Roles

 Youssef Sawani is currently a professor of politics and international relations at the Department of Political Science at the University of Tripoli, where he teaches political science and international relations at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His duties as a faculty member with the rank of full professor include teaching and guiding students in their research, as well as academic supervision of research and theses, conducting evaluation, master's thesis exam, as well as evaluating production of faculty members presented for promotion. Over the years, he has taught undergraduate courses and at the master's program, including international relations theory, Arab political thought, Libyan foreign policy, political research methodology, Arab-African relations, introduction to political science, introduction to  public administration, and political analysis.

Careers

Since joining the University of Tripoli as a faculty member in the Department of Political Science in 1985, Youssef Sawani has worked actively in the academic field and university teaching, including graduate studies and curriculum development, and has a record of diverse contributions within his fields of specialization. He publishes continuously in Arabic and English, and provides consultancy to a number of local and international institutions. Professor Sawani participated in many conferences, workshops and attended many seminars and summer schools. His record has also been characterized by continuous activity in organizing conferences and seminars and managing research teams.

 Since joining the University of Tripoli Youssef Sawani tenure included the following:‎

‎- Professor of Politics and International Relations, Department of Political Science, University of Tripoli since 2010‎

‎- Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Tripoli 2001-2010‎

‎- Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Tripoli, 1997-2001‎

‎- Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Tripoli, 1989-1992‎

‎- Assistant Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Tripoli, 1985-1989‎

Research Interests

Youssef Sawani is a university professor with long experience in scientific research and consultancy. He specializes in politics and international relations with a special interest in Libyan affairs, especially foreign policy, security and economy. He has a long experience in the fields of university teaching, curriculum design and development, and research, supported by a variety of experience in the fields of planning, educational management, research, team leadership, multitasking, designing, organizing and managing conferences, seminars and academic publishing. Professor Sawani's interests and research areas include  international relations, Arab political thought, politics & society and the state in Libya, conflict resolution, political and economic transition, Arab-European relations, and Libyan-American relations. He currently focuses specifically on post-conflict issues in Libya and the challenges to democratic transition, state-building, justice, reconciliation, and national identity. ‎

External Activities

Since joining academia and university teaching nearly four decades ago, Youssef Sawani has been active in teaching, research, publishing and consulting. He worked as a national expert for the United Nations Development Program in 2004, and was the editor-in-chief of Al-Mustaqbal Al-Arabi( the Arab Future)journal, and worked as the managing editor of  Contemporary Arab Affairs journal from 2016 until the end of 2022. Youssef Sawani contributed to the national team that prepared Libya's Vision 2025 and was the lead author and editor of the national security and foreign policy section. He also was a reviewer of Libya's Vision for Peace and Development, prepared by the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) in Libya in 2020. He assumed the duties of Vice President of the Arab Political Science Association 2019-2020 and membership of its Executive Committee 2000-2005.

Sawani co-founded the Arab Association for Future Studies and the International Organization for Turkish-Arab Dialogue. He is a non-Resident Senior Fellow with the International Center for Dialogue Initiatives, a member of the advisory board of Lawyers for Justice in Libya, and a member of the Arab Council for Social Research. Youssef Sawani ran for years a popular public lecture program in Tripoli in which he hosted many intellectuals and thinkers.

Youssef Sawani was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Center for Arab Unity Studies in Lebanon for many years and served as its Director General in 2012-2013 and later between 2016-2017 and assumed the role of Director of Studies for years. He was recently   a visiting scholar at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden during 2021-2022. Over the years, professor Sawani reviewed and evaluated the manuscripts of books submitted for publication in Arabic and English, and peer reviewed many articles and studies submitted to a number of Arab and foreign journals and institutions including  UNESCWA, the Clingendael Foundation, and is a scientific advisor to the Open University of Libya.

In the past, Youssef Sawani was a member of the jury of the Arab Journalism Award 2008-2011, coordinator of the graduate program at the Department of Political Science at the University of Tripoli, chairman of the committee that worked on submitting proposals for the development of the Libyan Academy for Graduate Studies in 2001, and worked as an examiner for a number of theses in multiple Libyan universities. He has participated in multiple dialogues and was hosted by a number of Arab and foreign TV and radio channels commenting on multiple issues. He regularly contributes to Arab newspapers and  journals, Arab and foreign websites, and is active on social media platforms with personal accounts on Google Scholar, LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Twitter and others.  Professor Sawani very recently(November 30, 2022) briefed the United Nations Security Council Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa on UN mediation in Libya since 2011.