experts
about
Sarah Yerkes is a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her research focuses on democracy and governance, U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East and North Africa, and political and economic reform in Tunisia.
She is the editor of Geopolitics and Governance in North Africa (Edinburgh University Press, 2023) and the author of a forthcoming book examining the role of external actors in influencing the first decade of democratic transition around the globe.
Yerkes has been a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a Council on Foreign Relations international affairs fellow and has taught in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.
She is a former member of the State Department’s policy planning staff, where she focused on North Africa. Previously, she was a foreign affairs officer in the State’s Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian affairs. Yerkes also served as a geopolitical research analyst for the U.S. military’s Joint Staff Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J5) at the Pentagon, advising the Joint Staff leadership on foreign policy and national security issues.
affiliations
education
Ph.D. Georgetown University, M.A. Harvard University, B.A. Emory Universitylanguages
Arabic, English, French, Hebrew, SpanishAll work from Sarah Yerkes
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In the longer term, officials can take various steps to help restore Tunisia’s economic growth, stability, and security.
Dozens of Tunisians expressed interest in running, but almost all have been disqualified or jailed under the president’s legal changes.
Tunisia President Kais Saied announced on Sunday a broad cabinet reshuffle of 19 ministers, nearly the entire government, ahead of the October 6 presidential election.
The essence of the EU-Tunisia partnership can be summed up in three words: halting migration flows
An effective approach in Tunisia would emphasize economic stability and a healthy civic space along with fending off Russian and Chinese influence—all of which could serve American interests and lay the ground for a revitalization of Tunisia’s democratic project.
Because Tunisia’s regions face different climate threats and socioeconomic needs, municipalities should be more empowered to implement climate mitigation measures and protect vulnerable communities.
The Middle East and North Africa, the most water scarce region in the world, is facing simultaneous climate, governance, and social challenges that the region's leaders and citizens can no longer ignore.
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- Reem Halaseh,
- Shada El-Sharif,
- Dina Zayed,
- Sarah Yerkes,
- Joy Arkeh
Today’s Challenges, Tomorrow’s Leaders is a special half-day conference hosted by the 2023-2024 James C. Gaither Junior Fellows. Over the course of three sessions, panelists will discuss issues impacting youth including the evolving global order and role of institutions, climate change, AI, radicalization, and shifts in the information landscape.
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- Dan Baer,
- Abby Finkenauer ,
- Daniel Helmeci,
- Stewart Patrick,
- Kylie Jones,
- Francesca Nyakora,
- Sarah Yerkes,
- Fiona Brauer,
- Vishnu Kannan,
- Samantha Lai,
- Aneliese Bernard ,
- Doug Klain,
- Quinta Jurecic,
- Milo McBride
The country’s transition fifty years ago offers important lessons for aspiring democracies.
Experts analyze critical issues on what happens after the fighting abates, from global points of view.
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- Ilana Feldman,
- Frederic Wehrey,
- Andrew Bonney,
- Aaron David Miller,
- Sarah Yerkes,
- Larry Garber,
- Muriel Asseburg