Sean Foley is an Assistant Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).  He specializes in the Middle East and religious and political trends in the broader Islamic world.  Before coming to MTSU in 2006, he taught at Depauw University and Georgetown University, where he earned an M.A. in Arab Studies in 2000 and a Ph.D. in History in 2005.  Foley held Fulbright fellowships in Syria and Turkey in 2002 and 2003 and has held a fellowship from the Smith Richardson Foundation since 2007.  He has published widely on Middle Eastern history, Sufism, Persian Gulf politics, and Atlantic history.  He also regularly writes columns on Middle East and Islamic issues for the Tennessean, Tennessee's largest daily newspaper, and appears on Nashville television stations as a commentator.  His book with Lynne Rienner Press, The Arab Gulf States: Beyond Oil and Islam, was published in March 2010.