I work on the politics, governance, and social organisation of conflict-affected societies in the Middle East and South Asia. From 2006, most of my time was spent in the field — Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Jordan, and Somalia — working with primary sources and local interlocutors.

The work involves mapping how groups organise, govern, and resolve disputes, and making that useful for legal, policy, and research purposes.

I co-founded First Draft Publishing. My books include An Enemy We Created and The Taliban Reader (Hurst / Columbia University Press).

PhD, War Studies, King’s College London · BA, Arabic & Development Studies, SOAS