event

Re-balancing U.S. Security Engagement with Arab States

Wed. May 26th, 2021
Live Online

The Biden administration’s desire to reduce the U.S. presence in the Middle East is just the latest attempt by an American president to pull out of the region, and yet the legacy of U.S. entrenchment in the Middle East continues to draw it in. To what extent has the heavily militarized nature of U.S. engagement with Arab states met its goals for regional peace and self-reliance? Can the United States draw down its military presence, reduce security assistance, and be more selective about arms sales without sacrificing critical interests and American jobs? What would less securitized U.S. policies mean for competition with China and Russia in the region?

Carnegie’s Middle East Program invites you to a public discussion marking the release of a new edited compilation, “From Hardware to Holism: Re-balancing America’s Security Engagement with Arab States,” which offers fresh proposals for a new U.S. strategy in the region. Senator Chris Murphy will offer keynote remarks, followed by a panel discussion with compilation authors and comments from former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Schenker.

Foreign Policy
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.
event speakers

Chris Murphy

Chris Murphy is a United States senator for Connecticut. As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, he has been an outspoken proponent of diplomacy, international human rights and the need for clear-eyed American leadership abroad. Murphy currently serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism.

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.

Michele Dunne

Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program

Michele Dunne was a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where her research focuses on political and economic change in Arab countries, particularly Egypt, as well as U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Kim Ghattas

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Kim Ghattas was a nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

David Schenker

David Schenker is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Previously, he served as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. His research focuses on the military and political affairs of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories.

Jalel Harchaoui

Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Jalel Harchaoui is a political scientist specialising in North Africa, with a specific focus on Libya. He worked on the same topics previously at The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, a Geneva-based NGO, as well as at the Clingendael Institute, based in The Hague. His research has concentrated on Libya’s security landscape and political economy.