JINSAEvent Content Archives - JINSA https://jinsa.org/category/event-content/ Securing America, Strengthening Israel Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:06:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Watch Webinar – Interview with Amb. Herzog https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-interview-with-amb-herzog/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-interview-with-amb-herzog/#respond Tue, 15 Apr 2025 08:03:47 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=20036 During one of the most turbulent periods in Israel’s history, Ambassador Michael Herzog served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States from November 2021 to January 2025. His tenure spanned the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, a prolonged war…

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During one of the most turbulent periods in Israel’s history, Ambassador Michael Herzog served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States from November 2021 to January 2025. His tenure spanned the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, a prolonged war in Gaza, an unprecedented full-scale war with Hezbollah, and the growing threat of direct confrontation with Iran.

As the war unfolded, Herzog worked to secure critical U.S. support while raising concerns over delayed arms transfers that risked undermining Israel’s deterrence, noting in a recent interview that “certain items we needed … were held up for six, seven, eight months” and that “many of us worked day and night to make sure things would not move slowly.” He also played a key role in managing the diplomatic fallout of internal Israeli debates and navigating complex U.S.-Israel relations during his ambassadorship.

Ambassador Herzog joined JINSA President & CEO Michael Makovsky, PhD, for an in-depth discussion of Israel’s evolving security situation and how to advance the shared U.S.-Israel strategic interest in preventing a nuclear Iran. Ambassador Herzog assessed the geostrategic opportunities presented by Israel’s military success against Tehran and its proxies, provided his insights into ongoing indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations and the complex Iranian nuclear threat, and analyzed the multifaceted challenges facing Israel in the Gaza theater.

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]]> https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-interview-with-amb-herzog/feed/ 0 Watch Webinar – Last Best Chance: U.S. Policy for an Israeli Strike on Iran https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-last-best-chance-u-s-policy-for-an-israeli-strike-on-iran/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-last-best-chance-u-s-policy-for-an-israeli-strike-on-iran/#respond Wed, 09 Apr 2025 06:08:43 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=19988  The U.S. military is concentrating major firepower around the Middle East, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday to discuss the shared challenge – and opportunity – of rolling back Tehran’s…

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The U.S. military is concentrating major firepower around the Middle East, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday to discuss the shared challenge – and opportunity – of rolling back Tehran’s nuclear weapons program while the regime’s defenses are down. At the meeting, Trump announced his intent to conduct direct U.S.-Iran talks starting April 12, which could postpone—or permanently foreclose—crucial military action to prevent a nuclear Iran.

Amid these developments, JINSA is issuing a new report, Last Best Chance: U.S. Policy for an Israeli Strike on Iran, that provides a detailed strategy for the closest possible U.S.-Israeli cooperation to maximize the effectiveness of potential military action against Iran’s nuclear weapons program, limit the risks of a wider war from Iranian retaliation, and prevent the Tehran regime from resuming its drive toward the bomb following a strike.

JINSA hosted a panel discussion with the report’s authors, featuring JINSA Distinguished Scholar and former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Amb. Eric Edelman and JINSA Distinguished Fellow and former Deputy Commander of U.S. European Command Gen Charles “Chuck” Wald, USAF (ret.).

This discussion was moderated by JINSA President & CEO Michael Makovsky, PhD.

Amb. Eric Edelman

Amb. Eric Edelman is a Distinguished Scholar at JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense & Strategy and the Co-Chair of its Iran Policy Project and Eastern Mediterranean Policy Project. Amb. Edelman served in senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense as well as the White House where he led organizations providing analysis, strategy, policy development, security services, trade advocacy, public outreach, citizen services and congressional relations. From August 2005 to January 2009, he served as the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy.

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Gen Charles “Chuck” Wald, USAF (ret.)

Gen Chuck Wald is a JINSA Distinguished Fellow and former Deputy Commander of U.S. European Command. With over 35 years as a USAF command pilot, Gen Wald has also served as the Director of Strategic Planning and Policy at USAF Headquarters, Chief of USAF Combat Terrorism Center, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations at the Pentagon.

