Jesse Marks

CEO & Founder

Jesse Marks is the Founder and CEO of Rihla Research & Advisory, a scholar-practitioner specializing in China-Middle East relations, global geopolitics, and strategic advisory. He served as a Nonresident Fellow at the Stimson Center’s China Program and a contributor to Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, and other leading publications.

Throughout his career, Jesse has advised government agencies, international organizations, and private sector clients on a range of critical global challenges, including China’s expanding role in the Middle East, regional security dynamics, geopolitical risk, humanitarian response, national security, defense, foreign policy, and geoeconomics. He has participated in Track II dialogues, briefed policymakers in Washington, Beijing, and Middle Eastern capitals, and worked as a subject matter expert for leading think tanks, defense institutions, and policy organizations. His expertise spans conflict mediation, crisis response, strategic competition, and economic statecraft, providing decision-makers with the insights needed to navigate complex political, security, and economic landscapes.

Jesse previously served as a Middle East policy advisor in the U.S. government, a lead humanitarian and policy director at a major NGO, and a foreign policy scholar at several public policy institutions. His experience includes 14 years of research, fieldwork, and policywork across the Middle East and nearly eight years analyzing China’s strategic engagement in the Middle East and North Africa. He has been awarded fellowships including the Schwarzman Scholar, Fulbright Research Fellow, Boren Scholar, and Scoville Fellow.

Jesse holds an Masters in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University, a MPhil in International Relations and Politics from the University of Cambridge. He has conducted extensive research in China, the Middle East, and the U.S.