Emile Hokayem is a senior fellow for Middle East Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which he joined in 2010. Prior to IISS, he worked as the political editor and international affairs columnist at The National in Abu Dhabi, and, from 2004-08, as the research fellow for the Middle East at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC. He specializes in political and conflict analysis, including the wars in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen; relations between Iran and its Arab neighbors; the rise of nonstate actors, including jihadi groups and Hezbollah; national security and defense policy in the Arab states; and the interests and involvement of external actors in the Middle East. Hokayem regularly provides analysis on Middle East affairs to governments, corporations, and the media. His commentary has featured in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Economist, Al-Hayat, Asharq Al-Awsat, Foreign Policy, Le Monde, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, BBC, NPR, and other outlets.