Dr David B Roberts

Dr David B Roberts is a Reader at King’s College London where he leads the twin-track Arabic and English Master of Research (MRes) programme in the School of Security Studies. Additionally, Dr Roberts is Adjunct Faculty at Science Po’s Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), a Non-Resident Fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute Washington and at the Middle East Policy Council (Washington DC), and the founder and commissioning editor for Cambridge University Press’s book series Elements in Middle East Politics. Previously, David taught for King’s at the Qatar Defence Academy, and he was the Director of the Gulf office of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security studies think-tank (RUSI Qatar). He obtained his PhD from Durham University.

Dr Roberts’ primary research interest focuses on the politics, foreign affairs, and international security of so-called Middle Powers, and particularly those in the Gulf region and the wider Middle East. David’s book 'Security Politics in the Gulf Monarchies' was published by Columbia University Press in 2023. A secondary research focus uses Foucault’s dispositif concept, which prompts analysts to look for overt and covert factors underpinning and supporting ongoing endeavours in any given field, to enhance understanding of military capability development and innovation.