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Welcome to the 2025-2026 Foreign Policy Forum season! To kick off the season, CCWA is honored to host Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, to discuss the critically important, yet often complicated, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

Mr. Katulis will draw upon decades of experience living and working in the Middle East to analyze current and past administrations’ policies in the Middle East. The United States under President Trump has outlined a number of foreign policy priorities for the Middle East, including deterrence of Iran, countering terrorist networks, and strengthening economic and technological cooperation with partners in the region. With the Israel-Gaza conflict nearing the two-year mark, Syria working to rebuild, and Iran continuing its nuclear program, the region remains as tumultuous as ever. Does this administration have the capability to affect positive change? What does this administration’s version of peace look like?

Brian Katulis is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, specializing in U.S. foreign policy and national security. He hosts the MEI podcast series Taking the Edge Off the Middle East and authors the column “Making Sense: A Weekly Take on U.S. Foreign Policy.” As a foreign policy strategist and senior fellow, Mr. Katulis has produced influential studies that have shaped key regional policy debates and provided expert testimony to congressional committees on his findings. Prior to MEI, he was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he built the center’s Middle East program. His career also includes significant experience at the National Security Council, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Defense.