Hadeil Ali

Chief of Staff, Global Development Department and Director, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Program
Hadeil Ali

Hadeil Ali is chief of staff of the Global Development Department and director of the Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The program is dedicated to elevating diverse voices and perspectives to lead to more ideas, more innovation, and more robust policy solutions. Hadeil serves as a thought leader on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the national security space and is the chair of the Think Tank Diversity Consortium. She is an adviser with Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS). Hadeil has published numerous pieces with CSIS, Inkstick Media, Business Insider, and Medium on the topics of DEI and national security. She has participated in dozens of panels, lectures, and conferences throughout the United States. Hadeil is a 2024 CNAS next generation fellow, a 2024 German Marshall Fund transatlantic inclusion leader, a 2023 Penn Kemble fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, and a 2022 fellow with the International Career Advancement Program. She was included on the 2022 CSIS National Security and Foreign Affairs Top 50 Leadership List and is a Middle East Policy Council 40 Under 40 awardee. She holds an MA in contemporary Arab studies with highest honors from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a BA in international relations and communications, summa cum laude, from Drury University. She speaks French, Arabic, and Spanish. 

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USAID Youth Engagement: A Potential Generation Lost?

The halting of USAID’s youth programming represents a critical inflection point for U.S. development policy. The termination risks reversing gains in employment, social cohesion, and civic participation that underpin economic and democratic resilience.

Commentary by Hadeil Ali — November 13, 2025

A New Landscape for Development: Recommendations

Cuts to foreign assistance have been among the most sweeping changes of the second Trump administration. These recommendations provide guidance on how the U.S. can engage meaningfully and productively in the world despite the significant changes.

Digital Report by Noam Unger, Andrew Friedman, and Hadeil Ali — November 13, 2025

A New Landscape for Development

Cuts to foreign assistance have been among the most sweeping changes of the second Trump administration. This compendium dives deep into the impacts on fields across the development ecosystem and potential opportunities within this new landscape.

Digital Report by Enoh T. Ebong, Noam Unger, Andrew Friedman, and Hadeil Ali — November 13, 2025

A New Landscape for Development: The Ground Has Shifted

Cuts to foreign assistance have been among the most sweeping changes of the second Trump administration. This digital report examines the context, current state, and early impacts of these dramatic changes and opportunities within this new landscape.

Digital Report by Noam Unger, Andrew Friedman, and Hadeil Ali — November 13, 2025

A New Landscape for Development: Examining Impacts, Capabilities, and Opportunities

Cuts to foreign assistance have been among the most sweeping changes of the second Trump administration. This compendium dives deep into the impacts on fields across the development ecosystem and potential opportunities within this new landscape.

Digital Report by Hadeil Ali, Andrew Friedman, Noam Unger, J. Stephen Morrison, Katherine E. Bliss, Romina Bandura, Caitlin Welsh, David Michel, Rose Parker, and Joely Virzi — November 13, 2025

Audio Briefs

Shifting Power: The Next Phase of U.S. Foreign Assistance

An audio version of ⁠“Shifting Power: The Next Phase of U.S. Foreign Assistance⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Hadeil Ali and Andrew Friedman. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Hadeil Ali and Andrew Friedman — October 14, 2025

Audio Briefs

Shifting Power: The Next Phase of U.S. Foreign Assistance

This moment of tremendous flux creates an existential question for development practitioners. That is, will the same model move forward, content to do “less with less,” or will a new model take hold that aims to maximize the available resources through a new approach? Either effort requires considerable consultation and input from those most impacted by foreign assistance.

Commentary by Hadeil Ali and Andrew Friedman — October 7, 2025

Audio Briefs

Experts React: Starvation in Gaza

An audio version of “⁠Experts React: Starvation in Gaza⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Mona Yacoubian, Will Todman, Jon B. Alterman, Caitlin Welsh, Zane Swanson, Michaela Simoneau, Sophia Hirshfield, Hadeil Ali, Andrew Friedman, J. Stephen Morrison, and Leonard Rubenstein. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Mona Yacoubian, Will Todman, Jon B. Alterman, Caitlin Welsh, Zane Swanson, Michaela Simoneau, Sophia Hirshfield, Hadeil Ali, Andrew Friedman, J. Stephen Morrison, and Leonard Rubenstein — July 30, 2025

Audio Briefs

Experts React: Starvation in Gaza

CSIS experts react to Gaza’s descent into mass starvation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, international and domestic pressure on Israel, and more.

Commentary by Mona Yacoubian, Will Todman, Jon B. Alterman, Caitlin Welsh, Zane Swanson, Michaela Simoneau, Sophia Hirshfield, Hadeil Ali, Andrew Friedman, J. Stephen Morrison, and Leonard Rubenstein — July 28, 2025