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Filtered by: Middle East & North Africa

Murrett Discusses Strait of Hormuz, Project Freedom Pause With CBS News, Newsweek, RadioFreeEurope

“Iran does have significant leverage due to geography and capability. At the same time, it is very much in Iran’s interest to keep the strait open, given how much of its economy depends on exports moving through it. Our military posture is important in creating leverage for a diplomatic solution that would allow free and open navigation,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

May 7, 2026

Reeher Discusses What Comes Next After Trump Signs Bill Ending DHS Shutdown With LiveNOW from FOX

“I think where it's going to go from here is back to where it started, and that is you're going to see a lot of debate and conflict over what is going on on the ground with the immigration enforcement efforts,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

May 4, 2026

Murrett Speaks With CBS News, The Hill About the Strait of Hormuz Naval Blockade

“I think the next couple of days would be crucial to see what the [Iranian] response is,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. “It’s going to be a pretty dicey operation, I think it can be carried out, but the next couple of days are critical in terms of how it’s carried forward,” he says.

April 15, 2026

Khalil Quoted in Clarín Article on the Middle East Ceasefire

Osamah Khalil, professor of history, predicts that “if an agreement is reached based on the Iranian proposal, especially the lifting of sanctions and guarantees against future attacks, Tehran will emerge from this war battered but victorious, just the opposite of what Trump and Netanyahu claimed would happen.”
April 13, 2026

McDowell Discusses the Petrodollar Era and Currency Debasement With DW News, Financial Times

“There is an instrumental reason to start warning people about currency debasement, even if you don’t deep down think it’s real, if you profit from this,” says Daniel McDowell, Maxwell Advisory Board Professor of International Affairs.

April 8, 2026

Koch Talks to Washington Post About Saudi Arabia’s Record Donation to the Smithsonian National Zoo

“An easy way to show that you are waving the Saudi flag in an appropriate way and in a way that supports the country and its investments and its interests is by doing that in D.C. in particular,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.

April 3, 2026

Huber Weighs In on Iran War Fuel Disruptions in Wall Street Journal Article

“It is going to be a pretty long-term problem, even if they reopen the Strait of Hormuz today,” says Matthew Huber, professor of geography and the environment.

March 24, 2026

Reeher Quoted in The Hill Article on the Trump, Losing Control of Iran War

“I do think it’s a particular moment of danger [for Trump]. Up to now, there has been this drip-drip-drip erosion in the president’s support. This one, to me, has more of a potential to open up a floodgate,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

March 23, 2026

McDowell Speaks With Newsweek About the Economic Impact of the War in Iran

Daniel McDowell, Maxwell Advisory Board Professor of International Affairs, says he is concerned the conflict could “result in renewed attacks from the White House on the independence of the Federal Reserve. As oil prices rise and put upward pressure on prices, this makes it less likely that the Fed will cut rates, something President Trump has been demanding for his entire second presidency.”

March 19, 2026

Khalil Discusses the War in Iran and Trump’s Legacy With the National News Desk, Spectrum News

“Having been attacked twice in less than a year by the United States and Israel, including the assassinations of a significant number of political, military and religious leaders, Iran is determined to reestablish deterrence,” says Osamah Khali, professor of history.

March 18, 2026

Murrett Talks to CBS News and Newsweek About the Iran War

“You do have to look at the economic implications, not just in terms of what it's doing to energy markets, but also our allies—the Gulf states—the tremendous hit that they've taken just as a center of gravity, whether it's tourism, the airlines going through there and also for commerce,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. 

March 13, 2026

Expert on the Arabian Peninsula Traces Gulf's Past, Present and Uncertain Future in Maxwell Talk

Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow at the Middle East Institute Daniel Benaim offered a sweeping analysis of America's relationship with the Gulf states. 

March 13, 2026

Williams Discusses Iran’s Denial of a Second Strike on Turkey With DW News

“It's always possible that it could be a rogue missile, however, the Iranians have struck all across the region so rather than isolating their attacks to just U.S. targets and Israeli targets who are conducting the military operations against them, it looks like they've targeted purposefully Turkey as well as all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council,” says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.

March 12, 2026

Monarch Quoted in WGRZ Article on the Economic Impact of the Conflict in the Middle East

“It's true that there's a direct feedback into the gasoline prices that people face at the pump. But it's such an important commodity for all of the other production that goes on in our economy,” says Ryan Monarch, associate professor of economics.

March 6, 2026

Murrett Joins CBS News to Discuss the US-Israeli War With Iran

“There's certainly more potential of retaliation. Having said that, their military capabilities overall, which were already somewhat degraded just based upon attacks that have taken place in the last several months, have been degraded even further,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. 

March 2, 2026

Khalil Discusses the Tensions in the Middle East, Negotiations Between the US and Iran With CBS News

“The Iranians have indicated...that they are willing to have a deal. What they want are their rights to enrich uranium that are guaranteed under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), that any country who signed on the the NPT has. But the Trump administration is insisting that there be no enrichment at all,” says Osamah Khalil, professor of history.

February 26, 2026

Murrett Talks to Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal and 570 WSYR About US-Iran Tensions

“Defining our mission objectives will be key for any use of force again Iran, that is, one which can credibly lead to meeting a strategic end state,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

February 5, 2026

Murrett Speaks With CBS News About US-Iran Relations

“This was a level of killings and suppression which is different in scale from anything we've seen in the last few years of protest movements...and it hasn't really solved any of the underlying problems that exist in Iran, nor the anger that so many of their people have against the regime,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

January 22, 2026

Khalil Discusses Phase Two of the Gaza Peace Plan With CBS News

“We're still not very close to phase two coming into place. Hamas is unlikely to disarm willingly and Israel is not going to be able to disarm them,” says Osamah Khalil, chair of the International Relations Undergraduate Program.

January 5, 2026

Khalil Quoted in PolitiFact Article on President Trump’s Speech in Israel

Osamah Khalil, professor of history and expert on the modern Middle East, says it’s untrue that Obama or Biden “held a personal animus toward Israel, especially Biden. Indeed, both administrations oversaw expansions in U.S. military assistance and coordination with Israel.”

October 13, 2025

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