Erwin van Veen

Erwin van Veen is a senior research fellow with Clingendael’s Conflict Research Unit. A political scientist by training, Erwin applies this lens to research about the power dynamics and organization of security and justice in conflict-prone environments. On top of this, extensive travel in the Middle East after secondary school engendered a lasting interest in the region’s conflicts. Well known in development circles for the ability to combine thoughtful analysis with strategic advice that matters, his work straddles academic and policy spheres. In his view, ‘a key bit of research is to look for the alternative narrative, the underdeveloped frame, and to find out what that means for how problems can be addressed in more innovative ways’.

With over 50 published works ranging from journal articles to blogs, and a key role in policy initiatives like the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States or the Knowledge Platform Security and the Rule of Law, he is equally at home in thought and action.

Previous experience

• Peacebuilding and conflict specialist at the OECD (2010-2013)
• Security and development advisor at the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006-2010)
• Human resource business advisor at Shell (2003-2005)

Recent field research
Guinea, Yemen (2014); Lebanon, Mali, Ethiopia and Afghanistan (2015); Iraq (2016); Palestine (2017).