Shpend Kursani

Biography

Shpend is an External Senior Researcher at the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies - KCSS. Currently Shpend is also a Member of Assembly at the Prishtina Council on Foreign Relations - PCFR, and a Founder and Member of the Steering Committee at the Balkan Think Tense - BTT. He is also an adjunct lecturer in the field of International Relations at the University College Universum. Shpend has previously (2011-2013) been a Senior Researcher at the Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development - KIPRED, where he published a number of policy analysis that in general cover the functioning and political development of Kosovo and Kosovo's relations with Serbia and other international actors. Shpend has also been involved for several years (2007-2010) in the telecommunications sector in Kosovo as the head of product development department at IPKO Telecommunications – the largest foreign direct investment in Kosovo. He has served as a consultant and trainer assistant at the Management and Development Associates – MDA (2004-2006). During the period of 2003-2004, he has also been involved in the establishment of the American Chambers of Commerce in Kosovo. Shpend has pursued his masters degree at the University of Cambridge (2010-2011) where he earned his M.Phil. degree in International Relations with distinctions on his thesis topic “Using Soft Power: The EU’s Ability to Influence the Domestic and Foreign Policies of the States of the Western Balkans”. Shpend holds a B.Sc. degree in Public Policy and Management with the highest honors from the American University in Kosovo (2003-2007).

Research Interest

Shpend's Research Interest include: Violent Extremism and Radicalisation, Foreign Policy, International Peacekeeping and Peacemaking, Kosovo-Serbia relations and he can be reached for media in these topics but not limited to.