Dr. Rafik Abdessalem is a Tunisian politician and an Executive Committee member of Ennahda party. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2011 and 2013, representing Tunisia’s first democratically elected government under Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali. Dr. Abdessalem played a prominent role in founding The Tunisians Student General Union in 1980s. He is the founder and director of the London-based Centre for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies (CSDS), the founder of The Magreb Centre for Research and Translations, and the former chair of the London Platform for Dialogue. Dr. Abdessalem also worked as a senior researcher and head of the Research and Studies Office at the Al Jazeera Center for Studies. He holds a PhD in politics and international relations from the University of Westminster and is the author of several books.