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Michael Makovsky, PhD

Michael Makovsky, PhD

Michael Makovsky, PhD is President and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), which he joined in 2013. A U.S. national security expert, he has worked extensively on U.S. policy toward Iran’s nuclear program, Israel, and the broader Middle East, as well as the intersection of international energy markets and politics with U.S. national security. Makovsky has written articles, op-eds and editorials for various publications on U.S. national security issues primarily involving the Middle East as well as energy markets. He is also author of Churchill’s Promised Land (Yale University Press), a diplomatic-intellectual history of Winston Churchill’s complex relationship with Zionism.

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]]> https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-last-best-chance-u-s-policy-for-an-israeli-strike-on-iran/feed/ 0 Watch Webinar – Same Turkey, New U.S.-Turkey Policy? https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-same-turkey-new-u-s-turkey-policy/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-same-turkey-new-u-s-turkey-policy/#respond Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:03:29 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=19952  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey remains mostly unchanged—cracking down on political opposition at home while seeking a bigger role on the world stage—yet its relationship with the United States might be shifting. On March 26, Secretary of State Marco…

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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey remains mostly unchanged—cracking down on political opposition at home while seeking a bigger role on the world stage—yet its relationship with the United States might be shifting. On March 26, Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Washington amid widespread Turkish protests after Turkey’s jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, an Erdogan political opponent and 2028 presidential candidate. While Secretary Rubio expressed “concerns regarding recent arrests” to Fidan, he also “requested Turkey’s support” with a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, asked for Ankara’s help with cooling Armenia-Azerbaijan tensions, and encouraged “greater economic partnership” between the United States and Turkey, according to a U.S. readout.

This came shortly after U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steven Witkoff, in a March 21 interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, touted a “transformational” recent phone call between Presidents Trump and Erdogan. Both U.S. and Turkish officials have also told media outlets in recent days that Washington plans to lift restrictions on U.S.-Turkish defense trade, potentially including reversing Turkey’s previous removal from the U.S. military’s F-35 acquisition program.

To discuss the Trump administration’s approach towards Turkey and the current unrest inside Turkey’s borders, JINSA hosted a webinar featuring leading experts, including JINSA Distinguished Scholar and former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Amb. Eric Edelman, JINSA Scholar and Director of the Central-Asia Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program Svante Cornell, and Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and Member of JINSA’s Eastern Mediterranean Policy Project Alan Makovsky.

The discussion was moderated by JINSA’s Vice President for Policy, Blaise Misztal.


Svante E. Cornell

Svante E. Cornell is a JINSA Scholar, the Director of the American Foreign Policy Council’s Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, and a co-founder of the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm. His main areas of expertise are security issues, state-building, and transnational crime in Southwest and Central Asia, with a specific focus on the Caucasus and Turkey. He is the Editor of CACI’s Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst and Turkey Analyst, the Center’s electronic publications, and of its Silk Road Papers series of occasional papers.

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Amb. Eric Edelman

Amb. Eric Edelman is a Distinguished Scholar at JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense & Strategy and the Co-Chair of its Iran Policy Project and Eastern Mediterranean Policy Project. Amb. Edelman served in senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense as well as the White House and served as the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy from August 2005 to January 2009. Amb. Edelman served as U.S. ambassador to the Republics of Finland and Turkey in the Clinton and Bush Administrations and was principal deputy assistant to the vice president for national security affairs.

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Alan Makovsky

Alan Makovsky

Alan Makovsky is a senior fellow for National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress. From 2001 to 2013, he served as a senior professional staff member on the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he covered the Middle East, Turkey, and other related issues.

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Blaise Misztal

Blaise Misztal

Blaise Misztal is the Vice President for Policy at JINSA. His research interests include Iran and its nuclear program, U.S.-Turkey relations, countering extremism, and strategic competition. Misztal served as the Executive Director of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States, a congressionally mandated project convened by the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Program. He has testified before Congress and published widely—including op-eds in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, and Roll Call.

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]]> https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-same-turkey-new-u-s-turkey-policy/feed/ 0 Watch Webinar – Israel War Update 3/27 https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-israel-war-update-3-27/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-israel-war-update-3-27/#respond Thu, 27 Mar 2025 14:51:50 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=19902  Amid growing challenges on its other fronts, Israel has resumed targeted military operations in the Gaza Strip to apply increasingly suffocating military pressure against Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has struck over 400 targets since resuming its campaign…

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Amid growing challenges on its other fronts, Israel has resumed targeted military operations in the Gaza Strip to apply increasingly suffocating military pressure against Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has struck over 400 targets since resuming its campaign in Gaza on March 18, eliminating over 150 terror operatives and roughly a dozen senior Hamas officials. Meanwhile, the IDF is repositioning ground forces at strategic points inside the enclave, including Rafah, the central Netzarim Corridor axis, and northern Gaza’s Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya neighborhoods. While escalating its pressure campaign against Hamas, the IDF has also conducted strikes against terrorists in Lebanon and Syria in recent days in response to attacks on Israeli military positions and Israel itself.

