Ike’s gamble: America’s rise to dominance in the Middle East

Despite debates about the U.S. role in the Middle East, the United States remains the region’s dominant outside power. In his new book “Ike’s Gamble: America’s Rise to Dominance in the Middle East” (Simon & Schuster, 2016), Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Michael Doran presents an unconventional account of how the United States acquired its outsized regional role, detailing how the Suez Crisis prompted President Eisenhower to dramatically restructure America’s regional alliances and fundamentally reimagine the U.S. role in the Middle East.

On October 17, Michael Doran and Brookings Executive Vice President Martin Indyk discussed this enduring realignment of American foreign policy, as well as what the 1956 Suez Crisis may teach leaders about Middle East crises today. Tamara Cofman Wittes, senior fellow and director of the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings, moderated the discussion, after which the speakers took audience questions.