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.

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 cohosts Israel Update.

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 JournalThe Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Events
27
March 2026
Past Event
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Congressman Michael Baumgartner
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27
March 2026
Past Event
Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and US Strategy

Congressman Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) will join Michael Doran, Director of Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a timely discussion about the evolving situation in Iran.

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Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Congressman Michael Baumgartner
25
March 2026
Past Event
Postponed | Updating US Trade Policy: A Discussion on the Strategic and Economic Importance of Central Asia with Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Congressman Jimmy Panetta
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25
March 2026
Past Event
Postponed | Updating US Trade Policy: A Discussion on the Strategic and Economic Importance of Central Asia with Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)

Please join Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Senior Fellow Michael Doran for a discussion on the region’s significance and why updating US trade policy is key to unlocking its potential in an era of renewed great power competition.

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Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Congressman Jimmy Panetta
24
March 2026
Past Event
Operation Epic Fury: Strategy, State of Play, and Theories of Victory
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
David Albright
Can Kasapoğlu
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Ray Takeyh
Nadav Samin
Ilan Berman
Zineb Riboua
H.E. Yechiel Leiter
Joel Scanlon
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Getty Images
24
March 2026
Past Event
Operation Epic Fury: Strategy, State of Play, and Theories of Victory

This conference convenes leading experts and policymakers to examine why the conflict began, assess the current state of play, and explore competing theories of victory.

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Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
David Albright
Can Kasapoğlu
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Ray Takeyh
Nadav Samin
Ilan Berman
Zineb Riboua
H.E. Yechiel Leiter
Joel Scanlon
Mariam Memarsadeghi
20
March 2026
Past Event
Europe and the Iran War: A Conversation with Tomáš Pojar
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Tomáš Pojar
Getty Images
20
March 2026
Past Event
Europe and the Iran War: A Conversation with Tomáš Pojar

To explore this question, Tomas Pojar joins Dr. Michael Doran for a timely conversation on Europe’s strategic posture, alliance cohesion, and the future of Western coordination in the region.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Tomáš Pojar
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
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