Nadwa Al-Dawsari Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a veteran researcher, conflict analyst, and policy advisor with 20 years of field-based experience in Yemen and the broader Middle East. She is the Founder and Principal Advisor of Greyzone MENA, a strategic advisory firm focused on conflict, security, and geopolitical analysis in the MENA and Red Sea region.

Nadwa regularely advises and briefs U.S. and European policymakers, regional stakeholders, UN agencies, humanitarian organizations, and defense institutions. She brings a rare combination of practitioner experience and policy expertise, grounded in two decades of fieldwork and strategic advisory roles.

Nadwa’s research focuses on conflict in Yemen, drawing connections to broader geopolitical dynamics in the Red Sea and the Middle East. She examines the impact of U.S. foreign policy, international peace efforts and security operations, counterterrorism, and aid on conflict and stability amid the rise of non-state armed actors and the evolving proxy warfare landscape.

She has held senior roles at the World Food Program, the Center for Civilians in Conflict, Partners Global, Partners Yemen (which she founded), and the National Democratic Institute. She is a frequent speaker on policy panels and has been widely published by top think tanks and academic journals in the U.S. and Europe.

Current Affiliations:

· Fellow, Center on Armed Groups

· Associate Fellow, Middle East Institute

· Nonresident Fellow, Irregular Warfare Initiative

Education: M.A. in Development Studies, University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Topical Expertise: Peacebuilding, Irregular warfare, maritime security, non-state armed groups, Houthis, the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, tribal dynamics & customary justice, and civilian protection.

Geographic Focus: Yemen, the Red Sea, and the broader MENA region, with an emphasis on geopolitical dynamics and proxy warfare.