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The Middle East is once again an arena of great-power competition, as strategic threats seek to undermine the American-led order in the region. Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East develops policies to confront Iran while countering Russian and Chinese attempts to expand their regional influence and advance the United States and Israel as the leaders of an allied coalition dedicated to countering adversaries and preserving stability.
Below, please find the center’s most recent efforts.
The Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East is pleased to welcome Senior Fellow Ludovic Hood to the team. After 20 years as a foreign service officer, Hood will focus on US Middle East policy, Gulf regional security, Israel, the Arab states, Iran, and Lebanon while at Hudson. Read more about Hood here.
Highlights
Six months after the opening salvos of Operation Epic Fury, Michael Doran, Ludovic Hood, Zineb Riboua, and Behnam Ben Taleblu gathered at Hudson Institute to assess the state of the conflict in the Gulf and America’s path forward. The discussion covered the unresolved standoff over Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz; ongoing conflicts in Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza; and Iran’s attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors. President Donald Trump circulated videos from the event on social media.
Ludovic Hood | Wall Street Journal
Ludovic Hood writes that the standoff with Iran presents a historic opportunity to do lasting damage to the Iranian regime’s pursuit of regional domination. He explains that President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign—which combines naval blockades, sanctions on oil brokers, and strikes against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—exploits Iran’s structural vulnerabilities by squeezing the regime’s revenues while intermediaries pursue a ceasefire deal.
Zineb Riboua | The Free Press
As commentators rushed to blame Morocco for alleged aggression toward Spain during the July 2026 migrant crisis in Ceuta, Zineb Riboua reveals how Islamist parties within Morocco’s political system exploited the episode to undermine the secular monarchy by amplifying false narratives about Moroccan-Spanish tensions. In reality, she argues, Morocco-European security collaboration has never been stronger.
Ken Moriyasu | Türkiye Today
Ken Moriyasu argues that, as Japan seeks reliable partners to advance its interests across Eurasia, it should look to Türkiye. A complementary middle power in a strategic geographic location, Ankara is uniquely suited to help Japan compete with China’s expanding regional footprint.
Liel Liebowitz | The Free Press
In response to a viral New York magazine cover story dubbing the metropolis “Habibi City,” Liel Liebowitz argues that the narrative about the city’s growing Middle Eastern enclave—which the article celebrated for its resistance to “xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Zionism”—gets the story of New York and immigration to America wrong. He warns that for Habibi City to be born, New York City must die.
Ludovic Hood | Fox News
As the economic crisis in Iran deepens, Hood argues that the Trump administration can hasten the regime's demise by maintaining the economic squeeze on oil reserves, pressuring the IRGC, and expanding support for activists inside Iran.
Zineb Riboua | News24
Riboua argues that Trump’s normalization condition for the US-Saudi nuclear deal should signal a broader shift in how Gulf states understand their strategic partnerships. The Iran war demonstrated that a close relationship with Israel provides a decisive advantage in intelligence sharing, air defense, and early warning against shared adversaries. Washington should act to lock in long-term influence over the region's civilian nuclear sector before China and Russia fill that space.
Michael Doran | The Free Press
Michael Doran explains that the wave of US military operations against Iran in July was designed to force the regime to accept America’s definition of the memorandum of understanding—specifically, recognition of the Strait of Hormuz as an international waterway rather than a sovereign Iranian asset.
Zineb Riboua | New York Post
Riboua argues that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s performative anti-Israel posturing reflects both the mainstreaming of antisemitic ideology within the American political class and a broader Western pivot toward Third Worldist politics—a trend she warns threatens to erode American power, alliances, and security.
Liel Leibovitz | New York Post
After years of downplaying Hamas’s interference with humanitarian aid, the United Nations acknowledged that the group has obstructed, seized, and diverted humanitarian aid intended for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Liebowitz argues that the admission exposes deeper institutional failures in the UN.
More from Hudson
Antisemitism as a National Security Threat in Canada with Casey Babb
Doran, Riboua, and Hood hosted select policymakers and scholars for the inaugural luncheon in the center’s Antisemitism as a National Security Threat series. The conversation featured Casey Babb, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and one of Canada’s foremost experts on antisemitism. It focused on the rise of antisemitism in Canada, its ideological origins, and implications for the US.
Tikvah Summer Institute: America, Israel, and Future of the Middle East
Doran taught a weeklong seminar for Jewish high school students at the Tikvah Summer Institute on the origins of the US-Israel relationship, the evolution of American foreign policy in the Middle East, and the key debates shaping the region’s future.
