Kurt Bassuener is co-founder and senior associate of the Democratization Policy Council, a Berlin-based think-tank established in 2005. His received his PhD in 2021 from the University of St. Andrews’ Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence for his dissertation titled: “Peace Cartels: Internationally Brokered Power-Sharing and Perpetual Oligarchy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia.” He resides in Sarajevo, where he serves as a regional strategic advisor for Kvinna Till Kvinna. He is also co-author and research director for the Diplomat’s Handbook for Democracy Development Support, a project of the Community of Democracies.