21
November 2016
Past Event
The American Moment in the Middle East--from Eisenhower to Trump

The American Moment in the Middle East--from Eisenhower to Trump

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
November 21, 2016
'Fox Camp': Logistic base for US Marines in Kuwait, March 13, 2003. (Gilles BASSIGNAC/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Caption
'Fox Camp': Logistic base for US Marines in Kuwait, March 13, 2003. (Gilles BASSIGNAC/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
21
November 2016
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Lee Smith

Former Senior Fellow

michael_doran
Michael Doran

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

walter_russell_mead
Walter Russell Mead

Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship

Ray Takeyh

Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

With the election of a new president and significant foreign policy decisions on the line, one of the best ways to understand the stakes involved is to revisit the past. With the Middle East, there is no better place to start than with Dwight Eisenhower, the incisive leader who helped win World War II and formulated America’s Cold War policy. But according to Hudson Senior Fellow Michael Doran in his critically acclaimed new book, Ike’s Gamble, Eisenhower stumbled repeatedly in the Middle East before he got it right.

Eisenhower, in Doran’s account, initially made the same kinds of mistakes that President Barack Obama has made. Both believed America had tilted too closely to Israel and sought to readjust the balance—Obama by realigning with Iran, and Eisenhower by allying with Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. The difference, argues Doran, is that Eisenhower came to realize he was wrong to turn against America’s traditional Middle East allies and he eventually restored the status quo. Obama, however, leaves the White House with America's position in the Middle East still unsettled. Will Donald Trump be able to repair Middle Eastern relations, or will he indulge isolationist tendencies and further cede America's status in the region? Given the extent of Eisenhower's engagement in the region, what other lessons can the next administration draw from his experience?

On November 21, panelists Michael Doran, Hudson Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead, and Council on Foreign Relations Fellow Ray Takeyh discussed Eisenhower's strategy and the incoming administration's policy options in the Middle East. This lunchtime panel was moderated by Hudson Senior Fellow Lee Smith.

Related Events
23
June 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
An Afrikaner Perspective on US–South Africa Relations
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Corné Mulder
Dr. Theo de Jager
Mr. Gerhard Papenfus
Moderator:
Joshua Meservey
Getty Images
23
June 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
An Afrikaner Perspective on US–South Africa Relations

Three leaders of prominent South African organizations with strong Afrikaner memberships sit down with Hudson's Josh Meservey discuss the key issues roiling ties between Washington and Pretoria.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Corné Mulder
Dr. Theo de Jager
Mr. Gerhard Papenfus
Moderator:
Joshua Meservey
24
June 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
NATO Public Forum 2025
Getty Images
24
June 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
NATO Public Forum 2025

As an institutional partner to the 2025 NATO Public Forum, Hudson Institute supports this key platform for dialogue alongside the NATO summit in The Hague.

Getty Images
24
June 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Need for Speed: Transforming Defense Procurement for a Dangerous World
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Mike Rogers
Congressman Adam Smith
Dan Patt
Bryan Clark
DVIDS
24
June 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Need for Speed: Transforming Defense Procurement for a Dangerous World

Join Hudson Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Dan Patt for a discussion with Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith about the SPEED Act and why fixing defense acquisition and reviving the defense industrial base are essential to meeting America’s national security challenges.

DVIDS
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Mike Rogers
Congressman Adam Smith
Dan Patt
Bryan Clark
24
June 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Investing in Africa
Featured Speakers:
Matthew Davis
Eliot Pence
Kurt Scherer
Moderator:
Joshua Meservey
Getty Images
24
June 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Investing in Africa

Hudson’s Joshua Meservey will host a panel of investors with decades of collective experience in Africa. 

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Matthew Davis
Eliot Pence
Kurt Scherer
Moderator:
Joshua Meservey