Sarah Zaaimi

Sarah Zaaimi is a resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East programs. She is also the center’s deputy director for communications, overseeing strategic communications, editorial agenda, media relations, and digital marketing. Zaaimi is an award-winning journalist, communications strategist, and international development professional with over two decades of extensive experience in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in countries like Morocco, Egypt, and Iraq. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, she managed projects and engagement efforts for organizations like the European Union’s Anna Lindh Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the International Organization for Migration. She also worked in several U.S., UK, and MENA newsrooms as a reporter, producer, and news editor. Zaaimi holds an MSc in international development from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), an M.A. in communication management from l’Ecole Polytechnique de Paris, and a B.A. in journalism and media and is currently pursuing a PhD in Middle Eastern studies. Her personal research focuses on the Western Sahara conflict, Moroccan-Israeli normalization, and cultural studies in the MENA region.