The idea for this volume emerged from a series of transnational collaborations that began in 2010 through a chance meeting of Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen and Neema Noori at an International Studies Association Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the time, Rasmus was transitioning from a post-doctorate at Harvard to a postdoc at United Nations University-Institute of Advanced Studies in Yokohama studying early 19th century intellectual exchange networks linking the United States and Western Europe with the Middle East, Japan, and China. Neema, on the other hand, had just begun working and writing about the proliferation of American-style universities and branch campuses in the Gulf. Though Rasmus’ research focus was more historically oriented, Neema and Rasmus shared a common interest in transnational higher education networks and the Middle East. With his background in small state security studies and his previous positions at the Joaan Bin Jassim Joint Command and Staff College in Doha and at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, fellow editor Jean-Marc Rickli played a pivotal role in encouraging us to think beyond conceptualizing universities as the central nodes in transnational knowledge networks, particularly as they pertained to the Gulf. This book, therefore, is an attempt to widen our focus beyond traditional academic institutions, and, perhaps more importantly, beyond the West as we have also solicited contributions that explore intellectual relationships that connect the Gulf to the East.

Many people have contributed to this book, both directly and indirectly, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them. Certainly, none of this would have been possible were it not for the generous support of the Gulf Research Centre. Our gratitude also extends to our home universities, the University of West Georgia and the University of Tromsø-The Arctic University of Norway, for providing the support that enabled us to meet in the first place. We also owe a debt of gratitude to Lacey Moore, a graduate student at the University of West Georgia, who generously invested a great deal of time and energy in helping us edit and format the book chapters. Angela Turner, Amber Locke, and Jordan Smith also helped edit select chapters. Finally, we are very grateful to the participants for working diligently to refine their contributions for publication.

Please note that this was a collaborative effort. Each of the editors contributed equally to the project and the names of the editors are ordered alphabetically.