Stefan Wolff is Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham, England, UK. A political scientist by background, he specializes in the management of contemporary security challenges, especially in the prevention and settlement of ethnic conflicts and in post-conflict state-building in deeply divided and war-torn societies. Professor Wolff has extensive expertise in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East and has also worked on a wide range of other conflicts elsewhere, including in Africa and Central, South, and Southeast Asia. Bridging the divide between academia and policy-making, Wolff has been involved in various phases of conflict settlement processes, including in the disputed territories in Iraq, Transnistria and Gagauzia (Moldova), and Yemen.