Return to "maximum pressure": Opportunities and challenges
Feb 20, 2025With the signing of a presidential memorandum on Feb. 4, the administration of Donald Trump has returned to a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, but circumstances have changed drastically since the policy of intensified sanctions was originally crafted during his first term. Regional geopolitics will present the White House with a new set of variables, while changes in the petroleum markets will affect how the administration approaches sanctions on oil exports.
About the Director
Colby Connelly
Colby Connelly is the director of MEI's Economics and Energy program. He is also a senior analyst at Energy Intelligence, where he works with the firm’s research and advisory practices. His key areas of focus include oil and gas/LNG markets, aboveground risk, corporate strategy, and the impact of the energy transition on oil and gas producing states.
Advisory Council
Chairperson
Dr. Karen E. Young is a political economist focusing on the Gulf, the broader MENA region and the intersection of energy, finance and security. She is a Senior Research Scholar at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy. She was a Senior Fellow and Founding Director of the Program on Economics and Energy at the Middle East Institute. She was a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and has been a professorial lecturer at George Washington University, teaching courses on the international relations of the Middle East. She regularly teaches at the US Dept of State Foreign Service Institute. Read full bio
Marwan Abedin
Wayne C. Ackerman
Dr. Raad Alkadiri
Ali Al-Salim
Michael Cohen
Helima Croft
Abhishek Deshpande
Ishac Diwan
Tarek Fadlallah
Shahrokh Fardoust
Riyad Hammad
Khatija Haque
Afshin Molavi
Bessma Momani
Alia Moubayed
Carole Nakhle
Rachel Ziemba
Program Experts
Yesar Al-Maleki
Non-Resident Scholar
Faris Al-Sulayman
Non-Resident Scholar
Gregory Brew
Non-Resident Scholar
Colby Connelly
Senior Fellow
Ishac Diwan
Non-Resident Scholar
Shahrokh Fardoust
Non-Resident Scholar
Ruba Husari
Non-Resident Scholar
Lama Kiyasseh
Non-Resident Scholar
Jessica Obeid
Non-Resident Scholar
Piotr Schulkes
Non-Resident Scholar
Katherine Wolff
Non-Resident ScholarExpert Voices
Watch a series of interviews featuring experts and advisory council members from MEI's Economics and Energy Program. Click the Playlist button in the upper-right corner of the video player to select different interviews. More videos will be added here in the months ahead!
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