Dr. Simon Mabon

GRM 2018 Workshop: The Gulf States in East Africa: Security, Economic and Strategic Partnerships?

Lecturer in Politics, Philosophy and Religion and Director - Richardson Institute, Lancaster University

Dr. Simon Mabon is lecturer in International Relations and Director of the Richardson Institute at the University of Lancaster. He is the author of Saudi Arabia and Iran: Soft Power Rivalry in the Middle East (2013 and updated in 2015), co-author of Hezbollah: From Islamic Resistance to Government (2015) The Origins of ISIS (2016) British Foreign Policy After WWII (2017) and co-editor of Terrorism and Political Violence (2015) and People Sects and states: Interrogating Sectarianism in the Contemporary Middle East (2017). He has published in a range of journals including British Journal of Middle East Studies, Third World Quarterly, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Middle East Policy, and Religion, Politics and Ideology. Dr Mabon’s research falls broadly within the discipline of International Relations but is applied empirically to the Middle East. He is currently exploring the nature of state society relations across the Middle East and how the notion of sovereignty is challenged in the contemporary world. 5 Dr Mabon has spoken at the United Nations, European Parliament and was invited to speak at the universities of Harvard, Oxford, Georgetown Doha, Leeds, Bristol, Sheffield, An Najah (Palestine), Bogazici (Turkey) Salford, People’s College Nanded (India), Yildirim Beyazit (Turkey), along with numerous public lectures. Dr Mabon has appeared on BBC Breakfast, BBC News, BBC News 24, BBC Radio 4 and 5, France 24, Al Jazeera News, Al Jazeera Inside Story, CNBC, ABC (Australia), Deutsche Welle, Euronews, Al Arabiya, i24, Ahul Bayht, and British Forces TV. He has also appeared in documentaries for Al Jazeera and Ahul Bayht. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Leeds.