Bob Deen is Head of the Security Unit and Coordinator of the Clingendael Russia and Eastern Europe Centre. His research focuses on international security issues, geopolitics, multilateral co-operation and conflict resolution, with a particular emphasis on Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
His current research subjects include the European security architecture and a European pillar within NATO, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and Russian foreign and security policy. He is a frequent commentator in Dutch and international media on these topics. Bob also coordinates an international expert group that advises Governments on how to achieve a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace for Ukraine.
Bob has over 20 years of experience in international governmental and non-governmental organizations, including in senior management positions and field operations. Prior to joining Clingendael in 2020 he worked for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as Head of Section and Senior Adviser to the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), where he covered Ukraine, Moldova, Russia and the western Balkans. He also worked in Georgia as a Political Adviser for the EU and in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan for a non-governmental aid organization.
He holds a Masters degree in Nationalism and Ethnicity (distinction) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Masters degree in International Relations/International Organizations (cum laude) from the University of Groningen.
