Dr. Michael Rubin

Michael Rubin

Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum. A former Pentagon official, Dr. Rubin has lived in post-revolution Iran, Yemen, and both pre- and postwar Iraq. He also spent time with the Taliban before 9/11. For more than a decade, he taught classes at sea about the Horn of Africa and Middle East conflicts, culture, and terrorism, to deployed US Navy and Marine units. Dr. Rubin is the author, coauthor, and coeditor of several books exploring diplomacy, Iranian history, Arab culture, Kurdish studies, and Shi’ite politics.

President Donald Trump participates in a Kennedy Center Board Meeting, Monday, March 17, 2025, at the John F. Kennedy Center Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

The Treaty

There’s One Move That Could Keep Iran’s Hated Regime in Power — and Washington Insiders Keep Pushing Trump Toward It

Former Pentagon official Dr. Michael Rubin warns that as the Iran war resumes, Washington's oldest 'magic formula' — backing ethnic separatism to fragment Iran...

Michael Rubin1 day ago

Trump Just Reopened His War on Iran — but One Former Pentagon Official Says He's Hitting the Wrong Targets Entirely

The Treaty

Trump Just Reopened His War on Iran — but One Former Pentagon Official Says He’s Hitting the Wrong Targets Entirely

After Iran's Revolutionary Guard struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump ordered renewed strikes and declared the interim deal dead. But former...

Michael Rubin6 days ago

Putin in Red Square in 2017 Creative Commons Image

Ukraine War

Putin May Try to Send NATO Leaders Home ‘in Body Bags’: Why the Ankara Summit Could Be Too Tempting a Target for the Kremlin

As leaders including President Trump gather in Ankara for the NATO summit, a new warning argues the event could be too tempting a target...

Michael RubinJuly 6, 2026

Swedish soldiers with the Wartofta Tank Company, Skaraborg Regiment in a Stridsvagn 122 main battle tank conduct the defensive operations lane during the Strong Europe Tank Challenge, June 7, 2018. U.S. Army Europe and the German Army co-host the third Strong Europe Tank Challenge at Grafenwoehr Training Area, June 3 - 8, 2018. The Strong Europe Tank Challenge is an annual training event designed to give participating nations a dynamic, productive and fun environment in which to foster military partnerships, form Soldier-level relationships, and share tactics, techniques and procedures. (U.S. Army photo by Gertrud Zach)

Ukraine War

NATO Needs Ukraine More Than Ukraine Needs NATO

Fresh off a week on Ukraine's front lines, analyst Michael Rubin makes a provocative case ahead of the NATO summit: the alliance now needs...

Michael RubinJuly 3, 2026

President Donald Trump boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Thursday, September 11, 2025, for a trip to New York. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Dollars and Sense

Iran Now Sees the Strait of Hormuz as a Cash Cow — and the Toll-Free Deal May Not Last

Iran now sees the Strait of Hormuz as a cash cow, one scholar argues — and the real danger of Trump's toll-free deal is...

Michael RubinJune 20, 2026

Israeli Air Force 69th Squadron - Operation New Order: F-15I jets eliminating Hezbollah and Hassan Nasrallah.

The Treaty

The Poison Pill Inside Trump’s Iran Deal: a Lebanon Ceasefire in a War America Isn’t Even Part Of

A Lebanon Ceasefire is Just a Poison Pill: Having signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, President Donald Trump is triumphant in rhetoric. While...

Michael RubinJune 18, 2026

Donald Trump at the Big Desk in Oval Office

The Treaty

Donald Trump’s Iran Deal Looks Like a Giant Mistake

The conventional wisdom says ending the Iran war helps Trump politically. One analyst argues the reverse — noting that George H.W. Bush had 89%...

Michael RubinJune 17, 2026

Uncategorized

‘Trump Made Neville Chamberlain Look Like Winston Churchill’: The Iran Deal Is Nothing Short of a Disaster

"Trump made Neville Chamberlain look like Winston Churchill," writes one veteran Middle East analyst, arguing the Iran deal repeats Obama's worst mistakes — leaving...

Michael RubinJune 15, 2026

President Donald Trump participates in the swearing-in ceremony for U.S. Ambassador to China David Purdue, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Iran Thinks Time Is Its Best Weapon Against America. Trump Needs to Take That Off the Table

Can Trump Extricate Himself from the Iran War?: When President George W. Bush ordered U.S. troops to invade Iraq almost a quarter century ago,...

Michael RubinJune 4, 2026

National Security Journal

Michael Rubin

The Treaty

There’s One Move That Could Keep Iran’s Hated Regime in Power — and Washington Insiders Keep Pushing Trump Toward It

The Treaty

Trump Just Reopened His War on Iran — but One Former Pentagon Official Says He’s Hitting the Wrong Targets Entirely

Ukraine War

Putin May Try to Send NATO Leaders Home ‘in Body Bags’: Why the Ankara Summit Could Be Too Tempting a Target for the Kremlin

Ukraine War

NATO Needs Ukraine More Than Ukraine Needs NATO

Dollars and Sense

Iran Now Sees the Strait of Hormuz as a Cash Cow — and the Toll-Free Deal May Not Last

The Treaty

The Poison Pill Inside Trump’s Iran Deal: a Lebanon Ceasefire in a War America Isn’t Even Part Of

The Treaty

Donald Trump’s Iran Deal Looks Like a Giant Mistake

Uncategorized

‘Trump Made Neville Chamberlain Look Like Winston Churchill’: The Iran Deal Is Nothing Short of a Disaster

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Iran Thinks Time Is Its Best Weapon Against America. Trump Needs to Take That Off the Table

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