Oliver B. John is the founder and president of Astrolabe Global Strategy LLC, a political-economic consulting firm in Arlington, Virginia. Astrolabe provides targeted advice to companies, law firms and consulting firms interested in understanding the political and economic environment, risks, and opportunities in the Middle East, particularly within the Gulf Cooperation Council. Oliver has written for the Middle East Institute and the East Asia Forum on topics ranging from OPEC+ oil production decisions, to China’s relations with the GCC, to the politics of various GCC countries. Prior to founding Astrolabe, Oliver was a career U.S. diplomat, economist, and intelligence analyst with 30 years of government experience, particularly in the Middle East, including ten years as the senior economic advisor to U.S. Ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. He managed multinational professional teams, provided strategic political-economic analyses to senior U.S. government officials and business executives, and advocated successfully on behalf of U.S. companies operating in the Arab World. Oliver earned a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College of the U.S. National Defense University, a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the School of International Service at the American University, and Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Northwestern University. Oliver’s languages are Arabic, German, and French.
