Who are we?

Sandra Arévalo is a political advisor in the European Parliament, where she follows the activities of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the EU-China Delegation. A graduate in International Relations and Journalism from URJC, she has completed her training in Public Policy at LSE and has experience in public affairs consulting. She co-founded the pro-European youth association Equipo Europa in 2019. She speaks Spanish, English, and French fluently and has a basic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese.

Nicola Barbesino is an analyst and researcher specializing in defense studies within the NATO and European Union spheres. His interests also include military strategy, intelligence analysis, and hybrid warfare. He holds a joint Master's degree in Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies from the University of Glasgow, Charles University in Prague, and Dublin City University.

Jordi Bernal is an Assistant Project Officer for Humanitarian Action and Governance at the Spanish Cooperation Office in Ethiopia (AECID). He holds a degree in International Relations (UAB) and a Master's degree in International Security (U. Glasgow, U. Trento, Charles University in Prague). He has contributed to several think tanks (Werra, The Security Distillery, Security in Context) and has worked at the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), the Brussels International Centre for the Study of Peace (GRIP), and the Africa Directorate of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Federico Cafarella is a VisionLink Fellow at the NATO Defence College in Rome, where he focuses on frontier technology, artificial intelligence, and their implications for geopolitics, economics, and security. He holds a Master’s degree from the Hertie School of Governance and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Bologna, and has previously held roles in executive education at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and as a researcher at the Centre for European Armies Interoperability. His analytical approach draws on scenario planning and strategic foresight to assess the long-term impact of scientific and technological breakthroughs on international relations.

Alice Carasco is a Master's student in International and European Studies, majoring in European Project Engineering. She holds a bachelor's degree in History and Geography. Her area of interest focuses on the place of individuals on the wider international scale. She is interested in the treatment of marginalized and vulnerable communities, immigrants, human rights, and cultural exchanges, both within the European Union and in its relations with neighboring countries. She has volunteered in several non-profits to actively promote cultural exchanges, diversity, and fairer access to fundamental rights.

Graduated in International Relations and specialized in the Arab world with a Master's degree in Contemporary Arab and Islamic Studies. Her main areas of interest include the political and social analysis of the MENA region, with a focus on Islam, collective identities, and processes of political change. She has collaborated with the Pluralism and Coexistence Foundation, where she received training in issues of religious diversity and coexistence management in the public sphere.

Laura Escudero Gutiérrez holds a degree in Journalism and International Relations from Francisco de Vitoria University. She has experience in radio specializing in human resources and has currently spent four years preparing for the Diplomatic Career. She is also a recipient of the listener scholarship for the IV Geopolitics Course: Rethinking Hispanidad from the Spanish Institute of Strategic Studies (IEEE). She is currently an associate professor of International Relations at Francisco de Vitoria University.

Benjamin Faarvang is currently pursuing a Master's degree in International and European Studies at Nantes University, specializing in international negotiation and diplomacy. His primary areas of interest include immigration politics, security politics, and multilateral cooperation, with a geographical focus on East and Southeast Asia. Having previously worked at the Danish Embassy in Bangkok as a visa officer and currently interning at the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration, he is particularly interested in how culture shapes politics.

Lourdes González Grande (Seville, 2003) is a student pursuing a Double Degree in Law and International Relations at Francisco de Vitoria University. Her primary areas of interest include energy geopolitics, strategic resources, and the post-Soviet space, with a particular focus on Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

Rodrigo Martín Gómez is a Historian and Political Scientist, as well as a graduate of the Master's in Geopolitics and Strategic Studies from the Universidad Carlos III of Madrid. His multidisciplinary professional career includes teaching history and publishing essays and other academic pieces in outlets such as «The Political Room» or «El Siglo de Asia.» He has also worked as a consultant in Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML-CTF). His main areas of interest are Indo-Pacific Geopolitics and Cultural Geopolitics.

Dr. Ramiro Rodríguez Bausero is an official of the Uruguayan Foreign Service. He is currently Consul General for Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country. He holds a Doctorate in Law and Social Sciences (Lawyer) and a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from the University of the Republic (UDELAR) in Uruguay. He also holds a Master's Degree in International Politics and Economics from the University of San Andrés (UDESA) in Argentina. He is a professor of the History of International Relations at UDELAR and a collaborating professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), as well as a Foreign Trade Technician (Association of Marketing Managers of Uruguay). Additionally, Ramiro is a member of the International Law Committee of the Uruguayan Council for International Relations (CURI), the Latin American Association of Asian and African Studies (ALADAA), and the China-Latin America Network.

Her academic research areas include the history of IR, Eurasian space: the Caucasus, Central Asia, the broader Middle East, China (BRI, relations with Latin America); international trade, energy, logistics, geopolitics, and economic diplomacy.

Graduating in International Relations and Intelligence, Marie delves into topics of peace, international negotiation, and diplomacy through her Master's in European and International Studies at the University of Nantes. Her work focuses on security, defense, and intelligence issues, addressing risk management and geopolitical analysis with an interdisciplinary approach.

Sophie Salas Kim is a defense strategist and researcher specializing in emerging technologies and the use of geoeconomic instruments in European and transatlantic security. She is currently a fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome, where she is focusing on studying how hybrid threats test traditional defense paradigms and policy responses.

Her research analyzes the relationship between technological innovation and regulatory change, with a special focus on their implications for strategic autonomy, economic independence, and transatlantic resilience. Sophie holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Business Administration from UBC Sauder School of Business.

Graduate in International Relations and Intelligence, specializing in risk analysis and international security. She has worked in the private sector, in strategic evaluation, risk analysis, and emergency management at PROSEGUR. Her area of interest focuses on intelligence applied to asymmetric conflicts and the analysis of emerging threats, with an emphasis on risk prevention in complex geopolitical contexts.