Michael Doran

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

michael_doran

At A Glance:

Michael Doran is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at 华体会. He specializes in Middle East security issues.

Researcher
Zineb Riboua
Research Fellow and Program Manager, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

Biography

Michael Doran is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at 华体会. He specializes in Middle East security issues and co-hosts the podcast.

In the administration of President George W. Bush, Doran served in the White House as a senior director in the National Security Council, where he was responsible for helping to devise and coordinate United States strategies on a variety of Middle East issues, including Arab-Israeli relations and US efforts to contain Iran and Syria. He also served in the Bush administration as a senior advisor in the State Department and a deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Pentagon.

Born in Kokomo, Indiana, Doran went to elementary school in Carmel, outside of Indianapolis, before his family moved to Fullerton, California, where he graduated from Sunny Hills High School. He received a BA from Stanford University and an MA and PhD in Near Eastern studies from Princeton University.

Before coming to Hudson, Doran was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has also held teaching positions at New York University, Princeton University, and the University of Central Florida. His latest book, , was published by Free Press in 2016. He appears frequently on television, and has published extensively in Foreign Affairs, the American Interest, Commentary, Mosaic, the Wall Street Journal,  the Washington Post, and the New York Times.

Events
09
July 2025
Virtual Event | Invite Only
Israel鈥檚 Economic Resilience after October 7: Navigating War and Strategic Pressures
Featured Speakers:
Noach Hacker
Michael Doran
Getty Images
09
July 2025
Virtual Event | Invite Only
Israel鈥檚 Economic Resilience after October 7: Navigating War and Strategic Pressures

Noach Hacker, Israel鈥檚 minister of economic affairs, will join Hudson鈥檚 Michael Doran for a discussion on how Israel has fortified its economic foundations for moments of extreme crisis. 

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Noach Hacker
Michael Doran
09
June 2025
Past Event
Antisemitism: A Rising National Security Threat
Featured Speakers:
Asaf Romirowsky
Michael Doran
Liel Leibovitz
Zineb Riboua
Getty Images
09
June 2025
Past Event
Antisemitism: A Rising National Security Threat

华体会鈥檚 Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East will hold a discussion to examine the current threat landscape and consider what steps Washington can take to protect America鈥檚 global security interests and ensure the safety of US citizens at home.

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Featured Speakers:
Asaf Romirowsky
Michael Doran
Liel Leibovitz
Zineb Riboua
04
June 2025
Past Event
The Future of US Foreign Policy in the Middle East with Senator James Risch
Featured Speakers:
Senator James Risch
Michael Doran
John P. Walters
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04
June 2025
Past Event
The Future of US Foreign Policy in the Middle East with Senator James Risch

Michael Doran, director of Hudson鈥檚 Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, will join Senator James Risch (R-ID), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to examine opportunities, risks, and questions for the future of American foreign policy in the Middle East.

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Featured Speakers:
Senator James Risch
Michael Doran
John P. Walters
23
May 2025
Past Event
Trump and the Gulf
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Bernard Haykel
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
Saudi and United States flags fly as Air Force One arrives at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13, 2025. (Getty Images)
23
May 2025
Past Event
Trump and the Gulf
Saudi and United States flags fly as Air Force One arrives at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13, 2025. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Bernard Haykel
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua