Gesamstaatliche Ansäzte zur Cybersicherheit : Erfahrungen aus Österreich
Strategie und Sicherheit 2012 | January 2012 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Building Confidence in Cyberspace
New Europe, Special Edition "Cyber Security" | May 2011 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Lessons from the Comprehensive Approach for Whole of Nation Cybersecurity (Boots, Suits, Sandals and Spooks)
per Concordiam, NATO, Journal of European Security and Defense Issues | 2011 |Authors: Alexander Klimburg
RECIPE: Recommended Elements for Critical Infrastructure Protection in Europe (Contributor)
TNO Den Haag | 2011 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Ruling the Domain: (Self) Regulation and Security of the Internet
ICANN Study Group | 2011 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
The Whole of Nation in Cyberpower
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, special issue: International Engagement on Cyber: Establishing International Norms and Improved Cybersecurity | 2011 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Cyberspace and Cyberpower: Concepts, Capabilities and Conditions for Action within the EU
Study for European Parliament, AFET/SEDE | 2011 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg, Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar
Mobilising Cyber Power
Survival (Volume 53, issue 1), International Institute of Strategic Studies | 2011 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Inside Cyber Warfare by Jeff Carr (sub-chapter)
O'Reilly Media | 2010; 2nd edition 2011 | Authors: Alexander Klimburg
Lucia van Geuns is an experienced energy professional who held research positions at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and the Clingendael International Energy Programme (CIEP) after a career with Royal Dutch Shell (1980- 2002). She has a background in geoscience, petroleum engineering, economics & planning. Her research focuses on international energy market developments, energy transition issues and climate change policies. In her present role, she is a frequent speaker on (international) energy markets for various public and private stakeholders. Ms. Van Geuns holds a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Leiden. She was also president of the Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands (KNGMG) from 2013-2019.
Paul van Hooft is a 2019-2020 strategy fellow at the Security Studies Program (SSP) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and was previously a 2018-2019 Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at SSP. His work focuses on: the origins and logic of American grand strategy; European grand strategy and strategic autonomy; transatlantic relations; alliances; and (extended) nuclear deterrence. Paul attained his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Amsterdam (UVA) and was a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute (EUI) from 2016 to 2018. Paul received the 2016 prize from the Dutch and Flemish political science associations for his dissertation on the impact of experiences with war on postwar grand strategy.
Arlinda Rrustemi is a researcher and lecturer on peace and conflict studies. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Leiden University in the Netherlands. In 2016, Arlinda defended her doctoral thesis, entitled "State-Building through Life Stories: Incorporating Local Perspectives”, which was supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). She holds a B.A. (cum laude) from the University College Roosevelt and an LL.M. degree in Public International Law from Utrecht University. She teaches on humanitarian intervention, peacebuilding, power instruments and multilateral organizations, and is involved in several research projects uncovering peace infrastructures and countering radicalization. She has also received several fellowships and grants, such as Erasmus +, LEICEU, Archimedes and LUF. She was also a visiting scholar at several universities, including the Central European University, University of Leuven, Free University in Brussels, Cegesoma, University of Tallinn and New York University.
Dr. Rrustemi has also published several articles for various journals and media outlets. She has previously worked as a lecturer and researcher at Leiden University and was a research assistant to Prof. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. She also interned at several NGOs (such as YIHR, KAS and PYC), international courts (such as the ICTY and the ICC) and at various Ministries in the Republic of Kosovo. Her research interests are in state-, nation- and peace-building, transitional justice, humanitarian intervention, life stories methodologies and terrorism.
Pieter Bindt is a retired Rear Admiral with extensive knowledge of and experience in intelligence and security, international affairs, and Joint and Maritime operations.
After graduating from the Naval College with a specialization in Math and Game Theory (1983), he joined the Submarine Service.
He was teacher of the international Submarine Command Course and commanded a submarine, a frigate, and an amphibious transport ship as well as the integrated, operational, deployable staff, “Netherlands Maritime Force”. In this function he was Deputy Maritime Component Commander of the NATO Response Force (NRF), Commander Amphibious TaskForce of the NRF and Force Commander of the EU Counter Piracy mission, Atalanta.
Amongst his shore staff functions were Naval planner and Deputy Director Operational Policy. In April 2016 he retired as Director of the Netherlands Defence Intelligence and Security Service. In this function he significantly intensified (inter)national cooperation in collection and analyses, lead the development and implementation of new techniques and business practices, and served customers at the cabinet, operational, and tactical levels.
