Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 1, 2004 — The Middle East Forum announced today that Michael Rubin - historian, traveler, policymaker, writer - will become editor of its flagship publication, the Middle East Quarterly, starting with the Fall 2004 issue.
The Quarterly was founded in 1994 and is currently celebrating its 10th year. The Times of London calls the MEQ an “invaluable source of information on the Middle East.” Bernard Lewis, the doyen of Middle Eastern specialists, terms it, “Lively and stimulating … interesting and important.”
Mr. Rubin is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; he recently served as a political advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad and as staff advisor on Iran and Iraq in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He has traveled widely in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Mr. Rubin frequently analyzes issues on television (CNN, NBC, PBS, Fox, C-SPAN, BBC) and on radio.
He earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in history from Yale University where he went on to be a lecturer. He has served as a visiting lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and three universities in northern Iraq. Mr. Rubin has been a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, the Leonard Davis Institute at Hebrew University, the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
He is the author of Into the Shadows: Radical Vigilantes in Khatami’s Iran (Washington Institute, 2001) and writes frequently for such newspapers as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Jerusalem Post, and Los Angeles Times. His longer articles appear in the Weekly Standard, New Republic, Commentary, and the Middle East Review of International Affairs. He has previously published six articles and eight book reviews in the Middle East Quarterly.
Daniel Pipes will continue as the Quarterly‘s publisher. Martin Kramer, the outgoing editor, will join Patrick Clawson as senior editor of the journal. Judy Goodrobb remains the managing editor.
“We are delighted Michael Rubin is joining the Quarterly as editor,” said Mr. Pipes. “His scholarship, in-depth experience in the region, government experience, and active participation in the great debates of our day make him a natural for the position.”
“As editor, I intend to carry on the Quarterly‘s tradition of questioning conventional wisdom and challenging general readers, policymakers, and academics to rethink their premises,” said Mr. Rubin. “Among other topics, our pages will explore militant Islam, terrorism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the move toward democracy.”
