Louai Allani: Commitment and Diplomacy to Favor Dialogue

Portrait of Louai Allani (credits: Louai Allani)

Portrait of Louai Allani (credits: Louai Allani)

A second-year student at Sciences Po's Undergraduate College in Menton as part of the Sciences Po/Columbia University Double Bachelor's degree, Louai Allani is multilingual and passionate about international relations and diplomacy. Selected to represent his country, Tunisia, at COP27 in November 2022, he tells us about his career, his commitments and his already well-defined ambitions.

You ARE CURRENTLY A Student of the Sciences Po-Columbia Dual BA Programme AT THE MENTON CAMPUS. CAN YOU SHARE YOUR academic path AND THE REASONS WHICH MADE YOU CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

I studied at the Lycée français de Dubai, where I graduated with a French Baccalaureate in 2021. From a really young age, international relations were embedded in my life and conscience, this is why I chose to pursue geopolitics and earth sciences with a focus on climate skepticism and digital diplomacy. When I first discovered the Sciences Po-Columbia Dual BA programme for the first time in high-school, I had hoped to one day be part of this young programme. Four years of study in two countries, an opportunity to study from different angles to better understand the world and its challenges, all while linking my passions to my interests. The Dual BA seemed like the obvious choice, one that would take me from Columbia University in New York to Sciences Po on the Menton campus of the Undergraduate College. To me, this programme represents the pinnacle of French and American academic excellence where I can identify with the rich and diverse student body. It is Sciences Po’s multidisciplinary curriculum and Columbia’s majors along with its core studies that would expose me to many concepts in just four years.

I chose this programme because it would satisfy my intellectual curiosity and contribute to my interest in the intersection of tech and diplomacy: “techplomacy.”

ALONGSIDE YOUR STUDIES, YOU ARE VERY INVOLVED IN THE SCIENCES PO POLICY PROJECT (SP3 NETWORK). CAN YOU TELL US MORE?

In 2021, I founded the Sciences Po Policy Project (SP3 Network), Science Po’s first student-led diplomatic network preparing future leaders for careers in foreign affairs. The goal of the network is to forge privileged and friendly relations between personalities and students of Sciences Po - to bring together the past, present, and future - for the purpose of working on research projects, travel within our “Envoy Program,” and to provide our members with the opportunity to benefit from mentorship from our network of international leaders.

We are currently working on our biggest project yet in collaboration with Harvard University to co-organise the first Harvard-Sciences Po Summit in Paris on 12 January, 2023. SP3 also maintains strong relations with the mayors of cities where Sciences Po’s 7 campuses are located. We will be organising the Mayors’ Forum in Nice in February 2023.

SP3 is often consulted by foreign governments, such as Malta and South Africa, on questions related to nation-building and digital diplomacy. I am very proud of my team that is made up of both Bachelor’s and Master’s students of Sciences Po. Together, we have cultivated the desire to serve over 400 members of the Sciences Po community on all campuses. We want to give a platform to all those who wish to build and work on a project bigger than all of us. We are resolutely pursuing a project that allows everyone to benefit from it.

You were SELECTED TO REPRESENT YOUR COUNTRY, TUNISIA, AS THE YOUNGEST DELEGATE AT THE 2022 COP27 in Egypt. WHAT DOES THE CONCEPT OF COMMITMENT AS A STUDENT REPRESENT TO YOU?

It is with great pride that I represented Tunisia at COP27 in November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, as its youngest negotiator for climate and technology. This was the result of several years of commitment within the Tunisian diplomatic corps.

Commitment, for me, is the expression of a desire to commit myself for others. I believe that age is not a factor preventing you from aiming higher. Commitment comes from the desire to improve the present, avoid future conflicts and favor dialogue beyond anything else.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A STUDENT WHO WOULD LIKE TO JOIN SCIENCES PO's Undergraduate College?

I would advise you to be curious and open-minded. Stay prudent, stay attentive and avoid making superficial or quick analyses of the news. Read the headlines, they are important, but they require more thought and attention. Commit yourself seriously to projects that are important to you and never give in to discomfort. Dare to think about how you want to join the world.

Sciences Po shapes citizens, citizen-leaders, and its multidisciplinary program ensures that everyone has a place, regardless of their desired career path. It is a school that first trains you academically, but it is also much more than that.

WHAT ARE YOUR UNIVERSITY AND/OR PROFESSIONAL PROJECTS AFTER Graduating?

After graduating from the Dual BA, I would like to pursue a Master's degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing within Schwarzman Scholars scholarship. To understand the world, we have to understand China’s consequential presence. I believe that I will be well equipped for this program after my studies at Sciences Po and Columbia.

With regards to my professional goals, I intend to work in multilateral diplomacy in order to help mitigate climate change and control the risks associated with artificial intelligence.