GUEST: Dr. Sean Foley, history professor and expert on the Middle East history 

TOPIC: The war in Israel and the history of the region 

Foley specializes in Middle East history and the cultural, political, and religious trends in the wider Islamic World.  He has published widely and delivered public presentations to major institutions and conferences around the world.  

His second book, Changing Saudi Arabia: Art, Culture, and Society in the Kingdom, was published by Lynne Rienner Press in 2019 and is widely regarded as the definitive text on the Saudi arts community. It is based on extensive in-country research and interviews. He has also won multiple fellowships and grants for work in countries as different as Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey. 

Foley has been a much sought after expert by media outlets seeking an academic and historical perspective on conflict and happenings in the Middle East, most recently the Israel/Hamas war.  

He has appeared as an expert on Australia Broadcasting Corporation Radio and TV; Al-Jazeera English TV; Inside Politics, Morning Line, and Open Line (News Channel 5+, WTVF Nashville); Newstalk Tonight 1010; Nightly News Channel 4, (WSMV TV, Nashville); Nightly News Channel 2 (WPIX Nashville); Voice of America Television; and other broadcast outlets. He has also provided expertise to the Arab News, CNN, Expresso, Forbes, La Republica, Veja, and other media outlets. In addition, he has contributed opinion pieces to The Atlantic, The New Straits Times, The Tennessean, and other publications.  

For more on his work, see his website: www.seanfoley.org.