The Middle East and the new US administration
Past Event
During the week of February 22, the Center for Middle East Policy (CMEP) at Brookings will host an international conference — bringing together leaders and experts from the region, the United States, and elsewhere in the world — to discuss the top priorities for the United States and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa. The conference, titled “The Middle East and the new U.S. administration,” marks the successful first year of CMEP’s “Sources of Middle East instability” project. This signature effort brings to bear the center’s expertise in regional geopolitics, deep understanding of key countries, and insight into U.S. foreign policymaking to reassess assumptions about the region and to offer a sound knowledge basis for future policy.
The four-day virtual conference will feature discussions with heads of state, policymakers, and experts from the United States and the world.
Register for the upcoming sessions » | For video recordings of completed sessions, see our YouTube page.
Viewers can submit questions by emailing events@brookings.edu or by joining the conversation on Twitter with #USMiddleEast.
Participants include:
- His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
- H.E. Barham Salih, President of the Republic of Iraq
- H.E. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kingdom of Morocco
- H.E. Sabri Boukadoum, Minister of Foreign Affairs, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
- H.E. Anwar Gargash, Former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, United Arab Emirates
- Rep. Gregory Meeks, Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee, United States Congress
- H.E. Ambassador Karen Pierce DCMG, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the United States
- H.E. Ambassador Emily Haber, German Ambassador to the United States
- H.E. Ambassador Armando Varricchio, Ambassador of Italy to the United States
- H.E. Ambassador Dina Kawar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States of America
- H.E. Salam Fayyad, Former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and Brookings Distinguished Fellow
- MK Yair Lapid, Leader of the Opposition, State of Israel, and Chair, Yesh Atid party
- Gideon Sa’ar, Former cabinet minister and Chair, New Hope party
- Will Hurd, Former United States Representative for Texas’s 23rd District
- Mark Esper, Former United States Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense
- Meghan O’Sullivan, Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan
- Ebtesam Al Ketbi, President, Emirates Policy Center
- Amos Yadlin, Executive Director, Institute for National Security Studies
- Ellie Geranmayeh, Deputy Director and Senior Policy Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, European Council on Foreign Relations
- Nadim Farajalla, Director, Climate Change and Environment Program, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut
- Nada Majdalani, Palestinian Director, EcoPeace Middle East
- Jomana Qaddour, Nonresident Senior Fellow and Head of Syria Portfolio, Atlantic Council
Agenda
Monday, February 22
Welcome remarks
John R. Allen
President, The Brookings Institution
Natan Sachs
Director - Center for Middle East Policy
Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy
Panel: Priorities for U.S. Middle East policy
Meghan L. O’Sullivan
Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs
Director of the Geopolitics of Energy Project - Harvard Kennedy School
From this Session
Conversation with MK Yair Lapid
Natan Sachs
Director - Center for Middle East Policy
Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy
From this Session
Conversation with GIdeon Sa'ar
Natan Sachs
Director - Center for Middle East Policy
Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy
From this Session
Panel: Water scarcity and policy in the Middle East and North Africa
Nadim Farajalla
Director, Climate Change and the Environment Program, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs - American University of Beirut
Samantha Gross
Director - Energy Security and Climate Initiative
Fellow - Foreign Policy, Energy Security and Climate Initiative
From this Session
Conversation with H.E. Salam Fayyad
Salam Fayyad
Distinguished Fellow - Foreign Policy
From this Session
Wednesday, February 24
Conversation with H.E. Barham Salih
From this Session
Conversation with Congressman Gregory Meeks
Natan Sachs
Director - Center for Middle East Policy
Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy
From this Session
Introduction: Conversation with H.E. Nasser Bourita
From this Session
Conversation with H.E. Nasser Bourita
H.E. Nasser Bourita
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - Kingdom of Morocco
Jeffrey Feltman
John C. Whitehead Visiting Fellow in International Diplomacy - Foreign Policy, Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Panel: European priorities in the Middle East
H.E. Armando Varricchio
Ambassador of Italy to the United States
Thomas Wright
Director - Center on the United States and Europe
Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Project on International Order and Strategy
From this Session
Thursday, February 25
Introduction: Address by His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein
John R. Allen
President, The Brookings Institution
From this Session
Address: His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein
Conversation with H.E. Dina Kawar
H.E. Dina Kawar
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States of America
Bruce Riedel
Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy, Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Director - The Intelligence Project
From this Session
Conversation with Dr. Anwar Gargash
From this Session
Introduction: Conversation with H.E. Sabri Boukadoum
From this Session
Conversation with H.E. Sabri Boukadoum
H.E. Sabri Boukadoum
Minister of Foreign Affairs - People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
Jeffrey Feltman
John C. Whitehead Visiting Fellow in International Diplomacy - Foreign Policy, Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Panel: The Biden administration and Iran
Amos Yadlin
Executive Director - Institute for National Security Studies
Former Head, Military Intelligence Directorate - Israeli Defense Forces
Ellie Geranmayeh
Deputy Director and Senior Policy Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme - European Council on Foreign Relations
Natan Sachs
Director - Center for Middle East Policy
Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy
From this Session
Friday, February 26
Conversation with Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper
Michael E. O’Hanlon
Director of Research - Foreign Policy
Co-Director - Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Africa Security Initiative
Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
The Sydney Stein, Jr. Chair
From this Session
Panel: Dealing with conflicts and their aftermath
Gregory D. Johnsen
Nonresident Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy
Jomana Qaddour
Nonresident Senior Fellow and Head of Syria Portfolio - Atlantic Council
From this Session
Conclusion and lessons learned: MENA and the new U.S. administration
Shibley Telhami
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy
Bruce Riedel
Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy, Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Director - The Intelligence Project
Natan Sachs
Director - Center for Middle East Policy
Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy
From this Session
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