Signaling Israel’s resolve to achieve its war aims, Israeli leaders are reportedly considering sending tens of thousands of troops into Gaza if ceasefire talks continue to stall. Meanwhile, Hamas has reportedly refused to entertain the latest Egyptian-brokered proposal to secure more hostage releases, once again exposing Hamas’s fundamentally intractable aims of stalling for time and maintaining its tenuous grip on Gaza.

To discuss the latest developments in Israel’s campaign, JINSA hosted a webinar featuring JINSA Distinguished Fellow IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror and JINSA Julian & Jenny Josephson Senior Vice President for Israeli Affairs IDF MG (ret.) Yaacov Ayish.

The discussion was moderated by JINSA Director of Foreign Policy Jonathan Ruhe.


IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror

IDF Major General (ret.) Yaakov Amidror is a Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy Distinguished Fellow. MG Amidror was formerly the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel, as well as the head of the National Security Council, from 2011-2013. During his 36-year career in the IDF, MG Amidror served as Commander of IDF Military Colleges, Military Secretary for the Minister of Defense, Director of the Intelligence Analysis Division, and as Intelligence Officer for the Northern Command.

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IDF MG (ret.) Yaacov Ayish

IDF MG (ret.) Yaacov Ayish is the Julian & Jenny Josephson Senior Vice President for Israeli Affairs at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). MG Ayish served in the IDF for 36 years and retired in 2016, concluding an accomplished career during which he attained the rank of Major General. Throughout his distinguished service, he served in core and operational command positions in the IDF ground forces and in senior command and managerial positions in the IDF General Staff. In his last position, MG Ayish served for four years as Israel’s Defense and Armed Forces Attaché to the United States in Washington, D.C.

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Jonathan Ruhe

Jonathan Ruhe

Jonathan Ruhe is JINSA Director of Foreign Policy. Prior to joining JINSA, he worked at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), where he focused on Middle East and Former Soviet Union security issues. His commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Dispatch, and various international media outlets. He holds degrees with honors from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and from the University of Chicago, where he was a fellow with the Program on International Security Policy.

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]]> https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-israel-war-update-3-27/feed/ 0 Watch Webinar – Gaza Ceasefire Collapse: Fighting Resumes https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-gaza-ceasefire-collapse-fighting-resumes/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-gaza-ceasefire-collapse-fighting-resumes/#respond Thu, 20 Mar 2025 07:55:31 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=19870  Israel resumed military operations in the Gaza Strip on March 17 after direct U.S.-Hamas ceasefire negotiations collapsed. U.S. Middle East special envoy Steven Witkoff blamed Hamas for the talks’ breakdown, citing the terror group’s “entirely impractical” demands, while Secretary…

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Israel resumed military operations in the Gaza Strip on March 17 after direct U.S.-Hamas ceasefire negotiations collapsed. U.S. Middle East special envoy Steven Witkoff blamed Hamas for the talks’ breakdown, citing the terror group’s “entirely impractical” demands, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Hamas terrorists are “savages” and “we need to treat them as such.”

In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted sweeping airstrikes across the Gaza Strip and moved tanks into the Netzarim corridor bisecting the Gaza Strip in a new military campaign—Operation Strength and Shield— to defeat Hamas and free the remaining hostages. Hamas has reportedly recruited thousands of new terror operatives in recent weeks, setting the stage for major hostilities in Gaza.

To provide analysis on the unfolding situation, JINSA hosted a webinar featuring JINSA Distinguished Fellow IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror and JINSA Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow John Hannah.

The discussion was moderated by JINSA Vice President for Policy Blaise Misztal.


IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror

IDF Major General (ret.) Yaakov Amidror is a Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy Distinguished Fellow. MG Amidror was formerly the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel, as well as the head of the National Security Council, from 2011-2013. During his 36-year career in the IDF, MG Amidror served as Commander of IDF Military Colleges, Military Secretary for the Minister of Defense, Director of the Intelligence Analysis Division, and as Intelligence Officer for the Northern Command.

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John Hannah

John Hannah is the Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow at JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy. Hannah served in senior foreign policy positions for both Democratic and Republican administrations, including as former Vice President Dick Cheney’s National Security Advisor from 2005-2009 and as Vice President Cheney’s Deputy National Security Advisor for the Middle East from 2001-2005. Previously, he also served as a senior advisor to Secretary of State Warren Christopher during the Bill Clinton administration, and as a senior member of Secretary of State James A. Baker’s Policy Planning Staff during the presidency of George H.W. Bush.

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Blaise Misztal

Blaise Misztal is the Vice President for Policy at JINSA. His research interests include Iran and its nuclear program, U.S.-Turkey relations, countering extremism, and strategic competition. Prior to joining JINSA, Misztal served as the Executive Director of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States, a congressionally mandated project convened by the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Program. He has testified before Congress and published widely—including op-eds in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, and Roll Call.

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]]> https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-gaza-ceasefire-collapse-fighting-resumes/feed/ 0 Watch Webinar – Houthis in the Crosshairs: The U.S. Counteroffensive https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-houthis-in-the-crosshairs-the-u-s-counteroffensive/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-houthis-in-the-crosshairs-the-u-s-counteroffensive/#respond Wed, 19 Mar 2025 05:32:09 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=19860  At the direction of President Donald Trump, the U.S. military began a wide-ranging aerial campaign on March 15 against the Iran-backed Houthis, targeting dozens of military sites and key leaders. Since late 2023, the terrorist group has launched hundreds…

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At the direction of President Donald Trump, the U.S. military began a wide-ranging aerial campaign on March 15 against the Iran-backed Houthis, targeting dozens of military sites and key leaders. Since late 2023, the terrorist group has launched hundreds of projectile attacks from Yemen against commercial vessels and U.S. warships in nearby waters, forcing global shipping firms to incur massive losses and costing the U.S. Navy over $1 billion in defensive munitions. Undeterred by prior, limited U.S. strikes against them, the Houthis expanded their aggression to include attacks targeting Israel and U.S. military aircraft.

Now, the United States has elected to use “overwhelming lethal force” against the Houthis, according to President Trump, who also pledged that “every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of Iran.” The Houthis have vowed an escalatory campaign of their own, threatening to renew recently paused attacks against Israel and, in recent days, launching multiple strikes targeting American warships.

To discuss the U.S. campaign against the Houthis and its potential future trajectory, JINSA hosted a webinar featuring former Deputy Commander of U.S. Central Command Lt Gen Thomas Bergeson, USAF (ret.), former U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Lt Gen Joseph Guastella, USAF (ret.), and Former Commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet VADM Kevin Donegan, USN (ret.).

The discussion was moderated by JINSA Associate Director of Foreign Policy Ari Cicurel.

Lt Gen Thomas Bergeson, USAF (ret.)

Lt Gen Thomas W. Bergeson was the Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command where he oversaw military security cooperation and combat operations within the Arabian Peninsula, Northern Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, and Central and Southern Asian States. Lt Gen Bergeson was a participant with JINSA’s 2023 General and Admirals program.

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Lt Gen Joseph Guastella, USAF (ret.)

Lt Gen Joseph T. Guastella Jr. was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. In support of the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force, he led the development and implementation of policy directly supporting global operations, force management, weather, training and readiness across air, space and cyber fields. He served as the Air Force Operations Deputy to the Air Force Chief of Staff. Lt Gen Guastella was a participant with JINSA’s 2023 General and Admirals program.

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VADM Kevin Donegan, USN (ret.)

ice Admiral Kevin Donegan, USN (ret.) served as Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet and Commander of the 32 Nation Combined Maritime Forces in the Middle East. VADM Donegan commanded Battle Force 7th Fleet and USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group in Japan. VADM Donegan was a participant with JINSA’s 2022 General and Admirals Program.

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Ari Cicurel

Ari Cicurel has been Associate Director of Foreign Policy at JINSA since January 2025. His prior roles at JINSA include as Assistant Director of Foreign Policy from 2023-2025, Senior Policy Analyst from 2020-2023, and Policy Analyst from September 2018-January 2020. Ari is a graduate of the University of Michigan where he dual majored in Political Science and Judaic Studies.

