Speaker:    Dr. Robert Mason is a Non-Resident Fellow at The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. His primary research interests include Gulf politics and the international relations of the Middle East, Asia – Middle East/Africa relations, and Euro-Mediterranean relations. Dr. Mason holds a Ph.D. in Middle East Politics from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter.  

Dr. Mason's articles have appeared in Middle East Journal, Middle East Policy, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Third World Quarterly, and European Foreign Affairs Review. His research has featured in the news and academic outlets including Financial Times, The National Interest, The Hill, RUSI Newsbrief, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, The National, The Diplomat, New Turkey, Iran Review, The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, OpenDemocracy, LSE IDEAS and LSE British Politics and Policy Blog.  

Moderator: Manochehr Dorraj, Ph.D, Professor at TCU and an Associate Fellow at the SMU Tower Center.