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The Middle East is increasingly central to the wider competition among the United States, China, Russia, and Iran. Shifting regional alignments, pressure on Iran and its proxies, and China’s growing economic and strategic reach are creating new challenges and opportunities for American leadership. Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East develops policies to confront Iran and counter Russian and Chinese influence. The center also works to strengthen the US-Israel alliance and build cooperation with regional partners to deter adversaries and preserve stability.
Below are the center’s most recent efforts.
Highlights
Michael Doran and Brenda Shaffer trace how the Western Net Zero movement functions as an unofficial ally of Beijing directing its instruments of divestment, litigation, and public shaming at Western energy while giving China, the world’s largest emitter, a pass.
Zineb Riboua | The Free Press
As Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq renew their attacks on Saudi Arabia, Zineb Riboua argues that a weakened Iran, squeezed by the US campaign, may finally undercut the Yemeni group’s ability to keep fighting.
Ludovic Hood | Hudson Institute
In a firsthand account, Ludovic Hood recounts his experience on September 11, 2001, as he watched the second plane strike the South Tower. He warns that the nihilistic ideology behind the attacks persists, while many Western leaders shirk their duties out of fear of causing offense.
Ludovic Hood | The National Interest
With the Russia-Ukraine War entering its fifth year, Hood makes the case that President Donald Trump’s gains in Venezuela and Iran, both blows to Russia, have put him in a position of strength. He writes that Trump should abandon the charm offensive toward Putin, renew economic pressure on Moscow, and expand military support for Kyiv.
Zineb Riboua | City Journal
Revisiting Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations a quarter-century after 9/11, Riboua contends that a fault line does not run between Islam and the West but through Islam itself. It divides a pragmatic Middle East that embraces normalization with Israel and a “diaspora Islam” that dominates Western universities and progressive political groups. Third Worldism and postcolonial grievances animate the diaspora Islam and have driven the post–October 7 surge in antisemitism.
Ludovic Hood | RealClearWorld
Drawing on two decades of experience as a US diplomat in the Middle East, Hood notes that the deaths of millions across Iraq, Syria, and Sudan drew Western indifference, while Israel’s war against Hamas prompted mass protest. He argues that the double standard reflects a uniquely intense focus on Israel.
Ken Moriyasu and Hamza Azhar Salam | Washington Examiner
As Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey sign the Mecca Pact, Ken Moriyasu and Hamza Azhar Salam warn that treating the bloc as a hostile “Islamic NATO” would only push it toward Beijing. Washington does not need to choose between the bloc and the rival India–United Arab Emirates–Israel arc. The region’s overlapping alignments can help America prevent any one power from dominating Eurasia.
Michael Doran | Tablet Magazine
Doran contends that critics who think the administration has capitulated to Iran or repeated President George W. Bush’s regime-change war in Iraq misunderstand President Trump. He writes that Trump is pursuing a third course through economic sanctions, maritime siege, and military force to pressure Tehran without tipping into a war of conquest.
Ken Moriyasu and William Pazos | War on the Rocks
Moriyasu and Pazos write that US strategy is focused on the wrong theater. The Indo-Pacific consumes America’s attention while Beijing builds overland energy and trade routes across Eurasia to survive a blockade. They argue that deterring China from moving on Taiwan will require cultivating swing states in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Events
September 17, 2026
Amid Operation Economic Outcast, Representative Michael Baumgartner joined Ludovic Hood for a conversation on Beijing’s deepening partnership with Tehran. Hood also hosted a panel discussion with Zineb Riboua, Ken Moriyasu, and Nick Snyder on the Sino-Iranian relationship, its implications for the administration’s China strategy, and Beijing’s balancing act between the Gulf states and Iran.
Tikvah Ideas: Turkey’s Rising Threat to Israel with Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, Dan Schueftan, and Michael Doran
September 16, 2026
Michael Doran, Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, and Dan Schueftan discussed the historic deterioration in Israel-Turkey relations, how to avoid a direct confrontation, and America’s diplomatic role in managing tensions.
September 15, 2026
Ludovic Hood and Joel Rayburn joined Hagar Chemali of the Lebanon-Israel Peace Alliance and Hussain Abdul Hussain of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies to discuss Lebanon’s prospects for stability and its relationship with Israel. The conversation followed the June 26 framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon that was brokered by the US.
Watch or listen here.
September 2, 2026
Ken Moriyasu hosted a conversation with Representative Jimmy Panetta on Central Asia’s strategic and economic importance to the US. The discussion explored how US engagement in the region can help counter China’s global influence, reduce Russia’s energy leverage over Europe, and strengthen access to critical resources.
Watch or listen here.
In the Media
Iran’s Weakness, Islamist Radicalization, and the Rise of AI Doomerism
Zineb Riboua on Quillette:
Riboua discussed Iran, the Houthis, Israel, and China’s influence across the Middle East. She explained why Tehran is escalating from a position of weakness and traced how Third Worldism links Islamists with parts of the Western left.
Xiangshan: China Targets Japan as US Analyst Urges First Island Chain Withdrawal
Ken Moriyasu on Taiwan Talks:
Moriyasu examined China’s messaging at Beijing’s Xiangshan Forum, where the defense minister accused unnamed countries of “hegemonism” even as Beijing expands its own military spending. He weighed a controversial proposal that the US pull back from the first island chain and examined what these competing visions could mean for the Indo-Pacific balance of power.
Fighting Resumes with Iran, Economic Warfare, and US Munitions
Joel Rayburn on ABC Australia:
Rayburn appears on Afternoon Briefing to discuss the ongoing situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the state of the Iranian economy in light of new sanctions, and the status of American munitions.
Standing Ovation
Michael Doran on Israel Update:
Doran and Gadi Taub discuss the controversy surrounding NAZA, its reception in Israel and abroad, and what the film’s reception reveals about post–October 7 discourse.
A False Story and What It Reveals about Israeli Politics
Michael Doran on Israel Update:
Doran and Taub analyze a reported warning from the president of the United Arab Emirates to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and what it reveals about Israeli politics ahead of the election.
Is Winter Coming for Netanyahu?
Michael Doran on Israel Update:
Doran and Taub examine how former Israel Defense Forces general Ofer Winter’s new right-wing party threatens to fracture the Netanyahu coalition by siphoning votes from Likud allies, potentially costing the right its parliamentary majority.
The Palestinian Bid to Take Over Judea and Samaria
Michael Doran on Israel Update:
Doran and Taub discuss Israeli politics, the struggle over territory in Judea and Samaria, competing interpretations of the October 7 intelligence failure, and the challenges facing US-Gulf diplomacy