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]]> https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-houthis-in-the-crosshairs-the-u-s-counteroffensive/feed/ 0 Watch Webinar – Risks of Iran Talks https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-risks-of-iran-talks/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-risks-of-iran-talks/#respond Tue, 18 Mar 2025 07:50:10 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=19858  Iran is closer than ever to possessing a nuclear arsenal. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s February 25 report revealed Iran’s stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium has ballooned by nearly one-third since November. Tehran’s nuclear scientists are also reportedly…

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Iran is closer than ever to possessing a nuclear arsenal. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s February 25 report revealed Iran’s stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium has ballooned by nearly one-third since November. Tehran’s nuclear scientists are also reportedly pursuing a new technical shortcut to turn enriched uranium into fieldable weapons in mere months. 

Recognizing the mortal dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran, President Trump stated on March 7, “it’s very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” However, President Trump has also signaled a strong desire to, like his predecessors, address this threat through a risky diplomatic effort likely involving concessions to Iran. President Trump has sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei requesting negotiations, and told reporters that “I would prefer to make a deal with Iran,” though signaling his willingness to use military force if necessary.

JINSA hosted a webinar to analyze the unfolding situation with former Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela under President Donald Trump, Elliott Abrams, JINSA Distinguished Scholar and Iran Policy Project co-chairman Amb. Eric Edelman, and the Hon. Stephen Rademaker, JINSA Senior Advisor and former Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation.

The discussion was moderated by JINSA’s Vice President for Policy, Blaise Misztal.


Amb. Elliott Abrams

Elliott Abrams is senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, DC. He served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor in the administration of President George W. Bush, where he supervised U.S. policy in the Middle East for the White House, and as Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela in the administration of Donald Trump.

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Amb. Eric Edelman

Amb. Eric Edelman is a Distinguished Scholar at JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense & Strategy and the Co-Chair of its Iran Policy Project and Eastern Mediterranean Policy Project. Amb. Edelman served in senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense, including as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy from August 2005 to January 2009.

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The Hon. Stephen Rademaker

The Hon. Stephen Rademaker has over 20 years’ experience working on national security issues in multiple branches of government. As Assistant Secretary of State he led multiple bureaus at the State Department, and also directed the Proliferation Security Initiative and nonproliferation policy toward Iran and North Korea. From September 2005 until May 2006, he served as the first Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation.

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Blaise Misztal

Blaise Misztal is the Vice President for Policy at JINSA. His research interests include Iran and its nuclear program, U.S.-Turkey relations, countering extremism, and strategic competition. Prior to joining JINSA, Misztal served as the Executive Director of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States, a congressionally mandated project convened by the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Program.

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]]> https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-risks-of-iran-talks/feed/ 0 Watch Webinar – Future of Old Conflicts in Turkey and Syria https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-future-of-old-conflicts-in-turkey-and-syria/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-future-of-old-conflicts-in-turkey-and-syria/#respond Thu, 13 Mar 2025 06:50:20 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=19788 The Middle East’s myriad, complex, often overlapping conflicts continue to evolve—particularly in Turkey and Syria. The decades-long conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group may finally have an end in sight. On February 27, Abdullah Ocalan,…

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The Middle East’s myriad, complex, often overlapping conflicts continue to evolve—particularly in Turkey and Syria. The decades-long conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group may finally have an end in sight. On February 27, Abdullah Ocalan, the longtime PKK leader, issued a remarkable statement from Turkish prison calling for the PKK to adopt a ceasefire with Turkey in exchange for greater political rights. PKK forces in Iraq and Turkey officially heeded Ocalan’s directive, even as Ankara launched strikes over the following week targeting Kurdish forces in western Iraq and northern Syria.

Meanwhile, the situation in Syria itself, where Kurdish fighters have repeatedly clashed with Turkish-backed actors since the Assad regime’s collapse, continues its unpredictable evolution. On March 10, the Syrian transition government announced a breakthrough deal to integrate Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the interim government by the end of the year. In recent days, sectarian violence has erupted, with Assad loyalists from the country’s Alawite minority attacking police forces of the Turkish-linked and Sunni extremist-led interim government, with government forces responding by killing hundreds of Alawite civilians.

