Robert is a regular commentator on a wide range of platforms such as Financial Times, Agence France-Presse (AFP), National Interest, The Hill, The Globe Post, Deutsche Welle, South China Morning Post, and Radio France International. He also writes for a wide range of think tanks, newspapers and magazines. His latest work includes:
Article with Nafees Ahmed and Ziad Hani, “Navigating the New Digital Order: AI, Sovereignty, and International Diplomacy”, Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy Insight, November 2025.
Article with Youmna Elhag, “Afghan Refugees in Pakistan: The Challenge of Voluntary Repatriation”, Eurasia Review, 3 November 2025.
Interview: “The Abraham Accords”, Marco Ponce for Being Justified Podcast, 20 October 2025.
Article with Umer Karim: “Gulf Security Just Became More Complicated”, Eurasia Review, 6 October 2025.
Article: “The Vienna Convention Needs an Update to Protect Against AI Threats”, The National Interest, 28 August 2025.
Article, with Savar Suri: “NATO’s Emerging Strategic Choices Lie in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East”, NATO Watch, 7 August 2025.
Article with Savar Suri: “How the Trump-Musk Feud Could Reshape Space Policy and Rein in SpaceX”, The National Interest, 1 August 2025.
Article: “The Splintering of the Resistance Axis”, Gulf International Forum, 25 June 2025.
Article: “Oman’s Bid to Attract Investment”, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 5 February 2025.
Interview: ‘Saudi Arabia and the UAE Compete to be Hubs for Regional Business’, Stimson Center, 24 January 2025.
Article: “What a Harris Administration Could Mean for the Gulf and Wider Middle East”, Gulf Research Center, 19 September 2024.
Article: “From Parliamentary Deadlock to Dissolution: Consequences for Kuwait’s Economy”, Gulf International Forum, 17 September 2024.
Article: “Could the Gaza War Revitalize Nuclear Non-Proliferation in the Middle East?”, The National Interest, 12 September 2024.
Article: “Risks to Rapprochement: The Death of President Raisi, the Israel-Gaza War, and Iranian Regional Policy”, Gulf Research Center, 4 July 2024.
Article: “Egypt and the United Arab Emirates: Roots and Growth of an Emerging Arab Military Ecosystem”, PRISME Initiative, Spring 2024.
Interview: “Emirates in Trade Talks with South America Quartet”, Arabian Gulf Business Insight. 26 April 2024.
Article: “The Next US Administration to Confront a Middle East of New Partnerships, New Tensions, as End of History Repeats Itself”, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 18 April 2024.
Article: “Free and Open: From the Indo-Pacific to the Red Sea and Beyond”, Gulf Research Center, 24 March 2024.
Article: “Instability in the Sahel: An Opportunity for the Arab Gulf States?”, Gulf Research Center, 18 February 2024.
Article: “Growing Military-Industrial Capacity in the Gulf: Drivers, Issues and Dominance”, Gulf Research Center, 4 January 2024.
Article: “The UAE Leads the Way on Gulf – South America Ties“, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 19 December 2023.
Article: “The End of De-escalation in the Middle East?” Foreign Policy Research Institute, 21 November 2023.
Article: “The GCC States and Indonesia: Towards New Horizons”, Gulf Research Center. 7 November 2023.
Article (with Ali Bakir): “Turkey’s Next Military Base in the Gulf”, Middle East Eye, 4 October 2023.
Article: “The Case for Establishing a Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone in the Gulf”, Gulf Research Center, 20 September 2023.
Article: “UAE – Brazilian Relations in Expansion Mode”, Gulf Research Center, 11 September 2023.
Article: “Will Egypt be the next to Normalize Relations with Iran?”, Afkar, 20 July 2023
Article: “How Regime Security is set to Dominate Saudi-UAE Interaction Over Economic Competition and Political Rivalry”, Atlantic Council, 22 June 2023.
Interview: “UAE Seeks Solo Trade Agreements as Intra-Gulf Rivalry Heats Up”, Investment Monitor, 14 June 2023.
Article: “What does a Third Erdogan Presidency Herald for the GCC States?”, Gulf Research Centre, 14 June 2023.
Interview: “‘Wide Open’ for Business: Russia Makes Play for Gulf Money”, AFP, 12 May 2023.
Article: “From the “Grey Zone” to the End Zone: GCC State Influence and Prospects for Syria’s Reintegration into the Arab World.” Gulf Research Centre, 13 April 2023.
Interview: “Al Aqsa Raid: Arab Countries Condemn ‘Extremist’ Israeli Attack on Al Aqsa Worshippers,” Middle East Eye, 5 April 2023.
Article: “How to Build on the Saudi – Iranian Reset”, Stimson Center, 27 March 2023.
Article: “Oman’s Diplomacy-First Approach on Syria Gains Wider Support”, ISPI, 6 March 2023.
Article: “Nuclear Issues Emanating from the War in Ukraine and their Relevance to Gulf Security”, Gulf Research Center, 15 January 2023.
Article: “A Look to US-Saudi Relations in 2023: Irritants, Constraints and Opportunities”, Manara Magazine, 5 January 2023.
Article: “Looking to Moscow, Iran Steps Up Measures to Bolster its Air Power”, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 5 January 2023.
