Independent Diplomat interns

Please contact our offices directly for further details or keep checking our website for instructions on how to apply. Internships will also be advertised on www.idealist.org for the American offices, www.w4mp.org and www.eurobrussels.com for the European offices. Please note that our internships are unpaid, although Independent Diplomat will pay reasonable travel expenses for successful candidates

Julie Beckenstein - New York office

Julie recently completed an MSc in Politics and Government of the European Union from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She also holds a BA in English and Classics from Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to working at Independent Diplomat, Julie spent six months as a part time Parliamentary Assistant in the House of Lords.

Andrew is currently completing an MA in Conflict Resolution and International Law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is planning to write a thesis on power imbalances in international mediation processes. Prior to starting his Masters, Andrew spent 7 years as a consultant in the private sector, providing analytical and advisory services to companies negotiating and managing critical business relationships with their customers, suppliers and alliance partners. Andrew also holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Merton College, Oxford.

Prior to joining ID, Elisabeth worked as an assistant programme coordinator at Transparency International. She has spent nine months with the OSCE Presence in Albania and has interned at the European Commission’s Delegation to the U.S. in Washington. She holds a M.A. in Sociology, Eastern European Studies and International Relations from the Free University Berlin and an MSc in Political Sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vicky is a first year PhD student at the University of Warwick in the Politics and International Studies Department. She was awarded a scholarship to investigate the evolving relationship between Japan and India. She holds a BA in History, which included a year at the University of South Carolina and MA in International Relations. For her MA dissertation she studied the public diplomacy strategy of the Chinese government during the countdown to the Olympic Games. During the summer of 2008 she also conducted research on the declining population in Japan with a Lord Rootes Award. Prior to joining ID, Vicky has taught English in China and undertaken internships at the British Embassy in The Hague and Parliament where she researched Foreign Affairs and Defence issues for the Conservative Party.

Through her last year at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Sira focused her research in the areas of International Security and Conflict Prevention. She recently graduated in Political Sciences and Public Administration from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). Sira holds a BA in Political Sciences from the Otto-Friedrich Universität Bamberg and spent her teenage years in a English boarding school. Sira’s work experience touches the private, academic and non-profit world. She represented the Federation for Promotion and Defence of Human Rights in Spain on the UN Human Rights Commission in 2004 and collaborated with the European Network Against Racism.

Des Carney - New York office, 2008-2009

Des holds an MSc in Political Science from the University of Amsterdam with a specialisation in International Relations, and a BA in German and Computer Science from University College Dublin. Recently he has been awarded a PhD position at University College London for the study of declining state hegemony and an emergent transnational order, which he is due to commence in autumn 2009.

Prior to joining ID, Karine worked as a research analyst for Compassion International and as a professional translator. She holds a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University, and is finishing an MA in International Human Rights from the University of Denver. Over the past 10 years, Karine has done volunteer work in Romania, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, as well as locally, with the American Red Cross and Lutheran Family Services' Refugee Program.

Arya graduated in political science and international development from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at NYU.

Following his time at ID, Nick took up a job as Africa Liberal Network Coordinator at the International Office of the Liberal Democrats working on their Westminster Foundation for Democracy programme. Nick completed a Master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He also holds a BA in History and French from the University of Exeter, which included a year abroad at the Université de Provence. Prior to joining Independent Diplomat, Nick worked for the United Nations Association of the UK.

After obtaining her undergraduate degree in Media and European Studies with French from the University of Sussex, Jenny worked for a number of years as a fundraiser for several UK charities, including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), before interning at ID. Jenny is currently studying for an MSc in Human Rights at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Devin graduated with her MA in Governance and Development from the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) at the University of Antwerp. She received her BA in International Affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. She comes to ID with a range of experience from doing government affairs in Washington D.C., teaching English in Slovakia and working in development for city government. In December 2007, her dissertation on fragile states was published as a background paper with the International Peace Information Service (IPIS) and Fatal Transactions.

Jordan graduated in May 2007 from Duke University with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Arabic language. While at Duke, she researched and worked with diverse Muslim communities in North Carolina. She also conducted international fieldwork and volunteered in Vietnam, Bolivia, and Lebanon. Jordan spent the last year as an Associate at The Boston Consulting Group in New York, working primarily on infrastructure projects in the US and in Mexico. She is now a first year PhD student at Columbia University in the department of Political Science.

