In this last episode of Season 2 and 2022, my guest from Episode 9, Danish-Egyptian, Yasmin Abdel-Hak, starts by interviewing me, Australian, Louise Ross, the host of Women Who Walk podcast. Halfway through the episode, we switch, and I interview Yasmin. Ahead of time, we decided that the focus of our conversation would be female agency in our lives and work. I chose this as the topic because it’s the red thread connecting the stories shared in this podcast. In other words, to some degree all the women I’ve interviewed exercise agency in their lives. Relative to our discussion, agency is a woman’s ability to make her own decisions and live her life on her terms. If you enjoy our conversation, subscribe to my channel, so you don’t miss upcoming episodes with more inspiring and intrepid Women Who Walk
I am Yasmin Abdel-Hak — human rights lawyer, analyst, and founder of Global Migrations & Politics.
Born and raised in Denmark in a multicultural family with roots from Copenhagen to Cairo and across the United States, I have always navigated between worlds. That perspective shapes everything I write and do.
I hold a law degree specialising in human rights and a Master's in Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies with a focus on Saudi Arabia. For over a decade, I worked in asylum and refugee law — cooperating with UNHCR on resettlement from Iraq, Iran and Syria, advising the Danish government on migration and refugee policy, and managing EU capacity-building projects in Turkey and the Balkans.
Today, through Global Migrations & Politics, I work as an analyst and consultant — writing, lecturing, and advising on the geopolitics of the Middle East: the power games, the human rights realities, and what it all means for the rest of the world.
I believe there is power in understanding. And that understanding the Middle East beyond the headlines, is one of the most important things we can do right now.
