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
20
March 2025
Past Event
Syria: What鈥檚 Next?
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Can Kasapo臒lu
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
Getty Images
20
March 2025
Past Event
Syria: What鈥檚 Next?

Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Can Kasapo臒lu will discuss the evolving situation, what is next for Syria, and the future of US foreign policy in the region with Research Fellow Zineb Riboua.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Can Kasapo臒lu
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
03
March 2025
Past Event
Reshaping the Middle East: A Conversation with Amjad Taha
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Amjad Taha
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 15: (L-R) Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Foreign Affairs Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani attend the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords, at the White House on September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chen Mengtong/China News Service via Getty Images)
03
March 2025
Past Event
Reshaping the Middle East: A Conversation with Amjad Taha

Michael Doran, the director of Hudson鈥檚 Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, will join Amjad Taha, a UAE-based political strategist and analyst, to examine the evolving strategic landscape and the prospects for broader Arab-Israeli normalization amid shifting regional dynamics.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 15: (L-R) Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Foreign Affairs Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani attend the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords, at the White House on September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chen Mengtong/China News Service via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Amjad Taha
19
February 2025
Past Event
Knesset Member Amit Halevi on What Lies Ahead for Israel
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Amit Halevi
An Israeli army vehicle passes by an Israeli tractor working along the border with the Gaza Strip on January 16, 2025, in Israel. (Amir Levy via Getty Images)
19
February 2025
Past Event
Knesset Member Amit Halevi on What Lies Ahead for Israel

Michael Doran will sit down with Member of the Israeli Knesset Amit Halevi for a conversation on these issues.

An Israeli army vehicle passes by an Israeli tractor working along the border with the Gaza Strip on January 16, 2025, in Israel. (Amir Levy via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Amit Halevi
07
February 2025
Past Event
Gaza鈥檚 Future: Are Trump and Netanyahu on the Same Page?
Featured Speakers:
Gadi Taub
Michael Doran
Getty Images
07
February 2025
Past Event
Gaza鈥檚 Future: Are Trump and Netanyahu on the Same Page?

To explore these questions, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Director Michael Doran will sit down with Dr. Gadi Taub.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Gadi Taub
Michael Doran
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. on February 4, 2025. (Photo by Bryan Dozier / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. (Bryan Dozier/AFP via Getty Images)
michael_doran
michael_doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Commentary
1 Min Read
Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon holds a map during a United Nations Security Council meeting concerning the situation in the Middle East on April 26, 2018, in New York City. (Drew Angerer via Getty Images)
Caption
Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon holds a map during a United Nations Security Council meeting concerning the situation in the Middle East on April 26, 2018, in New York City. (Drew Angerer via Getty Images)
michael_doran
michael_doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Commentary
Long Read