Bio // Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu
Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, PhD is a globally recognized leader in foreign policy and geopolitics. Her expertise spans the most pressing issues in American foreign policy and national security, with a sharp focus on the dynamics of great power competition, notably China’s growing global influence. With a background that encompasses the private and public sectors, as well as media, Aleksandra has provided extensive counsel to corporations and governments worldwide.
Aleksandra founded Magpie Advisory to bring her depth of advisory and public affairs services to business and policy leaders. She serves as Senior Nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, as well as the Africa Center, where her work centers on matters of U.S.-China, China-Africa, and transatlantic relations. Aleksandra is also Visiting Fellow with the Independent Women’s Forum, and Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland. There, she teaches undergraduate and graduate seminars on Chinese foreign policy, the intersection of emerging technologies and conflict, and the shifting contours of global security.
Aleksandra is author of the book, China and Africa: How Africans and Their Governments are Shaping Relations with China. She is a contributing editor and columnist at The New York Sun, and a contributing writer with the Washington Examiner. Aleksandra has been featured and interviewed in numerous international outlets, including The National Interest, The Hill, The American Spectator, Axios, and Moncole. She has also appeared before U.S. Congressional staff briefings and sessions of the European Parliament. Much of her commentary addresses China’s global ambitions, U.S. foreign policy, and geopolitics. Aleksandra’s work has been influenced by formative roles as geopolitical specialist, country analyst, political and sovereign risk analyst, and research leader.
A graduate of the University of Oxford, Aleksandra earned a PhD and MPhil in Politics. She holds an honors BA in Political Science from Northwestern University. Born in Europe and raised in the American Midwest, Aleksandra has lived and worked in six countries across three continents. She currently divides her time between Zurich, Switzerland, and Palm Beach, Florida.