Winfield Myers

Michael Rubin

Director of Policy Analysis

Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he specializes in Middle Eastern countries, particularly Iran and Turkey. 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
Putin Sought Conquest and Erasure. Washington Seeks to End a Repressive Regime’s Nuclear Ambitions.
The MEK Is Not Pro-Western or Committed to Democracy; It Operates as a Cult and Fosters Anti-Americanism
Turkey Long Has Promoted Ethnic Separatism in Iran and May Try to Create a ‘Buffer Zone’ Inside Iran That Could Become a Land Grab
If the U.S. and Israel Are Keeping Certain Iranian Leaders Alive to Fill the Vacuum, That Would Be a Significant Mistake
Khamenei’s Death Creates a Power Vacuum in Iran: Constitutional Succession May Stall, the IRGC Could Seize Control, and Opposition Leaders May Need Protection to Govern
The Job of a Journalist Is Not to Report the Rumor, but to Get to the Truth
Proxy Militias Whose Creation Predates the Islamic Republic Will Need a Concerted Effort to Combat
It Is Clear That the Islamic Republic’s Strategy Will Simply Be to Survive
Reports of Xi Jinping Authorizing the Transfer of ‘Carrier-Killer’ Missiles to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Created an Untenable ‘Ticking Clock’ for the Trump Administration
The Islamic Republic of Iran Now Faces the Largest U.S. Military Deployment Since the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
Israel Has Woken up to the Threat a Turkish Nuclear Weapons Program Would Pose; India Should Do So as Well
Put Simply, Turkey Is the Largest Occupying Power in Syria
Both Moral Clarity and Reciprocity Should Guide New Delhi’s Policy
History Suggests Tehran Uses Talks to Buy Time
At Stake Is Trump’s Desire to Cement Peace in the South Caucasus, and the Commitment They Made to Protect Christian Communities
As Post-Revolutionary Iran Grapples with Accountability for the Past, It Can Embrace Numerous Models
The Kingdom’s Pivot to an Islamist Vision and Its Turn Toward Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan May Have Been the End Goal All Along
Erdoğan May Conclude That He Needs to Follow Khamenei’s Lead and Slaughter Tens of Thousands of Dissatisfied Turks
While Saudi Arabia Outlaws the Muslim Brotherhood at Home, Mohammed Bin Salman Empowers It Abroad