Sean Mathews is a journalist and author reporting across Southeastern Europe and the wider Middle East. He is based in Athens, Greece and travels often in the region.

Sean’s first book, The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East was published by Hurst in 2025 and critically acclaimed, including in The Financial Times, The Economist, and The Tablet. Sean is a leading young voice in travel writing and reportage, who is often invited to speak on the wider Middle East.

Originally from upstate New York, Sean moved to the region after university in 2019 and has been based there since. He started as a reporter at the Jordan Times in Amman and then floated across Jordan, Greece, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt writing for The Economist, Al Jazeera, Al Monitor and other outlets. His coverage of economics, energy and security came under focus from several leading political risk and advisory firms and he previously consulted on projects related to the Arabian Gulf and southern Europe. He has also engaged with world leaders on his analysis of the wider Middle East.

Sean has broken major news stories that have been cited by international media including Russian efforts to arm Houthi rebels in Yemen, US diplomacy in Libya, and Arabian Gulf involvement in the Sudanese Civil War. Sean’s exclusive reporting has been referenced by the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Reuters among others. Sean also reports extensively on US foreign policy in the Middle East and travels often to Washington.

When he is not writing, Sean can talk endlessly about the subtle, and oh so beautiful differences between Arak, Ouzo and Raki (he does have a favorite).

Contact Sean with pitches or enquiries. If he takes some time to respond he has probably unplugged with a book at a Greek island hideaway.