The Middle East and the new US administration

During the week of February 22, the Center for Middle East Policy (CMEP) at Brookings will host an international conference — bringing together leaders and experts from the region, the United States, and elsewhere in the world — to discuss the top priorities for the United States and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa. The conference, titled “The Middle East and the new U.S. administration,” marks the successful first year of CMEP’s “Sources of Middle East instability” project. This signature effort brings to bear the center’s expertise in regional geopolitics, deep understanding of key countries, and insight into U.S. foreign policymaking to reassess assumptions about the region and to offer a sound knowledge basis for future policy.

The four-day virtual conference will feature discussions with heads of state, policymakers, and experts from the United States and the world.

Viewers can submit questions by emailing events@brookings.edu or by joining the conversation on Twitter with #USMiddleEast.

Participants include:

His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
H.E. Barham Salih, President of the Republic of Iraq
H.E. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kingdom of Morocco
H.E. Sabri Boukadoum, Minister of Foreign Affairs, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
H.E. Anwar Gargash, Former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, United Arab Emirates
Rep. Gregory Meeks, Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee, United States Congress
H.E. Ambassador Karen Pierce DCMG, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the United States
H.E. Ambassador Emily Haber, German Ambassador to the United States
H.E. Ambassador Armando Varricchio, Ambassador of Italy to the United States
H.E. Ambassador Dina Kawar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States of America
H.E. Salam Fayyad, Former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and Brookings Distinguished Fellow
MK Yair Lapid, Leader of the Opposition, State of Israel, and Chair, Yesh Atid party
Gideon Sa’ar, Former cabinet minister and Chair, New Hope party
Will Hurd, Former United States Representative for Texas’s 23^rd District
Mark Esper, Former United States Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense
Meghan O’Sullivan, Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan
Ebtesam Al Ketbi, President, Emirates Policy Center
Amos Yadlin, Executive Director, Institute for National Security Studies
Ellie Geranmayeh, Deputy Director and Senior Policy Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, European Council on Foreign Relations
Nadim Farajalla, Director, Climate Change and Environment Program, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut
Nada Majdalani, Palestinian Director, EcoPeace Middle East
Jomana Qaddour, Nonresident Senior Fellow and Head of Syria Portfolio, Atlantic Council