Flynt Leverett

Until March 2003, he served at the White House as Senior Director for Middle East Affairs at the National Security Council; in this role, he advised President Bush and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice on Arab-Israeli issues and U.S. relations with Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

Previously, Dr. Leverett served on the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff, handling Middle East and counterterrorism issues; for his contributions to the formation of an international coalition to fight terror following the September 11 attacks (he worked an all-nighter on 9/11 with Colin Powell, developing diplomatic strategies to go after Al Qaida and the Taliban), he was given the State Department's Superior Honor Award. For eight years before that, he was a senior analyst of Middle East and South Asian affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Dr. Leverett frequently comments on Middle Eastern affairs and other international issues in the national and international media. He has appeared on a wide range of news and public affairs programs, including the BBC's The Doha Debates, CNN's Capitol Gang and Lou Dobbs Tonight, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, NPR's Fresh Air with Terri Gross, and PBS's The Newshour With Jim Lehrer, as well as The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. He has also published articles and editorials on various Middle Eastern topics in the New York Times, The Financial Times, and The American Prospect.

Dr. Leverett is the author of Inheriting Syria: Bashar's Trial By Fire, a study of Syrian politics and policymaking under Bashar al-Assad that also offers analysis and recommendations regarding U.S. policy toward this critical country. He is the editor of The Road Ahead: Middle East Policy in the Bush Administrations Second Term, just published by the Saban Center, and is currently working on two other books — one on the future of Saudi Arabia and another on the implications of China's rise as a major player on the Middle Eastern energy scene.

Dr. Leverett has spoken to prestigious groups in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, including the Council on Foreign Relations, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (London) and the Institut Francais des Relations Internationales (Paris). He has provided expert testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, advised members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and appeared before distinguished business audiences.

Programs:

The Middle East, Global Energy And The Changing Structure Of Oil Markets

Emerging Markets In The Middle East: Opportunities And Risks

The Future Of Saudi Arabia

The Middle East And Global Terrorism