Robert Springborg

Robert Springborg

Springborg

Robert Springborg is a Research Fellow of the Italian Institute of International Affairs and Adjunct Professor, Simon Fraser University. Formerly he was Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and Program Manager for the Middle East for the Center for Civil-Military Relations; the holder of the MBI Al Jaber Chair in Middle East Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, where he also served as Director of the London Middle East Institute; the Director of the American Research Center in Egypt; University Professor of Middle East Politics at Macquarie University in Sydney Australia; and assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also taught at the University of California, Berkeley; the College of Europe, Warsaw; the Paris School of International Affairs of Sciences Po; and the University of Sydney. In 2016 he was Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Kennedy School, Harvard University. His most recent books are Egypt (2018) and Political Economies of the Middle East and North Africa (2020), both published by Polity Press. He is the editor in chief of The Handbook of Contemporary Egypt, published by Routledge in 2021.  

Comment: The real purpose of Sisi's operation is to reassure and intimidate voters, to glorify the president, and to distract from the regime's failings, writes Robert Springborg.

12 February, 2018

Comment: The Middle East in 2018 faces plenty of known difficulties and challenges. But there are also some 'known unknowns' lurking, writes Robert Springborg.

02 January, 2018

Comment: Iran's arming of its proxies is unlikely to achieve military success, but asymmetric warfare puts huge pressure on Saudi Arabia's vulnerable political leadership, writes Robert Springborg.

22 December, 2017

Comment: The Arab world seems destined to continue to offer a leadership role in search of its hero, writes Robert Springborg.

01 December, 2017

Comment: Iran has been viewed by both Republican and Democratic decision-makers as the more beautiful prize, writes Robert Springborg.

27 November, 2017

Comment: King Salman and his son have cut off the head of the princely system, but its body remains entrenched in key governmental agencies, writes Robert Springborg.

07 November, 2017

Comment: For democracy to appeal to those who do not live under it, and retain the commitment of those who do, it has to work properly, writes Robert Springborg.

02 October, 2017

Comment: Egypt is one of the largest debtors in the world. It must look to history to understand the repercussions of excessive debt, writes Robert Springborg.

12 September, 2017

Comment: As the US' imperial might in the Middle East declines, and Russia and China's stars rise, what does the Middle East's future hold? asks Robert Springborg.

18 August, 2017

Comment: Neither populists like Trump, nor protectors of elitist power are capable of addressing the democratic deficit in America, writes Robert Springborg.

03 August, 2017