Natan Sachs is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute. His research and commentary on U.S. foreign policy, Israeli foreign policy and domestic politics, and Middle East affairs have been widely published and frequently quoted in outlets such as The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, CNN, BBC, PBS, NPR, Yediot Aharonot, and Haaretz.
From 2012 to 2025, he served as a Fellow, Senior Fellow, and for eight years, Director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy. Sachs has testified before committees of the U.S. Congress and other parliaments. He has taught as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and held fellowships at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute, Tel Aviv University’s Dayan Center, and as a Fulbright Fellow in Indonesia.
He holds a B.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University.
The Latest from Natan Sachs
To Win a War, Know What You’re Fighting For
The US and Israel entered the war with three goals, and these goals were in tension from the start.
If the Regime Survives: Iran War Raises the Ante for US, Israel
The United States and Israel both hope for the grand prize: the emergence of a new regime in Iran to replace the Islamic Republic. For the US, this would close the chapter on a hostile and at times violent relationship that has endured since 1979. For Israel, this would see the end not only of a regime with a deep ideological commitment against it but also the foe that Israel sees as behind all fronts of the war it has fought since October 7, 2023.
War with Iran: A view from Israel
Bibi’s Hail Mary on Iran
Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Natan Sachs to discuss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s February 11 visit to the White House, Israel’s anxieties surrounding the ongoing US-Iran talks, and the domestic political dynamics Netanyahu is operating under. Taylor, Czekaj, and Sachs unpack what Netanyahu hoped to achieve during the visit, particularly regarding Iran, and what his relationship with President Donald Trump can tell us about the relative coordination and policy alignment between the US and Israel. They also examine Netanyahu’s political standing at home, two and half years since the October 7 attacks, as the 2026 election campaign begins in Israel. Finally, Sachs assesses what lies ahead for Israeli politics.
US-Israel Relations
The United States is Israel’s closest ally, and its support is a central pillar of Israel’s national security. The US provides Israel access to purchase advanced weapon systems, ammunition and weapon emergency supplies in times of war, intelligence sharing, opportunities for cooperation in defense technology, and crucial diplomatic cover at the UN Security Council and elsewhere. It also provides Israel with regular security aid, to be spent in the United States, currently at an annual rate of $3.8bn (under an MOU that expires in 2028). Since October 2023, the US also offered active military support, in a break from the historical norm. It contributed substantially to Israel’s defense against Iranian ballistic missiles, in conjunction with Arab regional partners, and bombed nuclear sites in Iran in support of Israel’s campaign in the “12 Day War” of June 2025.
Unfinished business will drive the Mideast agenda in 2026
Following another year of pivotal developments and transformational change, the Middle East could be poised to turn the page on many of its long-running conflicts and sources of instability. But lasting fruits of the processes begun in 2025 will require a determined, intentional focus by regional actors and the United States. Given current trends, MEI experts weigh in on where the region may be headed in 2026.
Peace in the Middle East — or constructive ambiguity in reverse
After two terrible years — beginning on the horrific morning of October 7, 2023 — there is now a chance the Gaza war could end. This chance exists not because the 20-point proposal released by the United States on September 29, 2025, is a model of diplomatic detail or nuance. It exists because its patron, President Donald Trump, appears determined not to take “no” for an answer.
