Yale Leads

Jamil Mahuad, former President of Ecuador, joins for a fascinating conversation on leadership, instinct, and imagination. He opens up about the choice to go into politics, and his experiences negotiating a peace accord and navigating an economic “perfect storm.”

George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece (2009-2011), joins the ILC’s Yale Leads podcast to discuss leading his country through an economic crisis, building bridges in the Eastern Mediterranean, and reimagining democracy for the 21st century.

Businessman and philanthropist George Logothetis joins the ILC’s Yale Leads podcast for an open and wide-ranging conversation — on trusting one’s gut, living with gratitude, cultivating original thought, and the importance of historical perspective.

In this episode, host Rob Malley and guest Kholood Khair examine Sudan’s war, the international failures to stop it, and the urgent need to elevate civilian voices in the push for justice, democracy, and lasting peace.
Kholood Khair is the founder and director of Confluence Advisory, a ‘think and do tank’ founded in Khartoum, that works on three priority policy areas: peace and security, economy, and governance. This year, Kholood is part of the inaugural Yale Peace Fellows working on inclusive peace.

In Sudan, during its short-lived transition to democracy, Kholood also hosted and co-produced Spotlight 249, Sudan’s first English language political discussion and debate show aimed at young Sudanese.

Kholood career has, for almost two decades, spanned the fields of research, aid programming, mediation and policy in Sudan and across the Horn of Africa. She has written research and analysis pieces for several international publications and has provided analyses for research and policy institutions worldwide. Kholood has briefed the UN Security Council twice, as well as testified in the US Congress, twice and UK Parliamentarians.

The host: Robert Malley is a seasoned diplomat and conflict resolution expert with decades of experience in international affairs. He has served in senior roles under multiple U.S. administrations, including as Special Envoy for Iran and as a lead negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal. He is a senior fellow at Yale University and the founding director of the Yale Peace Fellows program.

This episode is part of a 4-part interview series with Yale’s 2025 Peace Fellows. Find out more about the Yale Peace Fellowship: Yale Peace Fellowship – Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs

In this episode, host Robert Malley and guest Jaser AbuMousa talk about defining moments of Jaser’s life and work in Gaza, how he honors the memory of his wife and sons, and how he finds hope in continuing to work towards peace in the Middle East.

Jaser AbuMousa is a Palestinian political analyst and development specialist from Khan Younis, Gaza. He most recently served as a Program Manager for the Swiss Development Cooperation in the occupied Palestinian territory, where he managed humanitarian projects and authored biweekly reports on Gaza’s political, economic, and humanitarian dynamics. His career spans roles in engineering, social work, and political research, including with UNRWA and the EU-funded ‘Private Sector Reconstruction in Gaza’ program.

In October 2023, Jaser lost his wife Heba and two sons in an airstrike. Following the incident, he and his two surviving children spent over a year in the United Arab Emirates for medical treatment. As a Yale Peace Fellow, Jaser focused on postwar reconstruction strategies that reflect Palestinian priorities and mend Gaza’s torn social fabric.

You can connect with Jaser on socials:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaser-abumousa-9b01441a5/
https://x.com/jaser_hmaid

The host: Robert Malley is a seasoned diplomat and conflict resolution expert with decades of experience in international affairs. He has served in senior roles under multiple U.S. administrations, including as Special Envoy for Iran and as a lead negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal. He is a Senior Fellow at the Jackson School of Global Affairs and the founding director of the International Leadership Center’s Peace Hub.
This episode is part of a 4-part interview series with Yale’s 2025 Peace Fellows. Find out more about the Yale Peace Fellowship: Yale Peace Fellowship – Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs

In this episode, host Yuval Ben-David and guest Mengistu Assefa Dadi explore the roots of conflict in the Horn of Africa, the decline of regional leadership, and the critical role of grassroots peacebuilding and local resilience in driving long-term stability.

Mengistu Assefa Dadi is an Ethiopian political and conflict analyst known for designing peace dialogue projects, managing initiatives that promote human rights, media freedom, and democratic governance, and implementing innovative strategies to address complex socio-political challenges in fragile states. Throughout his career, Mengistu has held roles at organizations such as the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) in Ethiopia and has most recently been a Peace Fellow at Yale’s International Leadership Center. Mengistu holds a Master’s in Global Studies and International Relations and is pursuing another master’s in African studies at Addis Ababa University.

You can connect with Mengistu on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mengistuassefa-dadi

The host: Yuval Ben-David is Chief Strategy Officer at Yale’s International Leadership Center.
This episode is part of a 4-part interview series with Yale’s 2025 Peace Fellows. Find out more about the Yale Peace Fellowship: Yale Peace Fellowship – Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs

In this episode, host Rob Malley and guest Elhanan Miller discuss the power of religious and cultural dialogue in building bridges between Jewish and Muslim communities, and how Elhanan’s Arabic-language media project aims to foster empathy across deep political divides.

Rabbi Elhanan Miller is the founding director of People of the Book, an educational non-profit that explains Jewish faith and culture to Muslim audiences. His viral videos reach some 450,000 subscribers and millions of monthly hits, mostly in the Arab Middle East. Miller is a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, specializing in Arab and Israeli politics and the intersection of Judaism and Islam. He regularly comments on Israeli affairs for international Arabic news channels, such as: BBC Arabic, Sky News Arabia, DW Arabic, France 24 Arabic, al-Mashhad (Dubai), and Israeli public news channel Makan. Miller previously served as the Arab Affairs Correspondent for The Times of Israel and as rabbi of the Jewish community in Canberra, Australia. Born and raised in Jerusalem, Miller began studying Arabic at 13. He completed his BA and MA degrees in Middle East History and Islamic Studies at Hebrew University.

You can find Elhanan and his work here:
https://www.youtube.com/@people.of.thebook
https://www.facebook.com/peoplethebook/
https://www.instagram.com/people.of.thebook/

The host: Robert Malley is a seasoned diplomat and conflict resolution expert with decades of experience in international affairs. He has served in senior roles under multiple U.S. administrations, including as Special Envoy for Iran and as a lead negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal. He is a Senior Fellow at the Jackson School of Global Affairs and the founding director of the International Leadership Center’s Peace Hub.
This episode is part of a 4-part interview series with Yale’s 2025 Peace Fellows. Find out more about the Yale Peace Fellowship here: https://jackson.yale.edu/international-leadership-center/peace-fellowship/

Iuliia Mendel, former Press Secretary to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, discusses her personal and professional journey; takes us inside the stressful job of crafting a message for a new Ukrainian administration while handling crisis communications; untangles the disinformation threat and how to tackle it; and stresses what the stakes are in Ukraine – and the role of young Ukrainians in rebuilding the country.