18
December 2015
Past Event
The Middle East in Free Fall: The Islamic State, the Iranian Axis, and the Muslim World in Crisis

The Middle East in Free Fall: The Islamic State, the Iranian Axis, and the Muslim World in Crisis

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
December 18, 2015
18
December 2015
Past Event

1015 15th Street, N.W., 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Speakers:
Lee Smith

Former Senior Fellow

The Islamic State has proved to be incomparably effective and resilient. In the wake of attacks in the West attributed to ISIS or inspired by the organization, and with a deluge of migrants fleeing its violence, Western and Arab nations are fumbling for answers.

The solution is clear. ISIS’s center of gravity is in Syria and Iraq, where it continues to grow for one specific reason. With Shia militias waging a campaign of sectarian cleansing throughout the Middle East, Sunnis in the region believe that they are safer aligning with a Sunni terrorist organization than remaining vulnerable to the brutality of the Iranian-supported militias. Past and present American allies in the region explain that the strategy to stop ISIS begins with countering Iranian influence and convincing Sunnis that there is no need to align with ISIS.

Policy analysts at the White House are reluctant to take such steps for fear of angering Iran and jeopardizing the nuclear deal which the administration regards as its key foreign policy achievement. But in the absence of a course correction, the Middle East’s sectarian conflict will continue, with tens of thousands more dead and millions more in flight as refugees.

On December 18, Hudson Institute held a discussion on how to confront the problem consuming the Middle East and implement an effective policy course to destroy ISIS. Hudson Adjunct Fellow Michael Pregent, recently returned from a trip through the Middle East, shared his insights with Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Washington Bureau Chief of the Kuwaiti newspaper Alrai, and Hudson Senior Fellow Lee Smith.

Related Events
15
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Securing America’s Technological Edge: A Conversation with USPTO Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart
Featured Speakers:
Coke Morgan Stewart
Adam Mossoff
Getty Images
15
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Securing America’s Technological Edge: A Conversation with USPTO Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart

Hudson’s Urška Petrovčič will host US Patent and Trademark Office Acting Director Coke Stewart to discuss patent rights’ vital role in advancing American competitiveness.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Coke Morgan Stewart
Adam Mossoff
17
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Motwani Jadeja US-India Dialogue Series: US-India Relations and the Defense COMPACT
Featured Speakers:
Vikram J. Singh
Anthony Renzulli
Dr. Sameer Lalwani
Ingrid Henick
Moderator:
Aparna Pande
Getty images
17
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Motwani Jadeja US-India Dialogue Series: US-India Relations and the Defense COMPACT

Dr. Aparna Pande will host an expert panel to discuss how Washington and New Delhi can increase security collaboration to bolster security both bilaterally and multilaterally in the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Getty images
Featured Speakers:
Vikram J. Singh
Anthony Renzulli
Dr. Sameer Lalwani
Ingrid Henick
Moderator:
Aparna Pande
17
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Industry, Security, and Community: Senator David McCormick on the Nippon Steel–U.S. Steel Deal
Featured Speakers:
Senator David McCormick
Hiroshi Ono
Kevin Lewis
Moderators:
Joel Scanlon
William Chou
Getty Images
17
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Industry, Security, and Community: Senator David McCormick on the Nippon Steel–U.S. Steel Deal

Experts talk about why this deal supports American workers and communities, the major capital and technological investment, and how Nippon Steel’s investment advances American industrial and economic strength.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Senator David McCormick
Hiroshi Ono
Kevin Lewis
Moderators:
Joel Scanlon
William Chou
18
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Africa in the Dark: The Cost of Misguided International Energy Policies
Featured Speaker:
Professor Brenda Shaffer
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
Getty Images
18
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Africa in the Dark: The Cost of Misguided International Energy Policies

Hudson’s Zineb Riboua will host Professor Brenda Shaffer, faculty member of the Naval Postgraduate School and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, to discuss Dr. Shaffer’s latest research paper and international energy policy shifts that can help address the challenge. 

Getty Images
Featured Speaker:
Professor Brenda Shaffer
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua