Abdalla Nasef
Class of 2027
Abdalla Nasef is a political analyst, editor, and founder of Tahrir Podcast—the first political podcast to broadcast from Cairo. Ranking in the top 5% globally and top 60 in the Middle East, he interviews academics, journalists, and authors on Middle Eastern and North African politics and history while providing independent analysis and commentary on Egyptian politics. He previously served as a trainee political analyst in the Political, Press, and Information Office at the European Union Delegation to Egypt. He currently works as a consultant and editor for the Arab Political Science Network, where he produces two bi-monthly newsletters highlighting scholarly literature on the MENA region. His editorial contributions span academic and policy publications in both Arabic and English, including with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Bloomsbury Publishing, the Project on Middle East Political Science, and Oxford University Press. Nasef’s political insights have been quoted by a range of international media outlets, including Al-Monitor, Vox, The National, Channel Africa, Swiss Radio RTS, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera English, The Chosun Ilbo, Kurdsat News, and various other publications.
He holds a BA in Political Science and History from the American University in Cairo (cum laude), with an exchange year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has guest lectured at Sciences Po Strasbourg, Freie Universität Berlin, the University of Strasbourg, and Malmö University on topics including authoritarianism, media, and Egyptian politics. Beyond his academic and media work, Nasef is committed to community education and previously taught literacy courses in Giza. He has also competed nationally as a handball player and assistant coach. His work centers on advancing education and democracy in Egypt, emphasizing the Arab Spring’s ideals of dignity and democracy as the only paths to a sustainable future while countering authoritarianism.