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
16
April 2025
Past Event
The View from Riyadh
Featured Speakers:
Bernard Haykel
Michael Doran
Getty Images
16
April 2025
Past Event
The View from Riyadh

Join Senior Fellow Michael Doran, director of Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for an event with Bernard Haykel, a new Hudson senior fellow and a leading authority on Saudi Arabia’s political, societal, and religious landscape.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Bernard Haykel
Michael Doran
20
March 2025
Past Event
Syria: What’s Next?
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Can Kasapoğlu
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
Getty Images
20
March 2025
Past Event
Syria: What’s Next?

Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Can Kasapoğlu 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 Kasapoğlu
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’s 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
Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the group meeting of AK Party at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, Turkey on February 24, 2021
Caption
Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the group meeting of AK Party at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, Turkey on February 24, 2021
michael_doran
michael_doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Commentary
7 Min Read
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds up the document after participating in the signing of the Abraham Accords where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, at the White House on Sept. 15, 2020
Caption
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds up the document after participating in the signing of the Abraham Accords where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, at the White House on Sept. 15, 2020
michael_doran
michael_doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Commentary
2 Min Read
A Chinese military honor guard marches off after greeting Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith (not seen) on his arrival at Beijing airport to attend the Belt and Road Forum, on April 25, 2019 (GREG BAKER/GETTY IMAGES)
Caption
A Chinese military honor guard marches off after greeting Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith (not seen) on his arrival at Beijing airport to attend the Belt and Road Forum, on April 25, 2019 (GREG BAKER/GETTY IMAGES)
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Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Peter Rough Hudson Institute
Peter Rough Hudson Institute
Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Europe and Eurasia
Commentary
3 Min Read
Vice President of Lombardy Region Fabrizio Sala speaks during a press conference with members of a Chinese medical team at Milan Malpensa Airport on March 18, 2020 in Ferno, Italy.
Caption
Vice President of Lombardy Region Fabrizio Sala speaks during a press conference with members of a Chinese medical team at Milan Malpensa Airport on March 18, 2020 in Ferno, Italy.
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Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Reports
6 Min Read