Author/Research Director: Kurt Bassuener

Kurt Bassuener is an independent policy analyst in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He co-authored with Amb. Jeremy Kinsman the Diplomats’ Handbook for Democracy Development Support, a project of the Community of Democracies, published in Summer 2008 (at www.diplomatshandbook.org). In his role as the project’s Research Director, he authored, co-authored, or oversaw the research and writing of the Handbook’s case studies.  He is currently preparing or supervising case studies on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, and Nepal, as well as updating the first edition case studies.

Kurt Bassuener is also a co-founder and Senior Associate of the Democratization Policy Council (www.democratizationpolicy.org), a global initiative for accountability on democracy promotion.  Under DPC’s aegis and previously, he has authored numerous opinion pieces and analyses, published in such papers as the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal Europe, St. Petersburg Times, The Irish Times, Jane’s Defense Weekly, and the European Voice.  DPC has published several policy briefs on Bosnia, most recently How to Pull Out of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Dead-End in February 2009 and Sliding toward the Precipice: Europe’s Bosnia Policy in November 2008.

He served as Strategy Analyst at the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo from May 2005-December 2006. Previous positions and projects include serving as Political and Campaign Analyst for the OSCE-ODIHR’s Election Observation Mission in Ukraine in 2004-2005, co-founding and co-directing the Democratization Policy Institute (2000-2002), acting Assistant Director for Government Affairs at the International Rescue Committee (2001), Program Officer for the US Institute of Peace’s Balkans Initiative (2000-2001), Associate Director of the Balkan Action Council (1998-2000), and Policy Analyst at the Balkan Institute (1997-1998).

He received his MA in European Studies from the Central European University in Prague (1994); his thesis advocated a standing all-volunteer UN peacekeeping division under the Security Council. He earned his BA in International Relations from American University’s School of International Service.