event
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

The Houthi Factor: Gaza, the Axis of Resistance, and Middle East Stability

Tue. August 13th, 2024
Virtual

The complex conflict in Yemen has expanded to include new players, issues, and layers, after de-escalation efforts were practically frozen in December 2023. In recent months, the Houthis have intervened against Israel in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. Since then, the United States and the European Union have established two coalitions to halt Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden affecting approximately 12 percent of global maritime trade. Israel has also conducted airstrikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeida in response to the Houthis’ launching of a long-range drone that killed an Israeli civilian in Tel Aviv on July 20, 2024. These developments highlight the growing role of the Iranian-backed Houthis in regional affairs, but also overshadow the roots of the Yemeni conflict itself and the pathways for sustainable peace in Yemen. The latest escalations pose major implications for the security and stability of the Middle East and North Africa, the Houthi role in the Axis of Resistance, and conflict dynamics in Yemen.

The Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center is organizing a webinar to discuss the latest dynamics at play beyond Yemen and their broader domestic and regional implications. The speakers are Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, Nadwa al-Dawsari, Tamer Badawi, and Afrah Nasser. The event will take place virtually on August 13, at 5:00 P.M. Beirut time, 10:00 A.M. EST.

The discussion will be held in English and moderated by Ibrahim Jalal, a nonresident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.

Viewers may submit their questions to the panelists using the live chat feature on Facebook and YouTube.

For more information, please contact Najwa Yassine at najwa.yassine@carnegie-mec.org.

YemenPalestineUnited States
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Abdulkhaleq Abdullah

Retired Professor of Political Science, Nonresident Senior Fellow at Harvard University Belfer Center for Sciences and International Affairs, Member of Emirati Thinkers

Abdulkhaleq Abdullah is a retired professor of Political Science, nonresident Senior Fellow at Harvard University Belfer Center for Sciences and International Affairs, Member of Emirati Thinkers. He was a former Chairman of the Arab Council for Social Science and served as director of Gulf Research Unit. 

He holds PhD in Political science from Georgetown University and MA from American University in Washington D.C. Professor Abdulla was a Senior Fellow at LSE, a Fulbright Scholar and was a visiting professor at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University and nonresident follow at the Arab Gulf Institute in Washington DC. 

Ibrahim Jalal

Nonresident Scholar, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Ibrahim Jalal is a nonresident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center. His research explores third-party-led peace processes; maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden; the proliferation of non-state actors and its implications on the implementation of peace agreements, post-war security orders, and stabilization efforts; the politics of social assistance in fragile and conflict-affected states; violent extremism; the foreign and defense policies of the Gulf and Western states in Yemen; and the evolving regional security architecture in the Middle East and North Africa. He has worked with the United Nations, the Middle East Institute, the Yemen Policy Center, the Overseas Development Institute, and Sussex University’s Institute of Development Studies.

Tamer Badawi

Consultant and a PhD Candidate at Kent University.

Tamer Badawi is an associate with the Middle East Directions Programme at the European University Institute, focusing on Iran’s foreign policy toward its neighbors. His research focuses on the political economy of Iran’s relations with Arab countries and with Islamist movements. He was previously a research fellow at Al Sharq Forum in Istanbul. Tamer received an M.A. in International Relations from Central European University, and a B.A. in Oriental Studies from Alexandria University.

Afrah Nasser

Non-Resident Fellow at the Arab Center in Washington D.C.

Afrah Nasser is a Non-resident Fellow at Arab Center Washington DC. She is also a freelance journalist and a human rights defender who previously worked as a researcher at Human Rights Watch, investigating international humanitarian law and human rights law violations and abuses in Yemen. Nasser is the recipient of many awards, including the Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Award, and her blog has been featured on CNN as one of the top 10 must-read blogs from the Middle East.

Nadwa Al-Dawsari

Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute

Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a veteran researcher, conflict analyst, and policy advisor with 20 years of field experience in Yemen and the broader Middle East. Currently, she serves as a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute (MEI) and a fellow at the Center on Armed Groups. She has provided advisory services to policymakers, US 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 her work has been widely published by the top think tanks in the United States and Europe.