Manuel was a Visiting Fellow at the LSE Middle East Centre. His research focused on the crisis of sovereign statehood in the Middle East and the concept of the social contract as applied to the Arab state, including its relationship to governance and sustainable development practices. His writings, comments and analyses on the Middle East have appeared in various regional and international publications and media outlets. Manuel is also Head of Insight at ARK Group DMCC, the stabilisation and development company.

Previously, he was Managing Director of a London-based boutique consultancy firm advising Middle East-based clients through in-depth research. He was also editor of the English online edition of the newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. He holds an MA in International Studies (with distinction) from Durham University and a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, with a thesis on the history of the idea of state failure.