Ilia Aronia is Head of External Affairs at the Strategic Security Initiative (SSI), an independent policy research initiative focused on international security and strategic affairs. His professional background spans policy consultancy, international development, government relations, and strategic stakeholder engagement, with a focus on building partnerships across government, international organisations, development institutions, and policy communities.

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Prior to joining SSI, he held positions with Expertise France and the Czech Development Agency (CzDA), where he supported policy and institutional reforms and managed engagement between government institutions, international experts, development partners, and other key stakeholders. He has also worked on USAID-supported programmes, contributing to political analysis, policy research, international cooperation, and strategic engagement. Alongside his institutional work, he works as a freelance analyst, focusing on Russian hybrid warfare and the use of information, political, and other non-military means to undermine the resilience and cohesion of European democracies.

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He holds a BA in International Relations, specialising in International Security, from Jagiellonian University, alongside postgraduate degrees in Political Science and the Politics and Economics of Eastern and Southeastern Europe from the University of Bamberg and the University of Macedonia. His professional interests span international security, foreign policy, strategic communications, and international cooperation.