Mina Al-Oraibi

Mina Al-Oraibi is the Editor in Chief of The National, a daily English-language regional newspaper based in Abu Dhabi. An Iraqi-British journalist, Al-Oraibi has over 15 years of experience covering Middle Eastern, European, and American politics and current affairs, conducting several high-profile interviews with figures such as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Iraqi President Barham Salih, president of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim, and Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi. Prior to assuming the role of Editor in Chief of The National, Al-Oraibi was a Senior Fellow at the Institute for State Effectiveness (ISE) and a Yale World Fellow. At ISE, she worked on developing policy recommendations for improved governance in the Middle East and North Africa region, with a focus on Iraq and Syria, in addition to researching ways of redefining the social contract in the Arab world.

Before her fellowship at Yale, Al-Oraibi was the Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Alawsat, the international Arab-language daily newspaper, from 2011-2015. Previous roles also include her being the Washington Bureau Chief for the newspaper. She has written extensively on US and European policies in the Middle East, covered diplomatic and security developments of the region, and conducted several high-profile interviews, including with US President Barack Obama, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi. Al-Oraibi's wide journalistic experience is further showcased by her work as a columnist for Foreign Policy and Asharq Alawsat. She also covered the Geneva talks on Syria and the United Nations General Assembly meetings for the last decade. A contributor to numerous publications, Al-Oraibi is a frequent guest on television and radio news programs, including on BBC.

Al-Oraibi's influence extends beyond journalism; she is a Special Advisor to the Global Dignity Day Movement and a member of the Global Future Council on Regional Governance, the International Media Council, and also the board of trustees of the American University in Iraq – Sulaimani. Her leadership and impact were recognized when she was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2009. Al-Oraibi completed her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Modern History from University College London.