The Middle East Forum cordially invites you to this week's podcasts.
Red Sea Security and the Houthi Threat to the West with Eric Navarro
The Iran-backed Ansar Allah (Houthis) recently renewed their threat to attack any Israeli ship sailing in the vicinity of Yemen. The organization’s ongoing campaign of aggression in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden area severely disrupts supply chains and fuels regional instability. The Middle East Forum last week launched the Red Sea Security Initiative (RSSI) to advocate for and support a determined western strategy to counter Houthi aggression and protect global trade routes. The RSSI aims to mobilize U.S. policymakers, global shipping leaders, and security experts to forge a coordinated response. Eric Navarro, director of RSSI, will explain why decisive action is needed, what steps are being taken, and what’s at stake if the world fails to respond. What impact have Houthi attacks had on global trade? How can this threat be stopped? What must be done to restore stability in the Red Sea?
Eric Navarro, director of the Red Sea Security Initiative, is a military officer, business leader, and national security strategist. A Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves, Mr. Navarro served two combat tours in Iraq. He is the author of God Willing: My Wild Ride with the New Iraqi Army (Potomac, 2008), detailing his experience as one of the first embedded advisors to the post-2003 Iraqi Army. He is a frequent media contributor with articles and appearances focused on national security strategy and the use of American power in a contested geopolitical environment. Mr. Navarro has an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business and an M.S. in national security strategy from National War College.
Israel Insider with Ashley Perry
How serious are the accusations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? What effect are they having on his ability to manage the multi-front conflict in which Israel is currently engaged?
Ashley Perry is an advisor to the Middle East Forum’s Israel office. He served as adviser to Israel's minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister in 2009-15, and has also worked with Israel's Ministers of Intelligence, Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy, Water and Infrastructure, Defense, Tourism, Internal Security, and Immigrant Absorption and as an advisor to The Negev Forum. Originally from the U.K., he moved to Israel in 2001. He holds a B.A. from University College London and an M.A. from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).
Iranian Power and Influence in the Middle East: The Impact of Israeli Military Achievements and Trump Administration Policy
Prior to October 7, 2023, Iranian-sponsored terrorism and influence in the Middle East was pervasive and insidious, growing ever more dangerous as it inched its way to nuclear weapons and threatened Israeli and U.S. interests in the region. While Iran continues to pose an existential threat to Israel and edges closer to producing nuclear weapons, Israel’s military achievements post-10/7, along with Donald Trump’s win and foreign policy objectives, have significantly diminished the Islamic Republic’s ability to project power. The targeted assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, the destruction of much of both terrorist organizations’ infrastructure in Gaza and Lebanon, and Israel’s direct attacks on Iran have all significantly reduced the Mullahs’ ability to achieve their goal of establishing an Islamic hegemon and Shia crescent from Iran to the Mediterranean Sea, including a “ring of fire” surrounding Israel.
Iran’s capacity to threaten Israel and the West in light of these setbacks will be our topic for discussion on the Middle East Forum’s premier episode of a new monthly webinar series featuring internationally-recognized experts and hosted by Lauri Regan. Join us this week for an all-star panel featuring Behnam Ben Taleblu, Gabriel Noronha, and Michael Rubin.
Lauri B. Regan is the New York chapter president and vice chair of the executive board of the Endowment for Middle East Truth and the vice president, treasurer, and board member of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East.
Michael Rubin is the director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Gabriel Noronha is a fellow in the Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy at the Jewish Institute for National Security in America (JINSA).
Behnam Ben-Taleblu is the senior director of the Iran Project and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The Middle East Forum, an activist think tank, deals with the Middle East, Islamism, U.S. foreign policy, and related topics, urging bold measures to protect Americans and their allies. Pursuing its goals via intellectual and operational means, the Forum recurrently has policy ideas adopted by the U.S. government.
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