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.

His first book, The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East was published by Hurst in 2025. He is a leading young voice in travel writing and geopolitical reportage and is often invited to speak on the wider Middle East. He is a correspondent with Middle East Eye.

Sean moved to the region immediately after university in 2019. 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.

Since joining Middle East Eye in 2021, 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.