Biography
Nassif Youssef Hitti was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, in 1952. He took his BA (1975) and MA (1977) in political science at the American University of Beirut and his PhD in international relations at the University of Southern California in 1980. He joined the League of Arab States in 1981 and spent his whole diplomatic career in its service - Tunis, Ottawa, Cairo, Paris, Rome. In January 2020 he became Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants in the government of Hassan Diab, and resigned on 3 August of the same year. He teaches international relations and has written for the Arab press for decades.
Milestones
- 1952Born in Tripoli, Lebanon.
- 1975–77BA and MA in political science, American University of Beirut.
- 1980PhD in international relations, University of Southern California.
- 1981Joins the League of Arab States, then headquartered in Tunis.
- 1985–90The League's office in Ottawa, Canada.
- 1991–99Diplomatic adviser to the Secretary-General of the League in Cairo; part-time professor at the American University in Cairo.
- 2000Ambassador and Head of the Arab League Mission in Paris; Permanent Observer to UNESCO.
- —Ambassador of the League of Arab States to Italy and to the Holy See, in Rome.
- 2016Begins the fortnightly column in Al-Shorouk (Cairo).
- 2020Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, 21 January to 3 August.
- 2024Begins writing regularly for Asharq Al-Awsat.