Michael Rubin

Michael Rubin

Director of Policy Analysis

Michael Rubin specializes in Iran, Turkey and the Horn of Africa. His career includes time as a Pentagon official, with field experiences in Iran, Yemen, and Iraq, as well as engagements with the Taliban prior to 9/11. Mr. Rubin has also contributed to military education, teaching U.S. Navy and Marine units about regional conflicts and terrorism. His scholarly work includes several key publications, such as “Dancing with the Devil” and “Eternal Iran.” Rubin earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in history and a B.S. in biology from Yale University.

Articles by this Author
Defeating the Houthis Would Be Possible Only If the State Department Stopped Playing by an Artificial Set of Rules
To Kurds Today, the Peshmerga Are Businessmen Who Receive Party Patronage, Not a Vanguard of a National Movement
The Belief That Supporting Somaliland Means Sacrificing Somalia’s Cooperation Is a Foolish Assumption
Bin Salman Has Prioritized His Own Rivalry with the United Arab Emirates Above Strategic Stability
While Al Qaeda Leader Osama Bin Laden Is Dead, the Ideology He Nurtured and Cultivated Is Alive and Well
Saudi Tolerance, Turkish Arms, Qatari Money, and Washington’s Blind Eye Empower the New Muslim Brotherhood
Somaliland Is Independent; There Is No Taking That Back
Zalmay Khalilzad Wielded His Power Without Compromise, Marginalizing Any Afghans Who Questioned His Trust in the Taliban
Somaliland’s Government Ensures That Its Fauna Remains Among the Most Diverse and Healthiest in the Horn of Africa
Among Diplomats and Analysts, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar’s Double Game Is Well-Known
Changing the Name of Lake Ontario Is Ahistorical, but So Was the Change from ‘Persian Gulf’ That Predated Trump
Cell Phone Towers and All Major Internet Service Providers in the Country Are Under Houthi Control
Ordinary Iranians Are No Strangers to Sanctions, a Shaky Currency, or Deprivation, but What They Face Now Is Qualitatively Different
A Michigan Senate Race Could Have Consequences Far Beyond Partisan Control of Congress
A New Generation Is Growing up Blind to the Diversity Their Region Once Enjoyed and Susceptible to Propaganda
Partisan Politics Cannot Substitute for a Strategy to Defeat Iran
An Increasing Number of Non-NATO Allies Flirt With, If Not Tilt Toward, Beijing
The Iranian President, Flag Officers, and Intelligence Chief Should Rise to Their Positions Knowing They Will Have a Lifespan of Weeks, If Not Days
Striking Assad Would Embarrass Putin and Shake the Air of Invincibility That He Seeks to Construct
If the World Withdraws, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Will Consider It a Green Light to Purge Those Who Resist Its Vision