Politics and International Relations
HISTORY · POLITICS · THE MIDDLE EAST
About
A historical perspective on politics, society, and international relations in the modern Middle East.
I am Senior Fellow and Director of Publications at Arab Center Washington DC. My work examines conflict, political economy, and state formation in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Syria and the Levant.
I approach contemporary politics through the histories that have made it possible: the institutions, social relations, and political struggles through which power is organized and contested. My scholarship brings historical sociology and political economy into conversation with international relations.
My research is grounded in sustained engagement with the region. I lived in Damascus for five years and in Jordan for nearly two, have spent extended periods in Lebanon, and work with sources in Arabic and French.
AT A GLANCE
Current role
Senior Fellow & Director of Publications
Arab Center Washington DC
Fields
Middle East politics · Historical sociology · Political economy
Languages
Research proficiency in Arabic and French; intermediate Turkish; beginner’s Kurmancî Kurdish
Books and scholarship
My latest book, Syria: A Modern History (Basic Books, 2026), published in the UK as A History of Modern Syria (Allen Lane), traces political, economic, and social change from the nineteenth century to the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
I am also the author of Occupying Syria under the French Mandate: Insurgency, Space, and State Formation (Cambridge University Press, 2012), and co-editor, with Toby Dodge and Ali Ansari, of Power, Resistance, Ideology and the State (Gingko, 2025).
My articles have appeared in International Affairs, New Political Economy, Journal of Democracy, Journal of Historical Sociology, and International Journal of Middle East Studies.
Explore the books →Academic formation and teaching
I hold a PhD in Politics and International Studies and an MA in Middle East Studies from SOAS, University of London, and a first-class BA (Hons) in Arabic and French from St John’s College, University of Oxford.
My career has included faculty, research, and leadership roles at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University, the University of Exeter, the Council for British Research in the Levant, and the Royal United Services Institute in London.
I have taught undergraduate and graduate courses on Middle Eastern politics, international relations, and history, alongside specialist teaching on empire, war and military politics, Syria, and social-scientific approaches to the region.
Teaching →Research communities and public engagement
Scholarship also depends on the institutions that sustain it. As Research Director for Syria at the Council for British Research in the Levant (2011–13), I developed Arabic-language training for British academics, established a scholarship scheme for displaced Syrian researchers, and worked with local institutions to strengthen social-science research in Jordan.
My research has received support from organizations including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Woodrow Wilson Center, the British Academy, and the American Druze Foundation. I serve on the editorial boards of Contemporary Levant and Critical Military Studies.
I regularly speak to universities, policy audiences, diplomats, and public audiences, and have contributed to BBC, CNN International, and Sky News broadcasts.
Academic invitations and inquiries →Academic publication archive · Teaching · Get in touch
