Dr. Lina Khatib is an authority on the Middle East. Her research focuses on the international relations of the Middle East, Islamist groups and security, political transitions and foreign policy, with special attention to the Syrian conflict. Currently, she is Director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London. She also writes the weekly Middle East newsletter for the World Politics Review.Previously, Khatib was director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, and was director of the Carnegie Middle East Center. Before that, she co-founded and led the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.Khatib has two books and has co-authored, edited, or co-edited four other books. She is a frequent writer and commentator on current affairs in the Middle East, with appearances on channels like CNN and BBC and op-eds in outlets such as Foreign Policy, TIME, Foreign Affairs, and the Guardian.Khatib is also a musician nad visual artist. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including in group shows like Newtopia: The State of Human Rights (Mechelen, 2012) and a solo show, 24 Hours on Hamra Street (London, 2018). She is currently developing a theatrical piece on politics and society in the Middle East.