October 30, 2017

Middle East Security Forum 2017

By: Michèle Flournoy, Elizabeth Rosenberg, Ilan Goldenberg and Nicholas Heras

In a region long known for its complexity, the Middle East landscape seems to grow more complicated by the week. To help unpack the latest developments—about Iran’s nuclear program, ISIS, the prospects of  a sustainable two-state solution, or Israel’s relations with the wider Arab world— the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) co-hosted a full-day forum in New York City, in partnership with The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center, the Israel Policy Forum (IPF) and Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS).

The event featured an array of viewpoints from leading analysts and former government officials, including CNAS Co-Founder and CEO Michèle Flournoy, CNAS Middle East Security Program Director Ilan Goldenberg, CNAS Energy, Economics, and Security Program Director Elizabeth Rosenberg and CNAS Middle East Security Program Fellow Nicholas Heras.

Shared Security Challenges and Opportunities

Moderator: David Halperin, Executive Director, Israel Policy Forum

Panelists: Efraim Halevy, former Director, Mossad

Hon. Michèle Flournoy, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, US Defense Department; Co-Founder and CEO, CNAS

HRH Prince Turki al-Faisal, former Saudi Chief of Intelligence; former Saudi Ambassador to the US and UK

Syria, ISIS, and Regional Instability

Moderator: Ilan Goldenberg, Director, Middle East Security Program, CNAS; former chief of staff to the Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations

Panelists: Nicholas Heras, Fellow, Middle East Security Program, CNAS

Kimberly Kagan, Founder and President, Institute for the Study of War

Brig. Gen. (Res.) Udi Dekel, Managing Director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS); former Head, IDF Strategic Planning Division; Member, CIS

Iran's Regional Posture and Nuclear Pursuit

Moderator: Elizabeth Rosenberg, Senior Fellow and Director, Energy, Economics, and Security Program, CNAS

Panelists: Colin Kahl, former National Security Advisor to Vice President Biden

Frederick Kagan, Resident Scholar and Director, Critical Threats Project, American Enterprise Institute

Ilan Goldenberg, Director, Middle East Security Program, CNAS; former chief of staff to the Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations

Ariel (Eli) Levite, former Principal Deputy Director General for Policy, Israel Atomic Energy Commission; Nonresident Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace


More videos from the Middle East Security Forum can be found here.

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