The Mistress of Girton College, Dr Elisabeth Kendall, has been providing expert commentary -- on the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, its knock-on effects for the conflict in Yemen, the shifting balance of power in the Gulf, the Iran protests, and the prospects of peace -- across major national and international television networks and news outlets.
In early January, Dr Kendall was also invited to give a high-level briefing to around two dozen Ambassadors and diplomats, as unrest in the Arabian Peninsula and broader region escalated.
Dr Kendall is an expert in Arabic and Islamic Studies. Her analysis draws on her significant fieldwork experience in the Middle East, mainly in Yemen. Previously, Dr Kendall has also worked closely with the Office of the UN Envoy to Yemen, and advised sections of NATO, the UK, US and other militaries.
Find out more about the conflict landscape through our highlights of the Mistress’s interviews with media around the world.
Broadcast
January 2026
- Rivalry between Saudi Arabia and UAE boils over in Yemen, Al Jazeera TV (9 January)
- What is going on in the Middle East’s conflict hotspots and is peace possible in 2026?, India’s NewsX World (19 January)
- UAE-Saudi Rift in Yemen, Middle East Now (12 January)
- What is next for South Yemen?, Al Jazeera TV (8 January)
- Saudi Arabia launches limited strikes on separatist military positions in Hadhramaut, Yemen, Al Jazeera TV (2 January)
December 2025
- UAE says it will withdraw from Yemen (top story), BBC Newshour (30 December)
- Saudi Arabia bombs port over weapons shipment from UAE. UAE rejects ‘baseless’ accusations (top story), France 24 (30 December)
- Saudi and UAE stand-off in Yemen, ABC Australia (31 December)
- Saudi Arabia's defence minister has warned the main separatist movement in southern Yemen to withdraw…, BBC Newshour (27 December – listen from 14 minutes)
Feature-length interview
- On the Houthis, Their Goals, and Their Friends, Sweden’s Axess Television (15 October 2025)
Editorial
January 2026
- Why Yemen’s southern separatists are unlikely to fade away, Amwaj Media (22 January)
- Yemen Separatist Chief's Long Quest For New State Quashed Within Days, Barron’s (8 January)
- Saudi Arabia Upends the Status Quo in Yemen, Energy Intelligence (8 January)
- Iémen: o que está a acontecer e que impactos pode ter na estrutura de segurança do Médio Oriente? A guerra fria chegou ao Golfo? (Yemen: What is happening and what impact could it have on the security structure of the Middle East? Has the Cold War reached the Gulf?), Expresso Portugal (8 January)
- Persaingan strategik Saudi-UAE cetus konfrontasi terbuka di Yaman (The Saudi-UAE strategic rivalry sparked an open confrontation in Yemen), Malaysia's Berita Harian (12 January)
- From Red Sea to Horn of Africa: How Yemen exposed the Saudi-UAE divide, Al-Monitor (6 January)
- Yemen is back from the brink, but frenemies Saudi Arabia and UAE have much to negotiate, France 24 (2 January)
December 2025
- UAE withdraws personnel from Yemen after Saudi Arabia air strikes, ABC Australia (30 December)
- What's next for Yemen as UAE withdraws, rift with Saudi Arabia grows?, Al-Monitor (30 December)
- What's at stake as Yemeni separatists gain ground?, France 24 (10 December)
- Le camp gouvernemental anti-houthi affaibli par une poussée séparatiste (The anti-Houthi government camp weakened by a separatist surge), L’Orient-Le Jour (10 December)