He has spent over ten years living in Syria and Lebanon, which are the main areas on which his research focuses. He is frequently called upon as an expert on water issues and the Syrian crisis. He published a work on contemporary Syria in 2006 entitled The Alawite Region and Syrian Power. More recently, he published Atlas of Arab Near East (2012) and Geopolitics of the Middle East (2014). Balanche holds a doctorate in geography from the University of Tours.