Neil is responsible for the internal technical infrastructure and back office systems for Canonical, commercial sponsors of the free and open source Ubuntu Linux operating system. Neil received his MA in Political Science from Columbia University with a concentration in International Relations and has a BSc in Economics from UCL. Neil has extensive private sector experience in Europe and the Middle East while working in the IT industry.

Dana graduated in May 2008 from Georgetown University's Master of Science in Foreign Service program with a concentration in International Conflict Management. While at Georgetown Dana worked at the National Democratic Institute on democracy-building programs in the Middle East; at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt in the economic-political section; and at the United States Institute of Peace on post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Iraq. Before that she lived in Egypt and Israel studying Arabic and Hebrew, and also worked as a private-sector consultant for the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Defense. Dana hails from Virginia, and lives in Washington, D.C. where she hopes to remain based while working and traveling internationally.

Zuzana graduated with an MA in International Peace and Security at King’s College London with a concentration on the Middle East and human rights issues. She received her BA in European Studies from Trinity College Dublin. Prior to working at ID, she interned in the Liberal Democrat Party’s headquarters. In 2006, Zuzana also interned at the European Commission Representation in Prague.

Diana received her Master’s degree in Law, Society and Anthropology from LSE and her BA in English from NYU. She is currently a student at Columbia Law School, where she is focusing in international law.

Elizabeth is a second-year law student at Georgetown University Law Center, and has a M.A. in Pan-African Studies with a concentration in Africa and the Diaspora. In the summer 2007, she studied international law in London, and worked as a research assistant for Søren Jessen-Petersen at the US Institute of Peace.

Vibeke holds a Master of Public Policy and a Master in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Michigan. Prior to working at ID, she interned at the Delegation of Denmark to the OSCE, and worked as a Research Associate at the European Union Center at the University of Michigan. Vibeke also worked on a microfinance project in India. She is interested in international conflict issues, including trafficking and illegal arms trade.

A recent graduate of the MSc in Global Politics at the London Sschool of Economics and Political Science, Rob's previous experience includes working in an MP’s office and teaching English in Japan. He plans to study for a PhD in political science.

Viviana holds a BA in Philosophy, a MA in European Studies and the E.MA Master's Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation, with a thesis on human rights and Islamic Shari'a. Her main field of interest is the promotion of human rights in the Muslim world. After her experience with ID and an internship at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights she started working as a UNV for the United Nations Development Programme.

Kush was born and raised in Kenya and recently graduated with an MA in Economics and International Relations from the University of East Anglia. He is particularly interested in the economic dimensions of conflict and wrote his thesis titled: "Multinational Corporations and Armed Conflict: An Enquiry into the Economic Causes of Civil War". Kush has worked in international health economics as a Research Associate on the HIV/AIDS & STI Knowledge Programme (based at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine) as well as across local government in the north-west of England.

After interning for ID, Ilir became the executive director of KIPRED, Kosovo's major think-tank. Prior to ID, Ilir worked for the Geneva Centre for Security Policy; was a political advisor to Kosovo's prime minister; and an analyst for International Crisis Group in Kosovo. He has an MA in International Affairs, and a BA in political science.

Antoine is a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (London) working on South Asian diplomacy, defence and security issues. He holds an MscEcon in International Politics (Aberystwyth University, UK) during the course of which he researched foreign policy think tanks. He has a keen interest in developments related to UN reform, space politics, political risk, the sociology of international knowledge and philanthropy."

Catherine Martin grew up in New Jersey and moved to London in 2005. She holds an MSc (Merit) in European Politics and Governance from the London School of Economics and a BA (Distinction) in International Relations from Boston University. Currently, she is a research intern at the democratic campaigning organisation Unlock Democracy.

Since October 2007, Christopher has been Project Facilitator at the AMAR International Charitable Foundation. Chris Kyriacou joined ID as an intern in October 2006, after completing his MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He became a staff member from January to March 2007. He subsequently worked for Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future, initially at the 15th UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York, and later as Policy Co-ordinator in their London office. He also holds a degree in Geography from Oxford University.

While interning at ID, Aman was involved in research, writing reports and assisting ID move to its new offices. Prior to ID he worked for an MP, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and for Link Community Development, a NGO. He is currently studying BSc International Relations at the London School of Economics.

Sarah is currently working as a Political Researcher to the Rt Hon Theresa May MP. Previously, she worked on the Conservative Party’s local election campaign. Sarah holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from King’s College, London and a first class Bachelor’s degree in Politics.

Imran first began interning at ID after finishing his undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He continued his internship while completing his Masters degree, and joined the staff full-time after graduation. He is currently employed as an adviser to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.