Christopher studies the comparative politics and political economy of the Middle East, with a particular focus on the Arab Gulf states. More broadly, he has interests in rapidly developing and emerging markets, as well as the internationalization of higher education.
His latest book is Abu Dhabi’s IHC: The Biggest Company You’ve Never Even Heard Of, a revealing account of the power and ingenuity behind the new Gulf capitalism, through the story of its most successful company. Out June 2026, it is a Financial Times book to read.
His earlier works include Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success, Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond, After the Sheikhs, Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East, and From Sheikhs to Sultanism: Statecraft and Authority in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. His articles have appeared, inter alia, in the Journal of Democracy, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the New York Times, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and the Times Higher Education. In Arabic, his September 2009 Al-Akhbar article, “The Great Dubai Crash” is known for presaging the November 2009 Dubai financial crisis.
He was educated at King’s College, Cambridge (BA) and the University of St. Andrews (MLitt, PhD), and is a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (‘FHEA’). Supervising thirteen doctoral degrees to completion, he has held full-time academic positions at Durham University (lecturer, senior lecturer, reader), Zayed University in the UAE (assistant professor), and Kyoto University in Japan (visiting associate professor). In parallel, he has held associate fellowships at Leiden University College, the Royal United Services Institute (‘RUSI’), the Henry Jackson Society, and the European Centre for International Affairs. He also edits the book series Power and Politics in the Gulf (co-published by Hurst & Co. and Oxford University Press USA) and externally examines a leading postgraduate area studies programme.
He has delivered invited public lectures at institutions worldwide, including Stanford, Yale, George Washington University, Australian National University, Sciences Po, Otago, Amsterdam University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the American University of Beirut, Oxford, and the London School of Economics. As a debating panelist he has appeared at the Oxford Union, Asia House, the Doha Debates, and El Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona.
He has provided briefings and reports to organizations including the US Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the US Department of Justice, the US National Intelligence Council, NATO Intelligence (‘Fusion’), and the UK’s GCHQ, SO15 (Counter Terrorism Command), Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Cabinet Office, and Home Office. His research and testimony have contributed to several high-profile cases spanning extradition, immigration, foreign agency, family law, terrorism, and international arbitration.
Google Scholar profile available here