Martijn Vlaskamp is a Beatriu de Pinós Fellow at the Barcelona Institute of International Studies (IBEI). He is an expert in natural resource governance and policies to prevent, mitigate and terminate armed conflicts.
From 2015-2018, Martijn was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellow at Yale University and IBEI. During this time he studied the interlinkages between natural resource-fueled armed conflicts and the EU’s raw materials supply. In particular, he analyzed how policies to improve natural resource governance in high-risk zones can have undesired consequences. Prior to his stay in the United States, Martijn received his PhD in “International Relations and European Integration” from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. In his dissertation, he studied the policies of the EU to curtail the trade in natural resources that fund armed conflicts. As part of his research, he was a visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge and the Belgian Royal Institute for International Relations EGMONT. Martijn holds an MSc and MA in European Studies from the University of Twente and the University of Münster.
His research has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals and he has co-edited a book on EU foreign policy in a new global context (Springer, 2020). Currently, he is finishing a co-edited book on political violence.
Tom Middendorp is a retired four-star general. He now advises The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) as a principal expert. Until October 2017 he was the Chief of Defense of the Netherlands Armed Forces. In this period he led one of the largest transformations in the history of the armed forces and was involved in over 20 military deployments worldwide.
He conducted a proces of strategic analysis and re-orientation, including several Future Force Conferences where he introduced an ecosystem approach to security and positioned Defense as a platform for innovation. During his tenure, the tide of continuous downsizing and reductions changed and the government decided to increase the defense budget. Mister Middendorp initiated and operationalized several far-reaching military cooperation programs in which the Netherlands became one of the frontrunners in Europe.
He studied civil engineering at the Royal Military Academy in Breda, is a graduate at the Command and General Staff College in the United States and received the high awards in Australia, Germany, France and Belgium. Tom Middendorp is also the Netherlands’ Special Envoy on European Defence Cooperation to the EU.
Dr. Willem Theo Oosterveld is a non-resident senior fellow at HCSS. His areas of expertise include the politics of the Middle East, conflict analysis and peacebuilding, as well as law and development. He holds degrees in political science, international law, and history, having studied in Amsterdam, Leiden, Paris and New York, and was a visiting fellow at Harvard University. A former Fulbright scholar, he earned a PhD from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.
Willem has experience in academia, government, journalism and business. From 2013-2018, he was a strategic analyst at HCSS, where he directed and contributed to a host of projects, including on the rise and fall of ISIS, trends in development aid, geopolitical foresight as well as the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the Middle East and the Caribbean. Before joining HCSS, he worked for an economic intelligence company in Johannesburg, Jakarta and Casablanca. In Geneva, he worked for the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and with the Dutch Mission to the UN. In New York, he interned with the Security Council Secretariat at UN headquarters.
Over the years, he has contributed to various international media outlets, including The Economist and the Financial Times. He also published a monograph, The Law of Nations in Early American Foreign Policy (Boston: Brill, 2015). Willem speaks English, French, Dutch and German fluently. He also has knowledge of Spanish and Italian, and is working on Arabic.
Erik Frinking is Strategic Advisor Security and Cyber at HCSS. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Leiden University. For almost twenty years, he has been involved in addressing high-level, complex policy issues for a wide variety of European countries and international organizations. Mr. Frinking worked for more than 13 years at the Leiden branch of the RAND Corporation, where he was director of the Education, Science & Technology, and Innovation program. At HCSS, he is responsible for the foresight program, which produces the State of the Future and Future Issues reports on key emerging themes. Combining strong strategic skills with methodological rigor, Mr. Frinking conducts benchmarking, foresight studies, scenario exercises, and risk assessments. His fields of expertise include science and technology, crisis management, CBRN security policies and cyber security. He has played an important role in the development and implementation of the Dutch National Security Strategy (Strategie Nationale Veiligheid).
Richard Ghiasy is an advisor and widely cited researcher on Asian geopolitics and geoeconomics revolving around China and India. He also examines EU-China relations, great power competition, particular international security affairs, and Afghanistan. In his 15-year career, he has provided policy advice to inter alia the EEAS, European Commission, Ministries across Europe and Asia, the OSCE, and OECD. Frequently, his work has a conflict preventive nature.