To discuss the unfolding developments in Turkey and Syria, JINSA hosted a discussion with leading subject matter experts, including JINSA Distinguished Scholar and former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Amb. Eric Edelman, JINSA Policy Advisor and Director of the Central-Asia Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program Svante Cornell, and JINSA’s Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow John Hannah. The discussion was moderated by JINSA’s Vice President for Policy, Blaise Misztal.


Svante E. Cornell

Svante E. Cornell is a JINSA Scholar, the Director of the American Foreign Policy Council’s Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, and a co-founder of the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm. His main areas of expertise are security issues, state-building, and transnational crime in Southwest and Central Asia, with a specific focus on the Caucasus and Turkey. He is the Editor of CACI’s Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst and Turkey Analyst, the Center’s electronic publications, and of its Silk Road Papers series of occasional papers.

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Amb. Eric Edelman

Amb. Eric Edelman is a Distinguished Scholar at JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense & Strategy and the Co-Chair of its Iran Policy Project and Eastern Mediterranean Policy Project. Amb. Edelman served in senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense as well as the White House and served as the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy from August 2005 to January 2009. Amb. Edelman served as U.S. ambassador to the Republics of Finland and Turkey in the Clinton and Bush Administrations and was principal deputy assistant to the vice president for national security affairs.

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John Hannah

John Hannah

John Hannah is the Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow at JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy. Hannah served in senior foreign policy positions for both Democratic and Republican administrations, including as former Vice President Dick Cheney’s National Security Advisor from 2005-2009 and as Vice President Cheney’s Deputy National Security Advisor for the Middle East from 2001-2005. Previously, he also served as a senior advisor to Secretary of State Warren Christopher during the Bill Clinton administration, and as a senior member of Secretary of State James A. Baker’s Policy Planning Staff during the presidency of George H.W. Bush.

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Blaise Misztal

Blaise Misztal

Blaise Misztal is the Vice President for Policy at JINSA. His research interests include Iran and its nuclear program, U.S.-Turkey relations, countering extremism, and strategic competition. Misztal served as the Executive Director of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States, a congressionally mandated project convened by the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Program. He has testified before Congress and published widely—including op-eds in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, and Roll Call. Misztal holds an M.Phil. in political science from Yale and an A.B. with honors from the University of Chicago.

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]]> https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-future-of-old-conflicts-in-turkey-and-syria/feed/ 0 Watch Webinar – Gaza Update and U.S.-Israel Developments https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-gaza-update-and-u-s-israel-developments/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-gaza-update-and-u-s-israel-developments/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 13:53:47 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=19764  After Phase I of the Gaza ceasefire expired on March 1, Israel proposed an extension to release additional hostages, which Hamas has reportedly rejected thus far. Israel reportedly is preparing for renewed military operations in Gaza, and it has…

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After Phase I of the Gaza ceasefire expired on March 1, Israel proposed an extension to release additional hostages, which Hamas has reportedly rejected thus far. Israel reportedly is preparing for renewed military operations in Gaza, and it has halted aid deliveries that could further empower and enrich Hamas. Meanwhile, Arab heads of state opened a summit in Cairo on March 4 to discuss plans for Gaza’s longer-term future. In the backdrop, the Trump administration expedited $4 billion in military assistance to Israel, while Iran’s nuclear weapons program races ahead as the United States and its partners consider next steps.

To discuss these unfolding developments, JINSA hosted a discussion with JINSA Distinguished Fellow IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror and JINSA’s Julian and Jenny Josephson Senior Vice President for Israeli Affairs IDF MG (ret.) Yaacov Ayish. The discussion was moderated by JINSA President and CEO Michael Makovsky, PhD.


IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror

IDF Major General (ret.) Yaakov Amidror is a Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy Distinguished Fellow. MG Amidror was formerly the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel, as well as the head of the National Security Council, from 2011-2013. During his 36-year career in the IDF, MG Amidror served as Commander of IDF Military Colleges, Military Secretary for the Minister of Defense, Director of the Intelligence Analysis Division, and as Intelligence Officer for the Northern Command.

