Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a veteran, conflict analyst, and policy advisor with twenty years of field experience in Yemen and the broader Middle East. Currently, she serves as a Nonresident Scholar at the Middle East Institute (MEI) and a Fellow at the Center on Armed Groups. She has provided advisory services to policymakers, U.S. and European donors, regional actors, UN agencies, and humanitarian organizations. Nadwa is regularly featured as a guest speaker on panel discussions about Yemen and the broader Middle East and has been widely published by the top think tanks in the United States and Europe.

In her previous roles, Nadwa served as a senior conflict advisor to the World Food Program, a Yemen Country Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, the founding Director at Partners Yemen, a MENA advisor at Partners Global, and a Senior Program Manager at the National Democratic Institute.

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

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

Country Specialties: Yemen, the Gulf, Iran

Topical Specialties: Nonstate armed groups, the Houthis, tribes, informal governance, security, peacebuilding, civilian protection.