Western Balkans Security Studies

Cihan Aydiner is an Associate Professor and Program Chair for the BS in Homeland Security and the MS in Security and Intelligence Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Worldwide, where he also serves as Associate Chair of the Department of Emergency, Disaster and Global Security Studies. He led the effort that produced the first nationally accredited homeland security degree program in the United States. He is Founding Executive Editor of The North Atlantic Review and directs the NAVI Research Institute. His research covers NATO burden-sharing and alliance cohesion, the evaluation of AI systems for high-accountability environments, security studies, and forced migration governance.

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is a Geostrategist and Global Thinker. He previously served as a Senior Defense Editor and Columnist for the foreign policy web magazines National Security Journal and 19FortyFive. Before that, Brent was a Fellow in Technology and Innovation at R Street Institute, a think tank in Washington, DC. He has served as a Legislative Fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. Brent has taught at George Washington University, American University, and George Mason University. He has founded and led technology startups in artificial intelligence event prediction, intelligence analysis, and biometrics.

Dr. Ibrahim Kocaman is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Security Studies & International Affairs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science (with a focus on Comparative Politics and International Relations) from the University of North Texas in 2022.

Dr. Sedat Cevikparmak is an Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Lutgert College of Business. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors at the NATO Veterans Initiative (NAVI). He earned his Ph.D. in Logistics Systems from the University of North Texas. A 1997 graduate of USMA at West Point, he served in the Turkish Armed Forces until 2016, with his last role at the International Military Staff – NATO HQ in Brussels.

Dr. Hasan Celik is an accomplished academic and professional with a distinguished military and academic career recognized with numerous awards and honors. Currently serving as an assistant professor of management at Robert Morris University, Dr. Celik is a logistics, operations, and supply chain management specialist with a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas.

As a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and a former senior civil servant, Mr. Umit Kurt is dedicated to advancing the field of international relations as a Ph.D. researcher at UCLouvain in international relations in Belgium. His research delves into the dynamics of International Institutions with their diverse members, the ethics of reconciliation, the complexities of migration, and the overarching governance of digital ecosystems.

Dr. Rula Jabbour is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Nebraska Deterrence Lab, University of Nebraska. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, specializing in International Relations, Strategic Studies, and Middle Eastern Politics. Her research explores authoritarian governance, civil-military relations, counterterrorism, and post-conflict reconstruction in the Middle East.

Ilker Güler is a seasoned academic and defense professional with extensive experience in NATO, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the Turkish Naval Forces Command. He has contributed to key NATO initiatives such as the Defense Planning Process, Strategic Concept, and Strategic Foresight Analysis. He holds degrees and advanced training in Industrial Engineering, Operations Analysis, International Security, and Political Science, with further specialization in defense planning and advanced analytics.

Mehmet Calkayis is an IT Security professional specializing in cloud security. He served in the Turkish Army for 24 years, assuming technical and managerial roles at national and international levels. In addition to his voluntary administrative duties at the NAVI Research Institute, he contributes to academic research.

Dr. Saban Adana is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management and Mulwick Scholar at John Carroll University’s Boler College of Business. His research and teaching focus on supply chain resilience, performance-based contracting, analytics, and complexity. He earned his Ph.D. in Supply Chain Management from the University of North Texas and holds master’s degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School and the Turkish Army War College.

Dr. Hunter Taylor completed his undergraduate degree in British, European and Chinese History at the University of Toronto and his graduate studies at Oxford University in the UK with an M Phil in Modern British history, focusing upon public health and social welfare policy and a D Phil in the history of science and medicine where his thesis addressed the relationship between medicine, evolutionary biology and public health as it related to military fitness prior to the First World War.

Dr. Amel Attatfa is a cyber diplomacy expert with an interdisciplinary background spanning international political science, law, and geopolitics. Her research sits at the intersection of cybersecurity, international relations, and public policy, with a focus on cyber diplomacy, global cyber governance, emerging technologies, and the sociotechnical dimensions of cyber threats. She holds a PhD in Cybersecurity from Abertay University, where her doctoral research examined cyber diplomacy, multistakeholder cooperation, and international norms for cyberspace. She is a Research Fellow with the NATO Veterans Initiative Research Institute, contributing to the Emerging Technologies & Data Studies Program.

Dr. Adrian S. Petrescu brings to the NAVI Research Institute more than four decades of experience across academia, government, and international affairs. His background spans journalism, management, public policy, law, and international relations, supported by advanced degrees in public and international affairs—University of Pittsburgh--, law--Creighton University--, management and engineering, and international relations. Having read the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution from his teenage years when it was illegal to do so then and there, Adrian has called the United States home since 1995.

Oleksandr Kraiev is program director of "North America" program in Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” and a senior lecturer at the international relations department at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He covers UK and US foreign policy, hybrid warfare, and modern conflicts. Additionally he has experience working in the Ministry of foreign affairs of Ukraine and Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada). Columnist and commentator for several Ukrainian and international media outlets.

Dr. Md Jobair Hossain Faruk is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Central Arkansas. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the New York Institute of Technology. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, quantum machine learning, health informatics, and cybersecurity, with an emphasis on developing trustworthy, secure, and explainable AI systems. His research has earned multiple IEEE awards, and he is a 2026–2027 Trusted CI Fellow.

Hamdi Kavak is an Assistant Professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, who blends his academic prowess with a diverse professional background that includes military service. With a focus on data science, he leads interdisciplinary research projects involving participants ranging from high school students to full professors.

Mustafa Kirisci is an adjunct professor at Moravian University. His research interests fall in terrorism, civil conflict, cybersecurity, interstate conflict and civil-military relations studies. His peer-reviewed papers appear in well-known journals of security studies, such as International Interactions, Terrorism and Political Violence, Government and Opposition, Critical Studies on Terrorism, Defense and Peace Economics, Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict.

Ana is a consultant and analyst specializing in security and governance issues. She is a partner at SOTER4 and a lead researcher at the International Observatory for Terrorism Studies (OIET), where she also coordinates the Observatory of West Africa program. Ana leads multiple projects and research teams focused on defense, peace, and security, particularly in the Sahel, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Salimot Olawale earned her M.A. in Political Science (Comparative Politics & International Relations) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her B.A. from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a Grant and Development Specialist with ALARM, supporting peacebuilding and reconciliation programs. Previously, she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in American Government at the University of Tennessee.

After earning his graduate degree from Stanford, Victor led the Stanford Existential Risks Initiative (SERI) at the Center for International Security and Cooperation. His work covered biosecurity, climate change, nuclear security, and AI alignment. Over time, he grew concerned about the potential for power-seeking behavior in future superintelligent systems. He later spent two years as an independent researcher studying how coherent value systems might emerge in such agents.

Angelia Keever is an experienced professional in the airline industry, with several years of service in roles ranging from in-flight operations as a flight attendant to management positions. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Security and Resilience at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, building on her bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security with minors in Security and Environmental Science.

Christopher Davis is a national security professional and emerging defense policy researcher with a background in military intelligence and international security cooperation. A former U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst, he has supported joint and multinational operations alongside United States Africa Command and various NATO partners, gaining firsthand experience in intelligence integration, coalition operations, and strategic interoperability. Christopher holds a B.A. in Political Science and is currently pursuing a M.A. in International Affairs.

Sophia Alicea is a Junior Research Fellow at NAVI Research Institute and a Diplomacy and International Law student at the University of New York Prague. She serves as the 15th Youth Observer to the United Nations and has held fellowships in security and foreign policy at NAVI, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, and the Babel Institute. Her work focuses on terrorism, maritime security, and religious extremism across the MENA and Sahel regions.

Aspen Bilal holds a Master’s degree in International Studies from North Carolina State University, where her research focused on regional security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific. Her academic interests center on multilateral security cooperation and the strategic implications of great power competition in East Asia. Through her work, Aspen seeks to bridge academic analysis with policy relevance, offering insights into how institutions such as NATO can engage with Indo-Pacific partners to promote regional stability and uphold the rules-based international order.