Eamonn Gearon is an author, Arabist, and analyst. He received his DPhil in History from the University of Oxford and previously taught at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the American University in Cairo. He has published extensively on Middle Eastern history and culture. A masterful storyteller, his books include The Arab Bureau and The Sahara: A Cultural History. He also runs Middle East training for diplomats at Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.