Alaa Elhadidi is a retired Egyptian diplomat and former ambassador to Turkey, Russia and Romania. He is currently a professor of practice of international relations at The American University in Cairo. He has an extensive background of more than 30 years in foreign policy research and writing.

From 2006 to 2007, he served as spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Egyptian ambassador to Turkey, and from 2010 to 2012, he was Egypt’s ambassador to Russia, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. From 2012 to 2013, he served as spokesperson for the Egyptian prime minister. He was also director of the Institute for Diplomatic Studies in Cairo, after which he was appointed Egypt’s ambassador to Romania.

In addition, he has held several diplomatic assignments in different Egyptian cabinets of foreign ministers and in Egypt’s embassies in the United States and Jordan.

Elhadidi received his BA in political science from The American University in Cairo and his PhD in political science from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was also a fellow at the Center for International Studies at Harvard University.