Omar Munassar is a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship fellow, currently conducting research at IPZ on the evolving dynamics of civil wars. His research project, “Civil War Paths: Incompatibilities, Actors, and Narratives in the Case of the Yemen War,” examines the evolving causes, actors, and narratives shaping the war across and within three distinct phases: pre-war, during the war, and post-war. Additionally, he works on the role and norms of local mediators in conflict resolution, such as in the case of the Yemen war. His academic interests span regional power competition in the Middle East, civil war paths, asymmetric warfare, rebel governance, local actor mediation, and foreign policy-making in the Middle East, with a specific focus on Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Previously, Omar served as an Assistant Professor of International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies at Uludağ University in Turkey. He holds a PhD in International Relations from Uludağ University, an MA degree from the University of Warsaw, and a BA degree from Sana’a University. He has been the recipient of various scholarship grants, including the Erasmus Mundus program, and has participated in numerous international conferences. He is an executive member of the Arab Society for Conflict Studies (ASCS). He is fluent in Arabic, English, and Turkish, frequently contributes to media platforms such as TRT World, and engages with think tanks, including the Wilson Center and the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, offering insights on Yemen and broader regional affairs.