Elham Manea

Prof. Dr. Elham Manea is a titular professor (adjunct Professor) of political science, specialized on the Arab Middle East, a writer, and a human rights advocate. She is Swiss Yemeni and works and lives in Switzerland. a

Her research focuses on regional politics of the Arabian Peninsula, Fragile States in conflict zones in the MENA region, especially Yemen, Gender and Politics and Women under Muslim Laws, and political Islam.

She is a Fulbright scholar who holds a Titular Professor, Venia Legendi and a PhD degree in political science from the University of Zurich, a master's degree in comparative politics from the American University in Washington D.C, and a bachelor's degree in political science from Kuwait University.

Manea worked for eight years as a journalist at the Swiss Radio International (Swissinfo) and was the deputy chief editor of the Arabic service of Swissinfo. She works now at the Political Science Institute at the University of Zurich and as an independent consultant. Between 2010 and 2019 she was a member of the Federal Commission for Women Affairs. In 2020 she was appointed as a member of the Federal Commission for Migration, where she serves as a vice president.

She has published academic and nonfiction books in English, German, and Arabic in addition to two novels in Arabic. Her latest research project focuses on the outcomes of the Arab Uprisings. Two book publications are planned: One was published in June 2024 with the title The Yemeni Civil War: The Arab Spring, State Formation, and Internal Instability; and another with title Gulf Rivalry and the Divergent Outcomes of the Arab Uprisings.