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 91ÆÞÓÑ 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 91ÆÞÓÑ Institute. He specializes in Middle East security issues and co-hosts the 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 91ÆÞÓÑ, 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, , 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
04
December 2024
In-Person Event | 91ÆÞÓÑ Institute
The State of Israel’s War against the Resistance Axis with Brig. Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi
An Israeli tank on April 25, 2024, in Sderot, Israel. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
04
December 2024
In-Person Event | 91ÆÞÓÑ Institute
The State of Israel’s War against the Resistance Axis with Brig. Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi

Join Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Director Michael Doran for a conversation with Brigadier General (res.) Amir Avivi, on the Israeli military’s achievements, the evolving strategic landscape in the region, and the challenges that lie ahead. 

An Israeli tank on April 25, 2024, in Sderot, Israel. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi
02
December 2024
Past Event
The State of the Middle East with Representative Joe Wilson
Featured Speakers:
Representative Joe Wilson
Michael Doran
Israeli army soldiers check their gear atop an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) stationed at a position along the border with the Gaza Strip and southern Israel on July 14, 2024. (Photo by Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)
02
December 2024
Past Event
The State of the Middle East with Representative Joe Wilson

Join Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Michael Doran for a conversation with United States Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC).

Israeli army soldiers check their gear atop an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) stationed at a position along the border with the Gaza Strip and southern Israel on July 14, 2024. (Photo by Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Representative Joe Wilson
Michael Doran
01
November 2024
Past Event
What the US Election Means for the Middle East
Featured Speakers:
Gabriel Scheinmann
Michael Doran
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
The flag of the United States is projected on the wall of Jerusalem's Old City on December 6, 2017, in Jerusalem, Israel. (Lior Mizrahi via Getty Images)
01
November 2024
Past Event
What the US Election Means for the Middle East

For a discussion of these questions, join Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, Senior Fellow Michael Doran, and Executive Director of the Alexander Hamilton Society Gabriel Scheinmann.

The flag of the United States is projected on the wall of Jerusalem's Old City on December 6, 2017, in Jerusalem, Israel. (Lior Mizrahi via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Gabriel Scheinmann
Michael Doran
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
11
October 2024
Past Event
Israel’s Economy after One Year of War
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Noach Hacker
Recovered motorcycles used by members of Hamas during the October 7 attacks are seen on October 6, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel.  (Leon Neal via Getty Images)
11
October 2024
Past Event
Israel’s Economy after One Year of War

Join 91ÆÞÓÑ’s Michael Doran for a discussion with Noach Hacker, the Israeli minister of economic affairs to the United States, on Israel’s economy since October 7, the status of the US-Israel relationship, and the challenges ahead.

Recovered motorcycles used by members of Hamas during the October 7 attacks are seen on October 6, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel.  (Leon Neal via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Noach Hacker