Humoud AlAdwani
Humoud AlAdwani is an American-raised political scientist, compliance specialist, and researcher whose work examines the role of cognitive bias and misperception in international conflict and foreign policy decision-making. He is best known for his graduate research at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) on the psychological dimensions of the First Gulf War. In addition to his academic research, AlAdwani is a sketch artist and photographer whose work spans multiple mediums.
Early life and education
AlAdwani grew up in the United States and moved from Kuwait. He.pursued higher education in the fields of [[[political science]].[1]
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and subsequently completed a Master of Arts in Political Science from California State University, Northridge, in December 2020.[1]
Research
The Role of Misperception in Decisions to Go to War
AlAdwani's principal scholarly contribution is his 2020 graduate research project, The Role of Misperception in Decisions to Go to War: A Case Study on the First Gulf War, completed in the Department of Political Science at CSUN.[1] The study examines the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait through a comparative theoretical framework, evaluating four major approaches in international relations theory and foreign policy analysis:
- Structural realism
- The bureaucratic politics model
- Rational choice theory
- Psychological perspectives
The thesis argues that psychological perspectives provide the most accurate explanatory framework for Saddam Hussein's decision to invade Kuwait.[1] Drawing extensively on Robert Jervis's foundational work Perception and Misperception in International Politics (1976), AlAdwani applies process tracing methodology to demonstrate how Hussein's personal characteristics, including traits associated with narcissism and paranoia, created systematic information-processing failures that led him to fundamentally miscalculate the United States' willingness to intervene militarily.[1][2]
Key findings of the research include:
- Hussein's pre-existing beliefs, shaped by the Iran-Iraq War, created a confirmation bias that filtered diplomatic intelligence selectively.[1]
- Iraqi leadership systematically misperceived U.S. diplomatic signaling during the crisis, including the significance of communications from U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie.[1]
- Personality-level cognitive distortions overrode rational-actor calculations, leading to catastrophic strategic miscalculation.[1]
The thesis is deposited in the California State University ScholarWorks digital repository and is publicly accessible.[1]
Career
Financial compliance
AlAdwani has worked in regulatory compliance in the financial services industry in Los Angeles, specializing in anti-money laundering (AML), know-your-customer (KYC), FATCA, and CRS protocols.[3]
Legal work
Prior to his compliance career, AlAdwani worked as a legal research analyst at law firms in Los Angeles, gaining experience in regulatory compliance and multi-jurisdictional legal analysis.[3]
Research interests
AlAdwani's research interests include:
- Political psychology and cognitive bias in leader decision-making
- Misperception and signaling failures in international crises
- Persian Gulf geopolitics and Middle Eastern security studies
- Regulatory compliance and cross-border financial regulation
- Civic engagement and humanitarian policy analysis
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 AlAdwani, Humoud (December 2020). The Role of Misperception in Decisions to Go to War: A Case Study on the First Gulf War (Graduate project). California State University, Northridge. hdl:10211.3/218204.
- ↑ Jervis, Robert (1976). Perception and Misperception in International Politics. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-10049-3 Check
|isbn=value: checksum (help). Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Humoud AlAdwani - Political Analyst and Humanitarian". Retrieved 2026-05-17.
External links
Category:Living people
Category:Political scientists
Category:California State University, Northridge alumni
Category:Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni
Category:Political psychologists
Category:People from Los Angeles
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