A persuasive speaker, in 2013 Richard presented at TEDx. He has testified at the European Parliament and regularly presents at the world's top 20 universities. Richard has developed a distinct cultural intelligence, honed by professional travel in over 75 countries during a career of 15 years—and by having been based in seven countries across Eurasia.
Richard is a Lecturer on East Asia at Leiden University, a Senior Fellow on China and South Asia at the Leiden Asia Centre, and an Associate Researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) China and Global Security Programme. He is also a member of the Belt and Road Research Platform, and the Stockholm Observatory for Global China at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI). Richard is proficient in Dutch, English, Spanish, Farsi, German, and Mandarin Chinese.
As an air force officer he has an extensive operational background in air & missile defence, serving as battery control officer with Hawk and Patriot systems, commander of 119 Active Air Defence Squadron at Air Base Leeuwarden and commander of the Guided Missile Group at Air Base De Peel.
Peter Wijninga has studied Air Power Strategy at USAF Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, USA. From 1996 till 1999 he served as airpower strategy lecturer at the Netherlands Defence College. From 2001 till 2004, Mr. Wijninga was head of Operational Evaluations at the Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, in which capacity he was responsible for operational evaluations of Dutch deployments in Bosnia, Macedonia, Eritrea and Iraq.
From 2004 till 2007 Peter Wijninga was back at the Air Staff to head the Policy & Plans branch of the RNLAF. During this tour the defense organisation was extensively reorganised. The Air Staff was converted into a more operations focused Air Force Headquarters, moving from The Hague to Breda, and colonel Wijninga’s branch was reorganised into the Policy Support Staff Group.
In 2008 colonel Wijninga served as Deputy Commander Kandahar Air Field (DCOMKAF) in Afghanistan. After completing his tour as commander Guided Missile Group, Peter Wijninga was assigned to The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies in April 2012.
Chris Painter is a globally recognized leader and expert on cybersecurity and cyber policy, Cyber Diplomacy and combatting cybercrime. He has been on the vanguard of U.S. and international cyber issues for over twenty five years—first as a prosecutor of some of the most high-profile cybercrime cases in the country and then as a senior official at the Department of Justice, FBI, the National Security Council and finally the State Department. He has initiated, helped drive, or advised on virtually every major U.S. cyber policy for over a decade and has created innovative new organizations and approaches to deal with threats and take advantage of opportunities in cyberspace.
In his most recent government role as the nation’s top cyber diplomat, Mr. Painter coordinated and led the United States’ diplomatic efforts to advance an open, interoperable, secure and reliable Internet and information infrastructure and advised the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of State on these emerging issues. The pioneering office that Mr. Painter established — the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues — was the first high-level position and office dedicated to advancing the diplomatic aspects of cyber issues ranging from national security to human rights matters. These issues include promoting norms of responsible state behavior and cyber stability, preventing cyber conflict, enhancing deterrence, advancing cybersecurity, fighting cybercrime, promoting multi-stakeholder Internet governance and advancing Internet freedom.
Among many other things, Mr. Painter was instrumental in negotiating a landmark agreement regarding the theft of intellectual property with China, negotiating a comprehensive cyber cooperation agreement with India, using diplomatic and other tools to combat high-profile cyber attacks and intrusions, and launching first of their kind “whole of government” cyber dialogues and capacity building programs with dozens of countries in Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. He and his team also spearheaded the promotion of an international framework of cyber stability that includes building a consensus around norms of acceptable behavior and getting agreement on transparency and confidence-building measures designed to reduce the risk of miscalculation that could inadvertently lead to conflict in cyberspace.
Prior to joining the State Department, Mr. Painter served in the White House as Senior Director for Cyber Policy and Acting Cyber Coordinator in the National Security Council. He was a senior member of the team that conducted the President’s Cyberspace Policy Review in 2009 and he subsequently helped create and then structure a new directorate in the National Security Council devoted to these issues.
Mr. Painter has been a frequent media spokesperson and presenter on cyber issues around the globe. He was named the Bartels World Affairs Fellow by Cornell University for 2017-2018 and chosen as a member of the Board of the Center for Internet Security. He is the recipient of the prestigious RSA Award for Excellence in the Field of Public Policy (2016), the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the Intelligence Community Legal Award (2008) and has been named to the “Federal 100” list, among other honors. He is a graduate of Stanford Law School and Cornell University and clerked for US Circuit Judge Betty Fletcher. Currently Mr Painter serves as a Commissioner in the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace.