Fundamentally Funny: Nussaibah Younis on UN Satire, ISIS Brides, and the Politics of Belonging

Nussaibah Younis is a peace building practitioner and a globally recognized expert on contemporary Iraq. Younis has advised the Iraqi government on proposed programs to de radicalize women affiliated with the ISIS. She was a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC where she directed the task force on the future of Iraq and offered strategic advice to US government agencies on Iraq policy. She has a PhD in international affairs from the University of Durham and a BA in Modern History and English from the University of Oxford.

Her debut novel Fundamentally, published in 2025 by Hachette India, was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and won the published novel category of the Comedy Prize in Print Prize. In this episode of TOI Bookmark, Younis discusses how she blends humour with the seriousness of her day job.