International Center for Transatlantic Studies

Emil M. Hasanov is a distinguished expert in international security and post‑conflict recovery, with more than two decades of leadership across the United Nations, U.S. Department of State programs, OSCE, EU, and other global institutions. He has served as a strategic adviser to UN peacekeeping in Darfur, Sudan, and directed stabilization initiatives funded by the U.S. Department of State. His fieldwork spans Yemen, Iran, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Georgia, and operations along the Afghanistan and Syrian borders, where he led missions on disarmament, conventional weapons management, and post‑war recovery. Mr. Hasanov’s academic foundation combines law studies at the University of Geneva and Baku State University (LL.M) with advanced training at leading institutions including Cranfield Defense Academy (UK), Carleton University (Canada), George Washington University (USA), Thunderbird School of Global Management, and SOAS, University of London. His career reflects a unique blend of legal expertise, operational leadership, and external affairs. He has advised on communications and external relations with BP AGT, engaging with diplomatic corps, senior officials, and heads of state. He is also co‑founder of the Club de Genève, a platform fostering dialogue among policymakers and scholars. Beyond policy and operations, Mr. Hasanov has established a strong profile in communications and media, serving as author and anchor of GEOPOLITICS talk shows, publishing widely on international relations, and producing documentaries on conflict and recovery. As Founder and Chairman of the International Center for Transatlantic Studies (ICTS), Mr. Hasanov brings this global expertise to advancing the Center’s mission: strengthening transatlantic cooperation, fostering innovative policy dialogue, and promoting collective security.

Alexander Ludwig is an entrepreneur from Germany and was born in 1969. His companies in the marketing, communications, and media industries support and advise internationally renowned consumer brands in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, organize election campaigns, and offer political consulting for parties and individuals. Alexander Ludwig comes from a family of bankers, has served on supervisory boards of companies, and also has an extensive network in the finance and banking industry. Ludwig is committed to peace, security, and international exchange. He is dedicated to building bridges between different religions, cultures, and political orientations. He is co-founder of the Club de Genève, which promotes peace and international exchange and addresses environmental damage caused by wars.

Born on January 12, 1964, he serves as the Executive Chairman of Ulukartal Holding Inc., headquartered in Istanbul. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Marmara University and a master’s degree in Global Politics and International Relations from Bahçeşehir University. He has also participated in specialized training programs focused on statecraft and political affairs. With a distinguished career spanning banking, finance, and senior executive leadership, he has held high-level managerial positions within the financial sector. His areas of expertise include strategic partnerships, international representation, corporate positioning, and cross-border conflict resolution. In addition to his executive responsibilities, he is a columnist at RUBASAM (Rumeli Balkans Strategic Research Center), where he writes on global security, asymmetric warfare, NATO operations, and geopolitical analysis. He is also a member of the Geneva Conference. His personal interests include research-based writing, athletic training, horseback riding, chess, and dog training.

Elshad Aghayev is a software architect and technology leader with over 17 years of experience in building scalable, high-performance digital systems. His expertise spans microservices architecture, event-driven systems, and cloud-native solutions, with a strong focus on Node.js, TypeScript, and distributed system design. Throughout his career, Elshad has led the development of complex platforms across multiple industries, including iGaming, healthcare, and real-time delivery systems. He has architected and delivered event-driven infrastructures leveraging technologies such as Kafka, ClickHouse, PostgreSQL, and Redis, enabling high-load data processing and real-time decision-making environments . As the Founder and CTO of EACAMP, he built and scaled a technology-driven education and software development organization, delivering products ranging from Web3 applications to healthcare platforms. His work reflects a consistent ability to bridge technical depth with business impact. Elshad is also an active contributor to the global tech community. He has served as a jury member at the Eurasian Startup Awards and has organized international events focused on open-source technologies, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship . His current interests lie in advanced system design, data engineering, and the intersection of AI and scalable infrastructure. He is particularly focused on building resilient, observable systems that can operate efficiently at scale.