The Middle East Institute invites you to an in-person panel marking the release of its new report, The Middle East Beyond the Iran War. As the region confronts the consequences of the conflict, critical questions remain about how the war is reshaping regional power dynamics, recalibrating strategic calculations, and creating new risks and opportunities. The report looks beyond the dominant narratives to examine under-explored dimensions of the war, emerging challenges, and the longer-term implications for the Middle East and the wider world. Its central premise is clear: the war’s consequences will extend far beyond the battlefield, shaping the region’s security and political landscape for years to come.
The discussion will feature three of the report’s authors, MEI Senior Fellows Gönül Tol, Ross Harrison, and Jason Campbell and will be moderated by The Hill reporter, Laura Kelly. Drawing on their respective essays, the panelists will explore Turkey’s nuclear ambitions in the wake of the war, the strategic lessons Iran has drawn from the conflict, and how the United States should adapt its defense posture to a transformed regional security environment. They will also examine other pressing questions emerging from the conflict and what they signal for the Middle East’s next phase.
This event will take place in-person at the Middle East Institute (1763 N St NW, Washington, DC, 20036).
Speakers
Dr. Gönül Tol is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, where she focuses on Turkish politics, US-Turkey relations, and regional dynamics in the Middle East. She is the author of Erdogan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle at Home and in Syria (Oxford University Press, 2023). Read her essay: “Turkey: Ankara’s Nuclear Ambitions in the Post-Iran War Environment.”
Ross Harrison is a senior fellow and book series editor at the Middle East Institute (MEI). He is also a faculty member in the Political Science Department at the University of Pittsburgh, where he teaches courses on Middle East politics and US foreign policy in the Middle East. He has published extensively on the region, including his most recent book, Decoding Iran’s Foreign Policy: Strategic Interests, Power and Influence (Bloomsbury 2025). Read his Essay: “Iran’s Strategic Thinking: Lessons Learned and What Comes Next.”
Dr. Jason H. Campbell is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, where he focuses on international security, geopolitics, and foreign policy. Prior to joining MEI, he was a Senior Policy Researcher at RAND, covering an array of defense and national security issues. From June 2016 through September 2018, he served as Country Director for Afghanistan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy. Read his essay: “US Regional Defense Policy: Strategic Prioritization and the Promotion of Collective Defense.”
Laura Kelly (Moderator) is a foreign policy reporter for The Hill, covering how politics on Capitol Hill collides with the goals of the president and the State Department in America’s engagement abroad. While based in Washington D.C., she has reported from around the world and in conflict zones, including in Ukraine, Israel and in northern Iraq covering the fight against ISIS.
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