Senator Chris Murphy: Debrief on His Recent Travel to the Gulf

This event is at capacity. A livestream can be found below.  Thank you for your interest.

Earlier this month, Senator Chris Murphy traveled to Qatar and Saudi Arabia to assess the Iran war’s regional impact, becoming the first Democratic senator to visit the Gulf since the conflict began. During the trip, he met with regional leaders, including Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Please join the Middle East Institute for an in-person conversation with Senator Murphy on his takeaways from his trip, the perspectives of US regional partners, and what role Congress may play in foreign policy after the midterm elections. This event will be moderated by Missy Ryan of The Atlantic, with opening remarks by the President of the Middle East Institute, Ambassador (ret.) Stuart E. Jones.

Speaker Biographies

Senator Chris Murphy has represented Connecticut in the United States Senate since 2013, following three terms in the US House of Representatives. He serves on the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and is Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation. His legislative priorities include job creation, health care, education, and gun violence prevention. On the Foreign Relations Committee, he has been an outspoken proponent of diplomacy, international human rights, and clear-eyed American leadership abroad.

Missy Ryan (Moderator) is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She has covered the Defense Department and the State Department, worked as a foreign correspondent in Latin America and the Middle East, and reported from dozens of countries.

Ambassador (ret.) Stuart Jones (Opening Remarks) joined MEI as its 18th president in January 2025. Prior to MEI, he served for three decades as a US Foreign Service Officer in the Department of State. His tours included US Ambassador to Iraq (2014-17), during the height of the ISIS crisis, and US Ambassador to Jordan (2011-14). Other foreign tours included Turkey, Egypt, El Salvador, and Colombia. He retired as the Senior Bureau Officer (SBO) for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, in 2017.