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IDF MG (ret.) Yaacov Ayish

IDF Major General (ret.) Yaacov Ayish is the Julian and Jenny Josephson Senior Vice President for Israeli Affairs at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). MG Ayish served in the IDF for 36 years and retired in 2016, concluding an accomplished career during which he attained the rank of Major General. Throughout his distinguished service, he served in core and operational command positions in the IDF ground forces and in senior command and managerial positions in the IDF General Staff. In his last position, MG Ayish served for four years as Israel’s Defense and Armed Forces Attaché to the United States in Washington, D.C.

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Michael Makovsky, PhD

Michael Makovsky, PhD

Michael Makovsky, PhD is President and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), which he joined in 2013. A U.S. national security expert, he has worked extensively on U.S. policy toward Iran’s nuclear program, Israel, and the broader Middle East, as well as the intersection of international energy markets and politics with U.S. national security. Makovsky has written articles, op-eds and editorials for various publications on U.S. national security issues primarily involving the Middle East as well as energy markets. He is also author of Churchill’s Promised Land (Yale University Press), a diplomatic-intellectual history of Winston Churchill’s complex relationship with Zionism.

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]]> https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-gaza-update-and-u-s-israel-developments/feed/ 0 Watch Webinar – Northern Front Ceasefire and the Road Ahead https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-northern-front-ceasefire-and-the-road-ahead/ https://jinsa.org/watch-webinar-northern-front-ceasefire-and-the-road-ahead/#respond Tue, 25 Feb 2025 09:02:33 +0000 https://jinsa.org/?p=19666 The Lebanon ceasefire has reached a crucial stage, with Israeli troops largely withdrawing from Lebanon on February 18 and hostilities with Hezbollah generally tapering off in recent weeks. However, the northern front’s future remains clouded by uncertainty. Israel’s February 17…

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The Lebanon ceasefire has reached a crucial stage, with Israeli troops largely withdrawing from Lebanon on February 18 and hostilities with Hezbollah generally tapering off in recent weeks. However, the northern front’s future remains clouded by uncertainty. Israel’s February 17 announcement that it will indefinitely retain five strategic outposts in southern Lebanon as a buffer against future Hezbollah attacks drew strong protests from Lebanon’s leaders, including a statement accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire deal and calling on the United Nations Security Council to intervene.

Despite the ceasefire, thousands of Israelis remain out of their homes in northern Israel, fearing a resumption of full-scale war. Hezbollah, while possessing a small fraction of its pre-10/7 weapons arsenal, also remains active in southern Lebanon, requiring periodic Israeli airstrikes.

To assess Israel’s next steps to continue securing its north and the viability of the ceasefire moving forward, JINSA will host a discussion featuring two experts on the northern front, JINSA Visiting Fellows IDF BG Effie Defrin and IDF BG Shai Klapper. BG Defrin was responsible for Israel’s military coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces as head of the IDF International Cooperation Division from 2019-2024. BG Klapper commanded the IDF’s 91st Division, responsible for defending Israel’s border with Lebanon, from 2022-2025 and helped lead Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon in September 2024. The discussion was moderated by JINSA’s Vice President for Policy Blaise Misztal.

IDF BG Effie Defrin

IDF BG Effie Defrin is a Visiting Fellow at JINSA and a former participant in JINSA’s 2019 Brigadier Generals Military Leadership Education Program. Prior to joining JINSA, BG Defrin served as the head of the IDF’s International Cooperation Division, and previously served as Israel’s Defense Attache to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and Commander of the IDF’s 27th Armored Brigade.

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IDF BG Shai Klapper

IDF BG Shai Klapper has been a Visiting Fellow at JINSA since February 2025. From 2022-25, BG Klapper served as the commander of the IDF’s 91st Division, tasked with defending Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. During Israel’s 2024 Operation Northern Arrows against Hezbollah, BG Klapper was responsible for the 91st Division’s ground operations into Lebanon to destroy the terror group’s positions and weapons caches. As a colonel, BG Klapper commanded the Golani Brigade from 2018-2020.

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Blaise Misztal

Blaise Misztal

Blaise Misztal is the Vice President for Policy at JINSA. His research interests include Iran and its nuclear program, U.S.-Turkey relations, countering extremism, and strategic competition. He served as the Executive Director of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States, a congressionally mandated project convened by the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Program. He has testified before Congress and published widely—including op-eds in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, and Roll Call. Misztal holds an M.Phil. in political science from Yale and an A.B. with honors from the University of Chicago.

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