Media and Commentary

Robert is a regular commentator on a wide range of platforms such as Financial Times, Agence France-Presse (AFP), 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: 

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.