State formation, political order, and the modern Middle East.
I am a scholar of politics and International Relations, with a particular interest in Syria, the modern Arab world, and the historical and intellectual foundations of political order across the Levant and Gulf.
Aleppo · Photo: Luigi Guarino, CC BY 2.0 · cropped to fit
FEATURED BOOK
Syria: A Modern History
A history of modern Syria, placing its people at the heart of political struggle and social change.
Learn more about the book →ACW FRESH TAKE
Ahmad al-Sharaa and Donald Trump
Arab Center Washington DC · 13 November 2025
Watch on YouTube →Academic research
Colonial Authoritarianism in French Mandate Syria
In Dawn Chatty, Michael Provence, and Annika Rabo, eds., Cambridge History of Modern Syria
Cambridge University Press · Forthcoming
Rebuilding the State in Post-Assad Syria
Journal of Democracy 36(2), 2025, pp. 68–77
‘What have the Ottomans ever done for us?’ Why History Matters for Politics in the Arab Middle East
International Affairs 97(6), 2021, pp. 1825–1841
PUBLIC ESSAYS
An Ottoman age of experiments
Engelsberg Ideas, 2026
What Are Syria’s Political Trials For?
Arab Center Washington DC, 2026
Iran Is the Dumb, Disastrous Remake of Desert Storm
Foreign Policy · 3 April 2026
Reviews of Syria: A Modern History
“sweeping in scope and brimming with vivid detail”
— Wendy Pearlman
“magnificent, beautifully written political history”
— Marc Lynch
“rich in detail, free of reductionism”
— Yassin al-Hajj Saleh · Al-Jumhuriya
“masterly narrative”
— Charles Glass · Financial Times
“An important reference for years to come.”
— Middle East Journal
“Neep’s magnum opus represents a signal contribution to the historiography of the modern Middle East”
— Dimitar Mihalov, former Bulgarian ambassador to Jordan
“Brilliant. Scholarly but also so compelling, so well written – even entertaining – with a sharp eye for detail and character”
— Simon Sebag Montefiore
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Rotation paused.My books and longer publications.
Lectures and conversations. Media appearances →
Selected articles and commentary on Syria and the wider region.
