Winfield Myers

Michael Rubin

Director of Policy Analysis

Michael Rubin specializes in Iran, Turkey and the Horn of Africa. His career includes time as a Pentagon official, with field experiences in Iran, Yemen, and Iraq, as well as engagements with the Taliban prior to 9/11. Mr. Rubin has also contributed to military education, teaching U.S. Navy and Marine units about regional conflicts and terrorism. His scholarly work includes several key publications, such as “Dancing with the Devil” and “Eternal Iran.” Rubin earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in history and a B.S. in biology from Yale University.

Articles by this Author
An Israeli airstrike on a village in South Lebanon; April 06, 2026.
Middle East Forum Online
The Lebanon Trap Inside the Iran Deal
The Problem Is That Hezbollah Continues to Pose an Existential Threat to Israel
June 19, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
President Donald Trump is pictured in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026.
Middle East Forum Online
The Iran Deal Has Serious Faults
With the U.S. Pledging Non-Interference in Domestic Affairs, the Revolutionary Guards May Believe They Have a Green Light to Slaughter Far More
June 18, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Spanish national team players during the 2025 UEFA Nations League quarterfinals.
Middle East Forum Observer
Should Spain Be Banned from the 2026 World Cup?
As a Genocidal Regime That Occupies Other People’s Territories, Moral Clarity and Consistency Require Spain to Sit Home
June 6, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Absent an active supreme leader — and there remains no proof-of-life for nominal Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen since his appointment — there are multiple Revolutionary Guards factions and power brokers; it is unclear whether any single one can deliver his competitors.
Middle East Forum Online
Iran Thinks Time Is Its Best Weapon Against America. Trump Needs to Take That off the Table
Not Only Will Half-Measures Fail, but a Diplomatic Bargain That Allows the Islamic Republic to Rebuild Will Be as Bad as a Loss
June 5, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Middle East Forum Online
Congressional Testimony from MEF’s Michael Rubin on Turkey’s Authoritarian Crackdown
Erdoğan’s Repression Is No Longer Only a Turkish Human Rights Crisis, but a Threat to U.S. Interests and Regional Stability
June 3, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Even if the region is temporarily stabilized, Trump and his team should have no illusions: There will be a wave of Iran-sponsored assassinations in the United States.
Middle East Forum Online
Deal or No Deal, Expect Iranian Assassinations
There Is Only One Sure Way to Prevent the Coming Bloodbath: End the Regime, Not Fund It
May 27, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Absent an active supreme leader — and there remains no proof-of-life for nominal Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen since his appointment — there are multiple Revolutionary Guards factions and power brokers; it is unclear whether any single one can deliver his competitors.
Middle East Forum Online
Trump Needs a Tougher Iran Negotiating Strategy
Once Trump Has a Credible Partner, He Should Dictate the Terms
May 25, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
On 5 May 2026, Turkey quietly unveiled its new “Yildirimhan” (“Lightning”) intercontinental ballistic missile at the SAHA 2026 Defence and Aerospace Exhibition in Istanbul. Turkish officials said the new missile could deliver a 3,000-kilogram warhead at Mach 25. Image: Locally produced missile and air defense vehicle manufactured in Türkiye; Jan. 10, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Turkey’s New Missiles Target India, Presage a New Kashmir Push
Erdoğan’s Islamist Ambition Is Not Limited to West Asia; He Has Increasingly Made the Kashmiri Separatist Cause His Own
May 24, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Sudan faces the largest internal displacement and hunger crisis in the world, caused by an ongoing civil war.
Middle East Forum Observer
Israel Should Deport European Flotilla Activists to Sudan
Jerusalem Should Deliver the Self-Described Human Rights Activists and Their Symbolic Aid to a State with Far Greater Crises
May 21, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the oldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah, in March 2023.
Middle East Forum Observer
Reza Pahlavi Can Take Inspiration from Taiwanese Presidents to Visit Arab States
Meeting Gulf Arab Leaders in an Airport Would Save Face for Both Sides but Break the Barrier That Has Kept Pahlavi Out
May 20, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Naval Station Rota, the largest American military base in Spain, hosts U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel.
Middle East Forum Observer
The U.S. Military Should Replace Rota with Gibraltar
Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Restricted Operations at the Naval Station to Express His Animosity Toward Trump and Sympathy to Iran
May 17, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Should any Turk who served in Cyprus and bore arms there appear at a European airport or land border checkpoint, they should face tens of thousands of Euros in fines and a decade in prison if they step foot anywhere in the European Union. Above, in Kyrenia (Girne), Turkish-occupied Cyprus, Turkish soldiers stand during Armed Forces Day, a Turkish national holiday; August 30, 2019.
Middle East Forum Online
Europe Will Have No Credibility Until Cyprus Is Resolved
Most European States Cannot Fight. They Excel at Military Law but Not at Combat Maneuver Warfare
May 13, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama consults frequently with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, after whom he openly models himself. Rome, Italy, November 13, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Albania Is the World’s Newest Narcostate Threat
Incumbent Prime Minister Edi Rama Has Taken the Country’s Criminality to a New Level
May 13, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Middle East Forum Observer
Weekend at Mojtaba’s
In the Islamic Republic, Trump Does Not Want to Lose to a Corpse
May 9, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Dissatisfied local groups and terrorist organizations now cooperate in Mali and Niger.
Middle East Forum Observer
To Counter the Islamic State in Africa, the U.S. Must Rely on Libya, Somaliland, and Rwanda
The Security Crisis Africa Now Faces Dwarfs the 2014 Rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
May 8, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
President Donald Trump and U.S. Envoy Massad Boulos, to the left of Trump, meet with African leaders at the White House in July 2025.
Middle East Forum Observer
Lifting Sanctions on Eritrea Will Lead to U.S. Strategic Defeat
For Trump to Push Forward with Boulos’ Proposal for Rapprochement Also Would Insult Ethiopian and Eritrean Americans
April 28, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Sudan's Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
Middle East Forum Observer
A Burhan Victory in Sudan Would Mean a New Round of Chaos
The Sudan Conflict Is a Humanitarian One, and It Risks Drawing Its Neighbors Into an Even Broader War
April 26, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
In Southern Yemen on February 5, 2026, the Saudi-backed Yemeni Army deploys security checkpoints in the streets of Hadramawt.
Middle East Forum Observer
Saudi Arabia Bungles Yemen—Again
When Saudi Forces Attacked Yemen’s Southern Forces, They Left a Vacuum Into Which Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Resurged
April 25, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
A U.S.-Iran nuclear deal must not repeat the mistakes of previous agreements.
Middle East Forum Observer
Has the Iran War Made Its Regime More Radical? Yes, and Easier to Eliminate
Hardliners Normally Are the Last Men Standing, and Trump Should Grant Their Wish to Fight to the Death
April 22, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Libyan joint forces soldiers march across the parade grounds at the opening ceremony of Flintlock 2026 in Sirte, Libya on April 14, 2026. Since 2005, Flintlock has served as U.S. Africa Command’s premier annual special operations exercise. This year’s exercise brought together more than 30 countries across Côte d’Ivoire and Libya to build lethality and readiness, strengthen counterterrorism skills and increase collaboration across borders. (Courtesy photo)
Middle East Forum Online
Africa Command Shows the Way in Libya
U.S. Africa Command Is Right to Choose Sirte as a Secondary Location
April 20, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin