Senior Analyst at the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS). Born in Varna, Bulgaria, she holds a Bachelor’s degree (BScEcon) in European Union Studies from Cardiff University and a Master’s degree (MA) in Intelligence and International Security from King’s College London. She has also completed a year-long Erasmus Studies (2012-2013) at the University of Pisa (Italy).

She has worked as an intern for the Center for the Study of Democracy in Sofia (Bulgaria) and holds a Certificate for Distinguished Performance. She is currently also writing for Strife Magazine.

Her research expertise lies in European (EU) Intelligence, border security and policing in the EU, terrorism, organised crime, and human trafficking in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkan region, Russia and CIS countries.

Senior Analyst in the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS). He is a PhD Candidate at the University of Free State in South Africa, specializing in radical threats south of Sahara. Prior to Free State, he spent two years as a visiting research student at King’s College London and concluded his M.A. Thesis at SOAS University of London. He also holds a Bachelors Degree in Politics from the University of Athens.

He is currently a Research Associate at the Think Tank for Research on Islam in Africa in Israel and an external assistant at Shield Analysis LLC in Virginia United States. He was also a Research Director at the Hellenic African Chamber for Development in Athens Greece and an Editorial Assistant for Pespectives on Terrorism.

He has spent the last two years researching for a book on Al-Qaeda’s transformation in the Middle East and North Africa with Professor Denise Baken of George Mason University while he is also contributing for leading Greek and worldwide media outlets such as CNN, Estia Newspaper, at NEA and others.

Within RIEAS auspices, he starts heading the National PhD Thesis Network of Terrorism Researchers in collaboration with Terrorism Research Initiative.

His recent publications are:

Books:
1. With Denise N. Baken, Al Qaeda: The Transformation of Terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa (Praeger Security International) forthcoming– July 31, 2015
2. Boko Haram, An Anatomy of a Crisis (ed.), e-International Relations Website, (e-book) October 2013, Bristol UK

Articles:
1) Boko Haram Attacks in Nigeria and Neighbouring Countries: A Chronology of Attacks, Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol 8, No 6 (2014)
2) With Denise Baken, The cyber terrorism shadow networks in Africa : AQIM and Boko Haram, Africa Rennaisance, Vol 9, No 1, (2012) pp, 27-45
3) Somalia and Yemen: The Links between Terrorism and State Failure, Digest of Middle East Studies, Volume 20, Issue 2, pages 242–260, Fall 2011
4) The International Community’s Role in the Radicalization of Islamist Politics in Somalia, 1992 to 1995: The Creation of the Security Dilemma, Mediterranean Quarterly, Volume 23, Number 2: 77-94, (2012)
5) Why the Islamic Revolution Ended: The Regional Politics of Sudan since 1989, Mediterranean Quarterly, Volume 21, Number 3: 47-60, (2010)
6) The Absence of the State in Northern Nigeria, African Renaissance, Vol 7, No 1, (2010 ), pp57-62

Book Reviews:
1. Mantzikos, I, Joining and Betraying Al-Qaeda: A How to guide, Morten Storm with Paul Cruickshank & Tim Lister, Agent Storm: My Life Inside Al Qaeda and the CIA, War on The Rocks, 18 November,2014
2. Mantzikos, I, The Round Table, 2011, Vol.100(412), p.97-115
3. Mantzikos I, Africa's Islamic Experience: history, culture, and politics edited by A. A. Mazrui, P. M. Dikirr, R. Ostergard Jr., M. Toler and P. Macharia, The Journal of Modern African Studies, Volume 49, Issue 01,March 2011, pp 177-178
4. Mantzikos, Ioannis, Un Peacekeeping in Civil Wars, African Studies Quarterly › Vol. 12 Nbr. 2, January 2011
5. Mantzikos I, , Sudan in Turmoil: Hassan al-Turabi and the Islamist state by J. Millard Burr and Robert O. Collins , The Journal of Modern African Studies, Volume 48, Issue 04, 2010
6. Mantzikos I, Understanding Somalia and Somaliland by Ioan Lewis; Mark Bradbury, Becoming Somaliland, African Affairs, Vol 109, No 437, 2010

Other Publications:
1. With Tim Lister, Add this to Greece's list of problems: It's an emerging hub for terrorists, CNN, 26 January, 2015
2. Piracy in Africa, Just get going? Africa Arguments, 19 December 2014
3. Khorasan Group, A U.S.-Iranian Trade off?, Geopolitical Monitor, 30 October 2014
4. Boko Haram and ISIS, Two Sides of the Same Coin?, Africa Defence Review, 27 October, 2014
5. The UK Stance on Boko Haram, Council of Foreign Relations, Africa in Transition Blog, 19 May, 2014
6. Ron Paul and Africa, On Odd Couple, Africa at LSE blog, February 12, 2012
7. Reflections on Recent Elections in Africa, E-International Relations: http://www.e-ir.info/?author=975

Senior Analyst in the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS). He is also a Research Fellow at the Hellenic Centre for European Studies (EKEM), the research branch of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specializing in Defence and Security issues. He is the founder of the Hellenic-Chinese Academic Partnership between the Hellenic Centre for European Studies and the principal Chinese think tanks: the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China Institutes of International Studies, and Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. He is also a founding member of the Greek Academic Consortium for Greek-Chinese Relations and EU-Chinese Relations under the auspices of the Hellenic Centre for European Studies.

He is currently teaching European Politics and History at the Greek National School of Public Administration. He has previously taught Naval Military Strategy at the National Security College. He earned his Master's degree in War Studies at the School of Public Policy at King's College London, of the University of London in 2002. He has completed his doctorate degree (pending award) referring to the U.S. Grand Strategy of the Second World War in 2013 at the department of History of Ionian University. His broad research interests include: Strategy, Military transformation, Intelligence and Security sector reform and military history. His research focus lies on the Grand strategy of the Great Powers and the military aspects of small states' Grand strategy.

He has given speeches and lectures in international fora as a security expert and has published extensively on global security issues over the past years. He is a member of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies (RUSI) and a member of various Greek and Foreign Security and Defence Networks.

Recent Publications In English:

Obama’s Foreign Policy doctrine and its implications on the MENA region, Spring 2013, Etudes Helleniques Journal. The Greek –US Relations, Prospects and Challenges, Policy Recommendations to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Edited Volume of the Hellenic Centre for European Studies, February 2013.

In Greek:

Sino-Japanese Relations: The strategic dilemma of Asia’s Superpowers in China’s Relations with its neighbours in the 21stCentury, Edited Volume by the department of International Relations of the University of Peloponnese, Papazissis Publishing, November 2013.

Speeches:

Speaker in the Conference of the Greek-Chinese Chamber of Commerce regarding Chinese Investments in Greece and the Mediterranean. Title of the Speech: China’s strategy in the MENA region, 5th of May 2013.

Speaker at the International academic conference of the University of Peloponnese regarding China’s external relations. Title of the Speech: China and Japan: Two giants competing for regional supremacy in Southeast Asia.

Tassos Symeonides was educated in the US, UK, and Switzerland. He holds a Ph.D. in Defence Studies from the University of Edinburgh. He has worked both in academia and government and was recently retired to pursue writing and research. He resides in Seattle, WA, USA.

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Daniel Little is a former military officer responsible for planning and training numerous militaries. As Head of NATO Planning at the Warrior Preparation Center, US Forces – Europe, Daniel’s activities ranged from researching the original KFOR training to certifying Corps Headquarters of 27,000 military members to become first time certified or recertified at NATO. In addition to real-world mission planning, he has served as advisor to the US Joint Chiefs as well as numerous militaries worldwide. As a Program Manager in the Pentagon, Daniel authored education courses in the areas of Modelling and Simulation (M&S) as well as strategic technologies. He was a feature speaker at the NATO Lecture series on Modelling and Simulation.

As a Research Fellow for the Center for Technology, Security, and Policy at Virginia Tech, National Capital Region, United States, he was responsible for forging alliances between law enforcement entities in numerous regions in areas related to narcotics, weapons, nuclear proliferation and money laundering.

He has en Executive MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and studied International Relations at St. Catherine’s College, University of Cambridge.

Senior Analyst at Research Institute of European and American Studies (RIEAS). He was born and raised in Athens while he has spent more than eight years studying and working in London. 

Mr Giannoulis holds a BA (Hon) from University College London, School of Slavonic and East European Studies with a specialisation on Russian Foreign and Security Policy. He earned a hands-on PG diploma in Journalism from the London School of Journalism and has recently completed his MA at King’s College London with a focus on Intelligence. His MA dissertation focused on the importance of strategic foresight in the preservation of national security. Besides his major studies Mr Giannoulis has attended various special courses and seminars in the UK, Greece, Russia and Israel including Central Asian politics, Energy Security, Project Management, Russian Foreign Policy and National Security.

Mr Giannoulis has more than six years research experience mainly on Russia and Eurasia in both London (Chatham House) and Athens (IDIS) and in Security and Terrorism in London and Israel both for the commercial as well as research sectors. He has participated in government-supported projects and has contributed to studies for government clients in Greece while he has also worked as an external contributor for a City-based research and analysis company in the UK. 

His current research interests include intelligence and national security theory and practice, Eurasian security affairs, in specific Russia and CIS and relations between Iran, Israel, Turkey and Greece and theoretical domains including national security and intelligence ethics, the theory of double anarchy and national security and national security constructivism in the post-Westphalian international order.

Mr Giannoulis is currently an MPhil/PhD applicant to the University of London. His proposed thesis will deal with an ethical framework of National Security and Intelligence Ethics both in theory and practice and a critical examination of a constructivist in nature international security based on double anarchy theory. He speaks Greek, English and Russian languages.   

Research publications include:
 
Various Articles and Analyses published online on www.rieas.org
“Islamic Radicalization in Greece”, The Islamic Radicalization Index, ICT, ict.org.il: Summer 2011
“Russian Military Reform: Balancing Reality and Doctrine”, ceregreece.org:                     
“Russian Defence Policy in the 21st Century”, Hellenic Defence Review, No. 53: 10/2006
“Caucasus: Russia’s soft underbelly”, Chapter contribution to a study for the Greek MoD
Over 60 articles and analyses published online for CERE/IDIS

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Senior Analyst at the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).
She is an international security analyst specialising on terrorism/counterterrorism and radicalisation, and an affiliate member of the European Network of Experts on Radicalisation. In the recent past, she served as the Deputy Director of the Center for Security Studies (KE.ME.A.) in Athens and as member of the Board of Directors of the European Organisation for Security (EOS). Prior to this, she was a Research Fellow at the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) of the US Military Academy at West Point, where she conducted research on Muslim diaspora communities and Islamist terrorism and taught courses on terrorism-counterterrorism and international relations. Her professional experience also includes working at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Greek Ministry of Economy and Finance, the United Nations Information Center in Athens and at the United Nations Development Programme in Tunis, Tunisia. She earned a B.A. in International Political Studies from the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, Greece, and a Master of International Affairs (MIA) from Columbia University, specializing in International Security Policy and Humanitarian Affairs. She received a Fulbright Fellowship for 2003 – 2004. Her research interests include issues relating to counterterrorism, intelligence, radicalisation and migration.