Dr. Alon Liel is a former Israeli diplomat. He served in a variety of positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was Israel’s ambassador to South Africa in 1992-1994, then Director General of the Ministry of Economy and Planning and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Liel holds a doctorate in International Relations and was a lecturer at Tel-Aviv University and the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. His books include Black Justice: The South African Revolution, Demo Islam: Islamic Democracy in Turkey, and Portal to Equality: South Africa builds a Nation (Hebrew), and an English edition of Turkey in the Middle East: Oil, Islam, and Politics.