Joshua M. Landis (born May 14, 1957) is an American academic who specializes in the Middle East and is an expert on Syria.
[1][2][3][4][5][6] He is the head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma,[7] and since 2004, he has published the blog Syria Comment.
When he was one year old, his family moved to Saudi Arabia, where his father was sent by Citibank to open the first branch of an American bank in the country.
After staying in Saudi Arabia for three years, Landis' family moved to Beirut, Lebanon, due to his father being transferred there to work as Citibank's vice-president for the Middle East.
Landis earned a BA from Swarthmore College, majoring in European History and French Literature.