• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Frederic Wehrey"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security",
    "Military",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

The Chuck Hagel Nomination

The nomination of Chuck Hagel for U.S. defense secretary comes at a time when promoting America’s strategic interests will frequently compete with the pressures induced by the current era of austerity.

Link Copied
By Frederic Wehrey
Published on Jan 14, 2013
Program mobile hero image

Program

Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

Learn More

Source: KSA2

The nomination of Chuck Hagel for U.S. defense secretary comes at a time when promoting America’s strategic interests will frequently compete with the pressures induced by the current era of austerity. Speaking with KSA2, Carnegie's Frederic Wehrey noted that, if confirmed, Hagel would be operating under a new orientation towards military strategy that is largely reticent to commit troops to military interventions. “This is a man whose approach is guided by pragmatism and his experiences with the Vietnam war,” said Wehrey. Hagel will also have to address the challenge of how to project power in the Persian Gulf with less resources and less of a footprint. Ultimately, whether it is in regards to the U.S.-Israel relationship, the Iranian nuclear program, or projecting American power, the Hagel nomination represents the Obama administration’s commitment to a realist and pragmatic foreign policy, Wehrey concluded. 

About the Author

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.

    Recent Work

  • Article
    Parallel Climate Reckonings: Colonial Water Legacies and Indigenous Adaptation, from Morocco to the American West

      Frederic Wehrey, Charles H. Johnson

  • Commentary
    The Iran War Is a Stress Test for Gulf States

      Frederic Wehrey, Charles H. Johnson

Frederic Wehrey
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Frederic Wehrey
SecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited 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.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Trump walking toward Xi, both with arms extended to shake hands
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The U.S. and China Need an AI Hotline. Here’s How to Build It.

    It should address the shortcomings of previous crisis communication efforts and adapt to the demands of frontier AI.

      • Lucy Luo

      Lucy Luo

  • Soldiers standing behind barbed wire
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The UN Isn’t Declining. It’s Decomposing.

    Washington’s decision to support some UN functions while letting others wither is pulling the organization apart at the seams.

      Stewart Patrick, Theodore Zaritsky

  • 2026 Carnegie California AI Survey
    Paper
    2026 Carnegie California AI Survey

    While there are notable demographic, economic, and geographic divides over AI, there is also substantial alignment between Republicans and Democrats.

      • Rachel George
      • +2

      Ian Klaus, Mark Baldassare, Rachel George, …

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Does the EU Have a Germany Problem?

    Are Germany’s economic, industrial, and political struggles becoming a liability for the EU’s ability to rise to the geopolitical moment?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Research
    China’s Construction of Police Training Facilities in Global South Likely to Expand Global Security Leadership

    China’s police training infrastructure construction projects provide benefits to recipient countries, promote China’s image as a major global security provider, and are likely to reinforce alignment between Beijing’s security priorities and those of countries in the Global South.

      • Sheena Chestnut Greitens
      • +2

      Cameron Waltz, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Kim Nguyen, …

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.