event

Perspectives on Regional Security in the Middle East

Thu. June 12th, 20253:30 PM - 5:30 PM (EDT)
In Person and Live Online

The Middle East is in turmoil. In the past several years, the ongoing war in Gaza, the restructuring of governments in Lebanon and Syria, and the Houthis’ activities in Yemen have exacerbated regional instability and highlighted the lack of security coordination by both regional and external actors. However, there have also been significant moments of collaboration as well, such as the Palestine Summit and Egypt’s subsequent reconstruction plan for Gaza.  

In this two-part event, Congressman Joe Wilson will offer his perspective on the role of the United States in regional security in the Middle East, including challenges of and opportunities for preserving its economic and security interests in the region and what the United States ought to be doing to promote general stability. 

The policymaker conversation will be followed by a panel discussion of Middle East scholars who will debate both America’s role, and the roles of regional state and non-state actors within the region. Moderated by Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow in the Carnegie Middle East Program, program director Amr Hamzawy, senior fellows Frederic Wehrey and Karim Sadjadpour, and Mona Yacoubian, senior advisor and director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, will also consider questions such as how to pursue a path to stability amongst the actors in the region and the potential for a regional collective security organization.  

A reception will follow the event.

SecurityForeign PolicyUnited StatesMiddle East
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Joe Wilson

United States Representative for the 2nd District of South Carolina

Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) serves as a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he is a member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee as well as the Subcommittee on Europe. He is also the most senior member of the House Armed Services Committee where he is on the Subcommittees on Readiness and also Strategic Forces. Additionally, he serves on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions and Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development. Joe is the Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, also known as the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He has been appointed to the highly influential Republican Policy Committee, where he serves as the Chairman of the National Security Taskforce. Joe formerly chaired  the Republican Study Committee's National Security and Foreign Affairs Task Force for the 116th through 118th Congresses.

Amr Hamzawy

Director, Middle East Program

Amr Hamzawy is a senior fellow and the director of the Carnegie Middle East Program. His research and writings focus on governance in the Middle East and North Africa, social vulnerability, and the different roles of governments and civil societies in the region.

Sarah Yerkes

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Sarah Yerkes is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where her research focuses on Tunisia’s political, economic, and security developments as well as state-society relations in the Middle East and North Africa.

Frederic Wehrey

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Frederic Wehrey is a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where his research focuses on governance, conflict, and security in Libya, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf.

Mona Yacoubian

Senior Advisor and Middle East Program Director, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Mona Yacoubian currently serves as Senior Advisor and Director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Prior to joining CSIS, Ms. Yacoubian was vice president for the Middle East and North Africa at the U.S. Institute of Peace as well as serving in positions for the U.S. government including Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Middle East bureau of USAID. 

Karim Sadjadpour

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.