Ali Hajizade
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| name = Ali Hajizade
| image = Ali Hajizadeh.jpg
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|2|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
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| education = Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts
| occupation = Middle East analyst, entrepreneur
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| website = {{URL|alihajizade.com}}
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Ali Hajizade ({{langx|az|Əli Hacızadə}}) is a Middle East analyst{{cite news |title=In Azerbaijan, Winning the War in Nagorno-Karabakh Was Easier Than Reconciling With Armenia |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-azerbaijan-winning-the-war-in-nagorno-karabakh-was-easier-than-reconciling-with-armenia-11611926907 |access-date= |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=29 January 2021 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Russia-Ukraine war: These videos of the invasion are actually from the Middle East |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/russia-ukraine-war-videos-misinformation-middle-east |access-date=17 August 2021 |work=Middle East Eye |date=25 February 2022 |language=en}} and entrepreneur.{{cite web|title= About|url= https://hajizadegroup.com/about-us/|website=Hajizade Group|access-date= 17 August 2022}}{{cite web|title= Mission|url= https://tarand.io/mission/|website=Tarand|access-date= 17 August 2022}}
Early life and education
Ali Hajizade was born on February 26, 1984, in Baku, Azerbaijan. He graduated from the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts with a degree in History of Art.{{cite web|title= Ali Hajizade|url= https://bakutribune.com/en/news/1105/-ali-hajizade-by-manipulating-information,-one-can-destabilize-or-at-least-create-problems-in-almost-any-country-|website=Baku Tribune|access-date= 17 August 2022}}
Career
As a Middle East analyst, Hajizade contributed to and was cited in a number of Western,{{cite news |last1=Simmons |first1=Ann M.|title=In Azerbaijan, Winning the War in Nagorno-Karabakh Was EasierThan Reconciling With Armenia|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-azerbaijan-winning-the-war-in-nagorno-karabakh-was-easier-than-reconciling-with-armenia-11611926907|access-date=16 September 2021 |agency=Wall Street Journal|date=29 January 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Lucinda-Smith |first1=Hannah|title=Old enemies, new weapons: why the Armenia-Azerbaijan clash poses a wider threat|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/old-enemies-new-weapons-why-the-armenia-azerbaijan-clash-poses-a-wider-threat-g78cnb2v7|access-date=16 September 2021 |agency=The Times |date=5 October 2020|language=en}}{{cite news|title=Ataques en Kazajistán, revuelta armenia, golpe turco... Rusia, rodeada de problemas|url=https://www.elconfidencial.com/mundo/2016-07-24/alarma-en-rusia-por-las-turbulencias-en-sus-fronteras_1237777/|access-date= 5 January 2022|agency= El Confidencial|date=2016-07-24|language=}} as well as Turkish,{{cite news |title=Political and historical consequences of the humanitarian crisis in Syria|url=http://www.turkiyenewspaper.com/politics/8953.aspx |access-date=16 September 2021|agency=Turkish Newspaper |date=21 May 2016}}{{cite news|author= Elos Gjevori|title=Nagorno-Karabakh: A war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is dangerously close|url= https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/nagorno-karabakh-a-war-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan-is-dangerously-close-40112|access-date= 5 January 2022|agency= World|date=}} Israeli{{cite news|author= |title= באיראן יעקבו בדריכות אחר ביקורו של נתניהו באזרבייג'ן|url= https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/1/ART2/851/023.html?hp=1&cat=404&loc=10|website= makorrishon.co.i|language= Hebrew|access-date= 5 January 2022|agency= Makor Rishon|date=2016-12-09}} media outlets and publications. Hajizade's publications on malicious information activity were referred to by other researchers.{{cite news|author= Sergey Guriyev|title=Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ThCEAAAQBAJ&dq=Ali+Hajizade&pg=PA290|access-date=5 January 2022|publisher= Princeton University Press|date=8 March 2022|isbn=9780691211411}}{{cite news|author= Mahmood Monshipouri|title=In the Shadow of Mistrust: The Geopolitics and Diplomacy of US-Iran Relations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxx4EAAAQBAJ&q=Hajizade&pg=PT391|access-date=5 February 2023|publisher= Oxford University Press|date=15 July 2022|isbn=9780197674512}}