Article: “Decolonising the UK Curriculum Should be the Start of a Much Wider Process”, British International Studies Association, 28 September 2022
Interview: Stasa Salacanin, “Why Arab States are Standing by China Over the US on Taiwan”, Al Araby, 17 August 2022.
Article: “The European Union’s “Strategic Partnership with the Gulf”: Half Speed Ahead”, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 3 August 2022.
Article: “How to Break the U.S. – Saudi Deadlock”, The National Interest, 12 May 2022.
Interview: Muhammad Zulfikar Rakmat and Yeta Purnama, “Indonesia Looks to the UAE for Military Cooperation”, The Diplomat, 31 March 2022.
Article: “A New Era in German Defense and Foreign Policy: The Source of Broadening Relations in the Gulf?”, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 3 March 2022.
Article: “Security, Energy and Identity Dominate Gulf Positions on Ukraine”, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. 26 February 2022.
Article: “Revitalized Interactions Between the Gulf and Indonesia”, Middle East Institute, 10 February 2022.
Article: “Federalism and Conservatism in the UAE: The Case of Sharjah”, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 21 December 2021.
Interview with William Ramsey Investigates podcast, discussing key themes in my book New Perspectives on Middle East Politics: Economy, Society, and International Relations, 18 October 2021.
Article: “Saudi – Russian Military Cooperation: Signalling or Strategy?”, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 3 September 2021.
Article: “Russia and the UAE: Monetization, Economization, and Militarization in the Gulf and Red Sea”, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 12 August 2021.
Article: “Consolidating Saudi – Omani Relations Under Sultan Haitham”, Middle East Institute, 13 July 2021.
Article: “Is the Sky the Limit to the China – Gulf Partnership?”, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 12 March 2021.
Article: “US – Iran Relations Under President Biden: Back to the Status Quo Ante?”, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 30 November 2020.
Interview: “Western Arms Exports Fuel Conflict in Middle East, North Africa”, Deutsche Welle, 24 September 2020.
Interview: “Les Ambitions Nucleaires des Princes du Golfe Inquiètent”, Jeune Afrique, 17 September 2020.
Article: “As UAE Nuclear Power Plant Comes On Line Attention Turns to Saudi Plans”, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 19 August 2020.
Article: “Towards Peace-Building in Saudi – Iranian Relations”, in Saudi Arabia, Iran and De-escalation in the Persian Gulf, Sectarian, Proxies and De-sectarianisation project at Lancaster University, 24 June 2020.
Interview: “EU Reports 106% Rise in the Number of Saudi Asylum Applications in 2019”, Arabian Business, 19 August 2019.
Article: “An Iran Strategy Worth Fighting For”, The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, 24 July 2019.
Article: “US Reimposes Sanctions on Iran, but to what Effect?”, The Globe Post, 21 November 2018.
Article: “US – Saudi Relations in a New Perspective”, The New Turkey, 28 October 2018.
Interview: “Russia Encroaches on US War Industry in the Middle East”, Deutsche Welle, 31 August 2018.
Article: “Winds of Change in Riyadh”, The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, 13 November 2017.
Article: “Saudi Visit to Moscow: Driving a Wedge Between Russia and Iran?”, The Globe Post, 10 October 2017.
Interview: “China and Saudi Arabia to Team Up on US$20 Billion Investment Fund“, South China Morning Post, 24 August 2017.
Article: “Avoiding a Precedent in Syria and the Balkanisation of the Middle East”, OpenDemocracy, November 2016.
Article: “The Iranian Nuclear Deal: A Paradigm Shift, Not Yet Détente“, The Hill, July 2015.
Article: “Strategic Partnerships, Not Air Strikes and Advisers, Matter Most in New War on Terror“, The Hill, July 2015.
Article: “Sisi’s Economic RoadMap”, OpenDemocracy, August 2014.
Letter to the editor: “Palestinians Need a New Economic Strategy“, Financial Times, August 2014.
Article: “Why the Solution to Afghan State Building Post-2014 Lies in Regional Diplomacy”, OpenDemocracy, July 2013.
Article “”No” to an IMF Loan Puts More Pressure on Egyptian Economic Recovery”, OpenDemocracy, June 2013.
Article: “Sanctioning Iran: Not a Zero-Sum Game“, RUSI Newsbrief, January 2013.
Article: “Abandon a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone”, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, October 2012.
Article: “The Gradual Tilt to Asia: Cause for Re-Defining Saudi Arabia’s Regional Environment?”, E-International Relations, 3 March 2012.
Article: “Anglo-Iranian Relations in Context: Three Decades of Deterioration“, Instituto de Empresa, 18 January 2012.
Article, with Sherry Gadelrab, “Trust, Representation and Communication are Key to Increasing Engagement Between the British Muslim Community and the Government”, LSE, 25 August 2011.
Article, with Sherry Gadelrab, “Inverting the Pyramid: The Challenges of Transition from Pharaoh to People Power in Egypt”, Middle East Studies Online Journal, 3 August 2011.
Article: “Hamas, Israel and the Transition to a Palestinian State”, E-International Relations, 4 July 2011.
Article: Deadlock and Dialogue: The Principles of the “Iran Model””, LSE, 29 March 2011.
Article: “Bridging the Gap to a Two-State Solution“, LSE, 31 January 2011.
Dr Robert Mason FRSA FHEA 