Deedee Derksen is pursuing a Ph.D. on the demilitarization of armed groups at the War Studies Department of King’s College London, while consulting on the same topic. A regular commentator on Afghanistan on television and radio, at conferences and in international institutions, she was also a correspondent and columnist for the Dutch leading quality newspaper de Volkskrant for eight years. She authored a book on Afghanistan, shortlisted for a prestigious non-fiction award. She speaks English, Dutch and French and reasonable Spanish.