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
12
December 2025
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Antisemitism as a National Security Threat
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Michael Sobolik
Sebastian Gorka
Walter Russell Mead
John P. Walters
Park MacDougald
Scott Jennings
Congressman Brian Mast
Judd Rosenblatt
Derek Harvey
Matt Spalding
Cole Bunzel
Amb. Deborah Lipstadt
Moderators:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Liel Leibovitz
Aaron MacLean
Getty Images
12
December 2025
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Antisemitism as a National Security Threat

Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East will convene policymakers, experts, and private sector leaders to examine how antisemitism, both foreign and domestic, threatens American security and Western civilization.

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Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Michael Sobolik
Sebastian Gorka
Walter Russell Mead
John P. Walters
Park MacDougald
Scott Jennings
Congressman Brian Mast
Judd Rosenblatt
Derek Harvey
Matt Spalding
Cole Bunzel
Amb. Deborah Lipstadt
Moderators:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Liel Leibovitz
Aaron MacLean
01
December 2025
Past Event
Ambassador Youssef Amrani on the US-Morocco Relationship
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Youssef Amrani
Michael Doran
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01
December 2025
Past Event
Ambassador Youssef Amrani on the US-Morocco Relationship

Hudson’s Michael Doran will host Youssef Amrani, Morocco’s ambassador to the United States, to discuss Morocco’s emerging Atlantic strategy, its role as a stabilizing force in Africa, and the geopolitical opportunities reshaping the US-Morocco partnership. 

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Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Youssef Amrani
Michael Doran
26
November 2025
Past Event
America and Saudi Arabia at a Strategic Crossroads: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s US Visit
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Bernard Haykel
Getty Images
26
November 2025
Past Event
America and Saudi Arabia at a Strategic Crossroads: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s US Visit

Hudson Institute’s Michael Doran and Bernard Haykel will discuss Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recent visit to the United States and its implications for the future of the US-Saudi partnership. 

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Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Bernard Haykel
20
November 2025
Past Event
Israel and the Global Strategic Environment: A Conversation with Caroline Glick
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Caroline Glick
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20
November 2025
Past Event
Israel and the Global Strategic Environment: A Conversation with Caroline Glick

Hudson Institute’s Michael Doran will have a discussion with Caroline Glick about Israel’s position in global affairs, regional developments, and the international challenges shaping the country’s strategic environment.

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Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Caroline Glick
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)
michael_doran
michael_doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
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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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Reports
6 Min Read
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks to supporters following the announcement of exit polls in Israel's election at his Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Caption
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks to supporters following the announcement of exit polls in Israel's election at his Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv.
michael_doran
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Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Commentary
5 Min Read