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 Hudson Institute. 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 Hudson Institute. He specializes in Middle East security issues and co-hosts the Counterbalance 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, Ike's Gamble, 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
28
July 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
Strategic Realignments: The Middle East After the Israel-Iran Conflict
Featured Speakers:
Dan Diker
David Wurmser
Michael Doran
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
Getty Images
28
July 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
Strategic Realignments: The Middle East After the Israel-Iran Conflict

Experts will examine how Israel’s decision to act independently has impacted its relationship with the United States, what the war’s outcome signals for Iran’s regional ambitions, and how key players like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Syria are recalibrating in its aftermath.

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Featured Speakers:
Dan Diker
David Wurmser
Michael Doran
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
25
July 2025
Past Event
After the 12-Day War: Reassessing Military Power in the Middle East
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Bryan Clark
Can Kasapoğlu
Getty Images
25
July 2025
Past Event
After the 12-Day War: Reassessing Military Power in the Middle East

Senior Fellows Michael Doran, Bryan Clark, and Can Kasapoğlu will explore the implications of this shift for the United States, Israel, and their partners and discuss how Iran might respond.

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Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Bryan Clark
Can Kasapoğlu
23
July 2025
Past Event
Postponed | Designating the Polisario Front: A Conversation with Rep. Joe Wilson
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Congressman Joe Wilson
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) speaks during a news conference hosted by members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus at the Capitol on February 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
23
July 2025
Past Event
Postponed | Designating the Polisario Front: A Conversation with Rep. Joe Wilson

Michael Doran, director of Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, will host Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) for a discussion on the strategic benefits of designating the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) speaks during a news conference hosted by members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus at the Capitol on February 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Congressman Joe Wilson
09
July 2025
Past Event
Israel’s Economic Resilience after October 7: Navigating War and Strategic Pressures
Featured Speakers:
Noach Hacker
Michael Doran
Getty Images
09
July 2025
Past Event
Israel’s Economic Resilience after October 7: Navigating War and Strategic Pressures

Noach Hacker, Israel’s minister of economic affairs, will join Hudson’s 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
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hands over a letter to US President Donald Trump as they meets at the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 7, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty Images)
Caption
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hands over a letter to US President Donald Trump as they meets at the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 7, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty Images)
michael_doran
michael_doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
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