Widening airstrikes, reported efforts to mobilize Kurdish forces, and questions surrounding the next leader of Iran illustrate the growing complexities and unpredictability of the intensifying war in the Middle East. As the US-Israeli air campaign’s tempo increases and Iranian retaliatory attacks sow further turmoil across the region, key questions remain about escalation, deterrence, and what comes next.
Join the Middle East Institute for a conversation on the war’s next phase and what it means for regional security and US strategy. MEI Senior Fellows Colby Connelly and Alex Vatanka will discuss regional perspectives, energy market impacts, and Iran’s strategic calculations. Lieutenant General Sam Mundy, USMC (Ret.) will discuss what the conflict could mean for American forces and allies across the region. MEI Vice President for Policy Ken Pollack will moderate the discussion.
Speakers
Colby Connelly is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, focusing on oil and gas markets, liquified natural gas (LNG), aboveground risk, corporate strategy, and the impact of the energy transition on oil- and gas-producing states. He is also the head of Middle East content and senior analyst at Energy Intelligence, where he works with the firm’s research and advisory practices.
Alex Vatanka is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, specializing in Middle Eastern regional security with a particular focus on Iran. Born in Tehran, he is the author of The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran: The United States, Foreign Policy and Political Rivalry Since 1979 (2021) and Iran and Pakistan: Security, Diplomacy, and American Influence (2015). He is currently working on his third book, Grand Contest: The Rivalry of Iran, America, and Israel in the Arab World.
Lieutenant General Sam Mundy, USMC (Ret.) is a Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute. He retired after 38 years in the Marine Corps and currently serves as President of Once a Marine LLC. Before retiring LTG Mundy served as the Commander, Marine Corps Forces Central Command (MARCENT), responsible for the employment of Marines in the Middle East. Concurrently, from 2019-20, he established the US Central Command (Forward) Headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and served as its first Director after the attacks on ARAMCO facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais.
Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack (Moderator) is Vice President for Policy at the Middle East Institute. Dr. Pollack began his career as a Persian Gulf military analyst at the CIA and served twice on the National Security Council, first as Director for Near East and South Asian affairs and then as Director for Persian Gulf affairs.
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