Events
July 28, 2026
Doran hosted a conversation with H.E. Narek Mkrtchyan, the ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the US, on the developments, challenges, and opportunities that define the US-Armenia relationship. The discussion came at a pivotal moment for the South Caucasus, as the White House’s Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity initiative reshaped US engagement in the region and peace negotiations with Azerbaijan opened new opportunities for greater stability. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent electoral victory also created new avenues for cooperation and sustained diplomatic engagement. Against this backdrop, Armenia’s strategic position has made it an increasingly important partner for the United States in the Caucasus.
May, 19, 2026
Doran hosted a farewell fireside chat with Minister Noach Hacker as he concluded his tenure as Israel’s minister of economic affairs in Washington. Minister Hacker reflected on his role as an advocate for deepening the US-Israel economic relationship, overseeing landmark cooperation in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and defense technology. The conversation traced the arc of that partnership—from its foundations in joint research and development and trade to its acceleration in the wake of October 7, 2023, and the war with Iran.
May 8, 2026
Joel Rayburn sat down with Representative Mike Lawler (NY-17), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, to discuss the emerging Middle East security order and the future of American strategy in the region. Representative Lawler brought a congressional perspective on how the US should navigate a rapidly shifting strategic landscape in the wake of the Iran conflict and ongoing normalization efforts.
Watch or listen here.
July 2, 2026
Moriyasu joined Ambassador Edil Baisalov, Kyrgyzstan’s newly appointed envoy to the US and former deputy prime minister, for a discussion on why Bishkek sought a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2027–28 term, how it campaigned for the role, and what it hoped to accomplish. The conversation explored what Kyrgyzstan’s election signaled about Central Asia’s rising global profile and what a small, landlocked nation could bring to one of the world’s most consequential forums.
Watch or listen here.
Kazakhstan Roundtable
August 5, 2026
Moriyasu convened a broad group of policymakers, scholars, and diplomats, including Magzhan Ilyassov, Kazakh ambassador to the US, to discuss Ukraine’s strikes on pipelines near the Black Sea and how Central Asian states are navigating the Russia-Ukraine War.
Israel’s Defense, Economy, and Global Strategy at Israeli Aerospace Industries
July 14, 2026
Doran participated in a discussion with Noach Hacker, minister of economic affairs at the Israeli embassy, and Adoram Riegler Kleinman of Israel’s Ministry of Defense at the IAI North America Visitors Center, marking Minister Hacker’s departure from Washington. The discussion focused on Israel’s defense posture, economic partnerships, and global strategy.
In the Media
Michael Doran on Israel Update:
Doran analyzes Israel’s economy and upcoming elections. He also provides an assessment of the war in the Gulf.
Michael Doran on Israel Update:
Doran discusses disarming Hamas, negotiations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, the “nuclear status quo,” and interviews Dr. Einat Wilf.
Michael Doran on John Anderson Media:
Doran appears on John Anderson Media and explains that China is covertly arming Iran, testing America’s resolve, weapons, and strategy ahead of an impending confrontation over Taiwan.
Ken Moriyasu on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
Whereas Central Asian countries were once hopeful about deepening ties with a post-regime Iran, Moriyasu argues that the region is now pivoting toward alternative partners—particularly Pakistan and Afghanistan. He warns that if the US fails to commit sustained energy and resources to Central Asia, these countries risk becoming more dependent on China by default.
Zineb Riboua on Fox News:
On Fox News, Riboua discusses the latest developments in the US war with Iran now that Operation Epic Fury has resumed and the IRGC is seeking to weaponize the Strait of Hormuz. She argues that Tehran is attempting to assert control over the strategic waterway to generate much-needed revenue amid economic pressure.
Michael Doran on Israel Update:
Doran argues that President Trump has a clear limit to how far he is willing to escalate hostilities with Iran before the midterms.
Zineb Riboua on Foreign Podicy:
On Foreign Podicy, Riboua explains that she has always been skeptical of attempts to forge “peace deals” with the Islamist revolutionaries in Tehran. She discusses Iran, Morocco, where she was born, France, where she went to school, Russia, China, and Latin America as well as the rising ideology of Third Worldism.
Zineb Riboua on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
Following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s state funeral, Riboua argues that Iran’s elaborate displays of unity reflect weakness rather than strength. Operation Epic Fury exposed the regime’s inability to project power. Its proxies failed to mobilize, and its attacks on Gulf Arab neighbors deepened its regional isolation. She argues that sustained US military and economic pressure—particularly targeting China’s role in enabling Iran’s oil revenues and weapons programs—is the most effective path to making the damage permanent.
