As violence in Gaza and the Middle East escalates, specialists such as Gilles Kepel are working overtime to help explain and interpret the shifting dynamics in the region. Kepel is a Middle East specialist widely known as a prolific author of works on Islam and the Arab world. His writings include a seminal work on the rise and decline of jihad and another more recent book, chronicling his travels through Arab countries in the aftermath of the uprisings that swept the region in 2011.