“The US Government’s Formulation of Middle East Policies: An Insider’s Perspective”

In his talk Col. Joel Rayburn will provide a description of the US national security decision-making process and structures, which he has been part of and in various capacities over more than two decades. This will including a discussion and analysis of the US government’s major institutional players and their respective ways of doing business. Building on his personal involvement and experience as well as his academic work, Col. Rayburn will then examine three policy cases that spanned the Obama and Trump administrations. They are: Syria, Iran, and the campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).