Since 2012, Hajizade has headed the "Hajizade Group", which operates in the fields of public relations.{{cite web|title=About Us|url=https://hajizadegroup.com/about-us/|website=Hajizade Group |access-date=16 September 2021}} According to market research conducted by a major Azerbaijani news outlet, Hajizade Group was recognized as the top public relations firm in the country based on 2023 performance results.{{cite web |title=Azərbaycan İctimaiyyətlə əlaqələr bazarına baxış|url=https://oxu.az/iqtisadiyyat/azerbaycan-ictimaiyyetle-elaqeler-bazarina-baxis-foto|website= |access-date=10 April 2025}}{{cite web |title=Study identifies Azerbaijan's most influential PR firm|url=https://www.azernews.az/business/222110.html|website= |access-date=10 April 2025}}
In 2015, Ali Hajizade launched "The Greater Middle East" project, dedicated to the research and analysis of the Greater Middle East region.{{cite web |title=Our Mission|url=https://tgme.org/mission/ |website=The Greater Middle East |access-date=16 September 2021}} A number of
prominent experts contributed to the project. Hajizade left the project in late 2021.{{cite web |title=Ali Hajizade: By manipulating information, one can destabilize or at least create problems in almost any country|url=https://bakutribune.com/en/news/1105/-ali-hajizade-by-manipulating-information,-one-can-destabilize-or-at-least-create-problems-in-almost-any-country-|website=Baku Tribune |access-date=3 August 2022}}
The main focus of Hajizade as a Middle East analyst are the study and analysis of tactics of hybrid wars, information wars and disinformation campaigns.{{cite news |title=Iran's selective approach to hybrid war|url=https://english.alarabiya.net/views/news/middle-east/2018/02/23/Iran-s-selective-approach-to-hybrid-war|access-date=16 September 2021 |agency=Al Arabiya English |date=23 February 2018|language=en}}{{cite news |title=Unveiling Iranian pro-government trolls and cyber-warriors |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/perspective/features/2018/01/17/ANALYSIS-Unveiling-Iranian-pro-government-trolls-and-cyber-warriors |access-date=16 September 2021 |work=Al Arabiya English |date=17 January 2018 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Information Wars and Disinformation campaigns as Important Tools of International Politics|url=https://tgme.org/2021/06/information-wars-and-disinformation-campaigns-as-important-tools-of-international-politics/|access-date=16 September 2021 |agency=The Greater Middle East |date=8 June 2021}}
In 2018–2019, Hajizade was a columnist for Al Arabiya English.{{cite web |title=Ali Hajizade|url=https://english.alarabiya.net/authors/Ali-Hajizade |website=Al Arabiya |access-date=16 September 2021}}
In the fall of 2022, Hajizade was selected as a fellow in the Rumsfeld Foundation's Central Asia Caucasus Fellowship Program in Washington, D.C.{{cite web |title=CAMCA Fellowship Program|url=https://www.rumsfeldfoundation.org/greater_central_asia/camca_fellowship_program |website=The Rumsfeld Foundation |access-date=17 January 2024}}{{cite web |title=Ali Hajizade|url=https://camcanetwork.com/members/292/show |website=The CAMCA Network |access-date=17 January 2024}}
In early 2022, Hajizade founded a US based{{cite web |title=Tarand.io founder and CEO Ali Hajizade|url=https://tarand.io/mission/ |website=Tarand |access-date=16 August 2021}} startup dealing with human-focused information security{{cite web |title=Fake News and Disinformation become the sign of our times?|url=https://mexicobusiness.news/tech/news/fake-news-and-disinformation-become-sign-our-times |website=Mexico Business |access-date=16 August 2021}} and parallelly offering employee training and educational solutions for higher education institutions.{{cite web |title=Preparing African students for a technology-driven job market|url=https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/preparing-african-students-for-a-technology-driven-job-market/gctlzr8 |website=Business Insider Africa |access-date=10 April 2025}} The company created by Hajizade is a training provider whose main task is to provide solutions through educational programs and a series of training. He described the Tarand mission regarding human-focused information security in an interview with Total Prestige Magazine in 2023:
{{blockquote|We teach people to understand what malicious information activity is and how to recognize, classify and take measures to stop or prevent such activity. Through education and raising awareness, we try to boost the immunity of societies, countries, and individuals. In addition, our solutions are beneficial for military personnel, as they are usually the major and top priority targets for psychological operations and other types of information attacks.{{cite web |title=Ali Hajizade. Founder & CEO of Tarand Inc. |url=https://www.totalprestigemagazine.com/ali-hajizade-founder-ceo-of-tarand-inc/?cn-reloaded=1&cn-reloaded=1 |website=Total Prestige Magazine |access-date=}}}}In his commentary for TechTimes, Hajizade characterized disinformation and manipulation as "the weapons of modern information warfare."{{cite web |title=Combatting Disinformation and Boosting Resilience Against Modern Threats|url=https://www.techtimes.com/articles/308029/20241028/combatting-disinformation-boosting-resilience-against-modern-threats.htm |website=Tech Times|access-date=10 April 2025}}