Advisory Board

The Advisory Board consists of academic specialists in Middle East studies who advise Campus Watch and provide insights into developments in the field.

David Cook
Professor of Religion
Rice University
Areas of expertise: early Islam, Muslim apocalyptic literature and movements for radical social change, dreams, historical astronomy, Judeo-Arabic literature, and West African Islam.
https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/david-cook

Philip Carl Salzman
Professor of Anthropology
McGill University
Areas of expertise: Iran, India
http://www.mcgill.ca/anthropology/people/fulltime/philipsalzman

Kemal Silay
Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies Endowed Chair Professor
Indiana University, Bloomington
Areas of expertise: Ottoman and Turkish history and literature, Turkish language studies.
https://sgis.indiana.edu/faculty/directory/silay-kemal.html

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Qatar’s Missile Strike Was a ‘Performative Attack’
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President Trump gave Khamenei an opening to end the Israeli campaign diplomatically, though under far worse terms than Iran could have secured weeks ago. Bizarrely, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader chose to threaten the U.S. over its potential involvement in the attacks.
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Busting Iran’s Nuclear Gambit, Trump Breaks New Ground for U.S. Power in Region
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Lazar Berman
America’s entry into the war against Iran is the latest step up an escalation spiral that began in October 2023. An Israeli Air Force F-16 pilot readies for action against Iran; June 13, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Iran Is Isolated Against the U.S. and Israel
June 23, 2025
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Jonathan Spyer
People protest in 2023 against the regime with the former national flag of Iran and supporters of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
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Trump’s ‘Make Iran Great Again’ Strikes a Chord with Iranians amid Airstrikes
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Mardo Soghom
Mohammed Elahi, the imam at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn, Michigan, took to Facebook last week to call on President Donald Trump to pursue dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran, a regime that has been describing the United States as "The Great Satan" for decades. Elahi, who has long standing ties to the Iranian regime, leads a mosque whose online library included texts that promoted notions of Islamic supremacism over non-Muslims.
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Dexter Van Zile
Reza Pahlavi, crown prince of Iran, in 2023.
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Yes, Reza Pahlavi Must Overhaul His Organization and Move to the Region
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June 23, 2025
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Shay Khatiri
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
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Israel Should Challenge Erdoğan’s Hypocrisy on Gaza and Cyprus
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June 23, 2025
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Nicoletta Kouroushi
The city of Abu Dhabi, capital of Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, is located on a island in the Persian Gulf.
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The United Arab Emirates Should Seize Back Its Islands
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Michael Rubin
If Iran moves to close the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. should issue an ultimatum to Iran’s two navies—the IRGC’s coastal patrol and the regular blue-water navy to either dock and surrender or be sunk, thus ensuring freedom of navigation without a broader, destructive war on Iranian soil.
Middle East Forum Online
Iran May Close Strait of Hormuz: ‘Take the Oil’ and Sink the Navy
The U.S. Should Counter This Threat by Seizing Kharg Island, the Terminal Through Which 90 Percent of Iran’s Oil Is Exported
June 22, 2025
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Michael Rubin
The partnership between India and Israel is strengthened by a personal friendship between the two prime ministers.
Middle East Forum Observer
Understanding India’s Dilemma in the Israel-Iran War
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June 22, 2025
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Abhinav Pandya