Professional Affiliation

Senior Policy Analyst, North Africa and Middle East Expert

Expert Bio

Safae El Yaaqoubi is an expert in the geopolitics of North Africa and the Middle East (MENA), with a particular focus on Morocco. Her research interests cover foreign policy and regional stability, along with expertise in the MENA region's economic and social development and climate affairs. Currently, she works as a senior policy analyst, focusing on US-MENA issues and initiatives. A former State Department-accredited correspondent for the Moroccan News Agency in Washington, DC, Safae wrote for over a decade extensively on the political, economic, social, and security dynamics in Morocco, the Mediterranean and MENA region, US politics, and US-Morocco relations. A Fulbright scholar from 2010 to 2012, Safae holds an MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University, a BA in Political Science from Oregon State University, and a BA in Journalism from the Rabat School of Journalism and Communication. She is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.