Adam Hanieh is a professor in Development Studies at SOAS, University of London, and director of the SOAS Middle East Institute. He was previously joint chair in Middle East Studies between the Institute of International and Area Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, and the University of Exeter. His research focuses on global political economy and the Gulf states of the Middle East. His most recent book Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market (2024) was co-winner of the 2025 Best Book by an International Scholar, Global and Transnational Section of the American Sociological Association.

Jiuzhou Duan is assistant professor at the Institute for International and Area Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing. His primary research interests include the political economy of development, civil-military relations, state-business relations, and Middle East Studies. He is also an expert on China-Middle East relations, focusing extensively on the strategic synergy and development cooperation between China and Middle Eastern states. Duan was previously visiting scholar at Harvard Kennedy School, the American University in Cairo, and the Middle East Technical University. Currently, he serves as a council member of the Chinese Association for Middle East Studies and the Chinese Society of African Historical Studies.