DAWN - In a televised speech days after the U.S. presidential election, the leader of Yemen's Houthi militia, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, declared that the group's attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and against Israel would persist until a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon is secured. "Neither Trump, nor Biden, nor any criminal in this world will be able to sway us from our firm and principled position," he said. While the rhetoric was not surprising, it was a reminder of the realities in Yemen that awaited either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in the White House. With U.S. foreign policy once agai ..read more

Stimson Center - U.S. presidential elections were closely watched throughout the world, including in Yemen, a nation ravaged by a decade of conflict. Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, is home to one of the Middle East’s most significant non-state actors: the Iran-backed Houthi group, controlling nearly half of Yemen’s population. Over the past year, the Houthis have increasingly disrupted vital global maritime routes, exacerbating tensions in the region. In a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people, the group has pledged to retaliate against Israel until it ceases its m ..read more

The Arab Center Washington DC -  On September 21, 2014, Yemen’s capital Sanaa awoke to an unexpected turn of events that would reshape the country’s destiny. The Houthi armed group, officially known as Ansar Allah, had seized the city after a prepared march. The takeover had unfolded against the backdrop of popular grievances over the failure of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi’s transitional government to address economic hardship, corruption, and a pervasive sense of marginalization. Seeking to exploit this widespread discontent, the Houthis had forged a strategic alliance with forme ..read more

I co-participated in a panel discussion organized by Earth Journalism Network, which launched its research on improving access to climate information in the MENA region.  ..read more

In a webinar organized by the Shuddhashar FreeVoice magazine, on 18 Sept, I spoke about Belonging, Identity, and the Violence of Belonging.  ..read more

I spoke with Al Jazeera English's podcast, the Take, on 9 Sept about how the Houthis showed up for Palestine - and failed Yemenis.  Source, AJE's the Take.  ..read more

Shuddhashar FreeVoice magazine - Whenever an honor killing crime makes the headlines, I can’t help but wonder, how could anyone kill their own blood? Honor killings, including other acts of violence referred to as honor-based violence, typically carried out by family members against a relative — usually a woman or girl — are instigated by a perception that the woman or girl has brought shame upon the family and hence deserves punishment. Individuals’ rights have no value in those cases as family honor is the priority, according to deeply rooted cultural and societal norms. Refusin ..read more

Arab Center Washington DC - Like the rest of the world, Yemen is facing the profound effects of climate change on sectors from agriculture and health to the broader economy and natural resources. Yemen is also experiencing recurring challenges from extreme weather events, including heavy rainfall, rising temperatures, and droughts, that cause the atmosphere to retain more moisture and intensify the effect of rain and flooding. Since April of this year, devastating floods in the war-torn country have claimed dozens of lives and displaced thousands of families. The flooding also h ..read more

I co-participated in a webinar about Yemen, organized by Carnegie Middle East Center. I discussed the sustainability of the Houthis' reputational gains inside Yemen, given the Houthi armed group's regional activities, such as military ventures in the Red Sea and attacks on Israel. And I discussed how the group's recent gains impacted public freedoms, civic engagement, and relief work in Yemen ..read more

DAWN - Imagine being forcibly taken from your home, your office or the street, and disappearing without any trace. Your family has no idea where you are. This is the grim reality for thousands in Yemen today who have been arbitrarily detained without any due process. Although there are no official and up-to-date statistics about the number of detainees, the systematic nature of these enforced disappearances suggests that thousands of people are being held incommunicado across Yemen. The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen's capital, Sana'a, since 2014, have recently arrested and forcibl ..read more