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"Happiness is a fruit of Freedom, and Freedom is a fruit of Courage." —Pericles, 431 b.C.
At first we wish to thank our dear friend Sakari R. Puisto, student of theoretical physics now living in Cambridge, who originally brought together Messrs. Nercessian and Kullberg. The first negotiations to found a journal concentrating in the East were held in a remote dacha in the forests of South Tavastia, Finland, in late May 1999, and continued in Tallinn, Estonia. In the autumn Mr. Khalilov was found, and he brought needed increase in our motivation and efficiency. Internet technique made it possible for us to continue working on the project despite our being students, occupied by studies and not equipped with the best possible economic resources, each one in his direction, in Cambridge, London, Lund, Athens, Helsinki... Finally in February and March of 2000, we decided to execute the plans after a meeting in London.
Roman Khalilov was born in 1972 in Chechnya. At the age of sixteen he finished the school and entered the Grozny Oil Institute, studying civil engineering. From 1990 to 1992 he served in the Army of the Soviet Union (later Russia) in the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Soviet Union fell in 1992, and Chechnya had declared independence in 1991. In the summer of 1994 Khalilov graduated from the Grozny Oil Institute in the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. That year situation in Chechnya was changing quickly and Khalilov became interested in politics. In the same year Russia invaded the country, starting a disastrous two-year war. In 1996 Roman Khalilov went to the United States and later to Australia to learn English language, besides the Chechen and Russian languages that he already spoke perfectly. In 1998 he entered the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom, and he made the undergraduate degree in ‘Politics, Economics, and Law’ with Honours in January 2000. At the moment he is student in the University of Kent, studying MA in International Relations.
Anssi Kullberg was born in 1975 in Helsinki, Finland. As a teenager in the upper secondary school he became highly interested in politics and international affairs, especially the liberation process of East Europe and the former Soviet Union, starting extensive travels to the region and later getting to know politically active students throughout Europe and near abroad. From 1994 to 1995 he served the Coastal Guard in the Finnish Army, after which he entered the University of Jyväskylä, studying Master degree in Political Science, and European Integration. Besides fluent Finnish, English, Estonian and Swedish, he speaks German, Italian, and on lower level four other languages. Since 1997 Kullberg has been involved in the International Paneuropean Union, now acting as board member of the Finnish section and the head of the youth organisation in Finland. In 1998-1999 he was studying International Affairs in the University of Lund in Sweden, and since autumn 2000 in the University of Tartu, Estonia. He was later working in Islamabad, Pakistan before returning to the University of Jyväskylä, where he graduated in 2003.
Andy Nercessian was born in 1977 in Amman, Jordan, his parents are Armenian, but he has lived most of his life in Greece, speaking Greek as his mother tongue, but getting classical Anglo-Saxon education in English. Besides, he speaks Armenian, German, French, Russian and Turkish. He has graduated as Doctor from the University of Cambridge, studying ethno-musicology, which he is nowadays also teaching in the Cambridge University. Nercessian has made field research on ethno-musicology and nationalism in Armenia, Greece and Turkey.
Antti Hämäläinen was born in 1976 in Oulu, Finland. From secondary school, he has been interested in international affairs through international friendships and various international organisations, including acting as the local committee president for the international student work exchange organization AIESEC. He has spent time as exchange student in the USA and Norway and worked in Germany. Besides native Finnish and fluent English, German and Swedish, he has basic skills in French, Russian and Japanese. He is studying Digital Media in the University of Jyväskylä.
David Storobin received Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Rutgers University School of Law. His Master's Thesis (M.A. Comparative Politics) deals with Extremist Movements in the Middle East and the historical causes for the rise of fundamentalism. He also has a B.A. in Political Science. Storobin spent years in southern Russia, gaining a familiarity with the conflicts in Chechnya, Dagestan, North and South Ossetia, etc. Over the last two years, he has been working in a law firm in New York. His political interests include Islamist terrorism, Middle East and Russia, as well as economic, monetary and fiscal policies. Since November 2004, he also publishes an independent web journal Global Politician.
Anssi Kullberg was the editor-in-chief of the Eurasian Politician until April 2004 and was, with Roman Khalilov, in charge of the content 2000-2004.
David Storobin joined the editorial board of the Eurasian Politician in autumn 2004.
The website is edited by the webmaster, Antti Hämäläinen, who has replaced Andy Nercessian in the editorial board since the 2nd Issue, and was the acting editor after April 2004.
First WWW version of the 1st Issue was created by M. Novikov.
Besides, we want to honour all those people who have offered us important moral encouragement and information support for our work for ‘The Eurasian Politician’.
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