Oliver Blake

Oliver Blake is a Senior Associate Fellow within the International Security Studies research group at RUSI.

A specialist in the politics, economics, diplomacy and sociology of the Sultanate of Oman, Oliver has spent over two decades deeply engaged with the country. Co-founder of Blake Evans & Co, a geopolitical advisory firm focusing on the Middle East, he is also Vice Chair of the Oman British Business Council and a Trustee of the British Omani Society. Oliver previously chaired the Oman International Advisory Board, a specialist cybersecurity panel overseeing an FCDO funded programme.

Oliver received his BA in Politics from Newcastle University, a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Oxford University and was trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before commissioning into the Light Dragoons. He continues to support the British Army though a UK-Oman Defence Engagement advisory role.

His research interests include Oman’s political, diplomatic and trade relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran and Yemen as well as the country’s evolving ties to the great power nations of the East and West. He also studies the Sultanate’s contribution to regional peace brokering and diplomatic backchannelling.