From 15–19 April 2024, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted a seminar titled “The United States and the Middle East in 2025” at the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, D.C. The program was designed to provide an academic setting in which officers could better understand the upcoming U.S. election’s impact on foreign policy strategy and priorities, identify key partnerships in the Middle East and shared security interests, and consider options to improve U.S.-Lebanon relations and regional stability.
NESA Center Adjunct Professor Dr. Jennifer Jefferis and NESA Center Associate Professor Dr. Michael Sharnoff led the seminar, which focused on four main themes: understanding the U.S. government, U.S. global priorities, U.S. engagement in the Middle East, and the U.S. and Lebanon in 2025. The NESA Center also organized a visit for participants to visit the U.S. Capitol and met with Dennis Hertel, a six-term former Democratic Member of Congress from Michigan.
Thirty-five members of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) took part in the program, with discussions held off-the-record under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution. It was structured so the participants could engage with the speakers to enrich the interaction and seminar experience.