Michael Sharnoff
November 1, 2024 2026-08-31 20:10Michael Sharnoff
Dr. Michael Sharnoff is Associate Professor at the National Defense University’s Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. In this role, he develops security-focused programs for government and civilian leaders to advance collective security and regional cooperation across the Middle East and North Africa. He leads engagements to deepen cooperation among countries in the MENA region to address shared security challenges, support capacity building and strengthen strategic ties between the United States and the Lebanese Armed Forces, and build trust through Track 1.5 and Track 2 dialogues. He has taught at Georgetown University and has guest lectured at Yarmouk University, High Point University, and American and Middle Eastern defense institutions. Prior to joining NESA, he served as Associate Professor of Middle East Studies and Director of Regional Studies at the Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security. While at DMGS, Dr. Sharnoff taught graduate courses on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the history and politics of the modern Middle East.
Dr. Sharnoff’s articles and editorials have appeared in Foreign Policy, Al Arabiya, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, The Washington Post, Contemporary Review of the Middle East, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Middle Eastern Studies and the British Journal of Middle East Studies, among other outlets. He holds a Ph.D. in Middle East Studies from King’s College, London.
Education:
- Ph.D., Middle East Studies, King’s College, London
- M.A., Middle Eastern History, Tel Aviv University
- B.A., History, College of Charleston
Areas of Interest:
- The history and politics of Egypt and the Levant
- The Arab-Israeli conflict
- Abraham Accords
- U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East
Books:
- Nasser’s Peace: Egypt’s Response to the 1967 War with Israel (Routledge, 2017). https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315110967/nasser-peace-michael-sharnoff
Journals and Magazines:
Michael Sharnoff, “Imagining Palestine in Iranian Stamps: 1980-1987,” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2026.2710124
Michael Sharnoff, “The Arab-Iranian Stamp War Over the Persian Gulf: 1949-1973,” The Journal of the Middle East and Africa, Vol. 16, Issue 3 (2025), pp. 1–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21520844.2025.2500765
- Michael Sharnoff, “The Hashemite Regime on Jordanian Postage Stamps: A Visual History of Nation-Building,” Alternatives (2024). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/03043754241292574
- Michael Sharnoff, “Arab Challenges to Jordan’s Custodianship of Holy Sites in Jerusalem,” Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 47, No. 3 (Spring 2024), pp. 57-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jsa.2024.a927947
- Michael Sharnoff, “Visualizing Palestine in Arab Postage Stamps: 1948-1967,” Middle Eastern Studies (2024). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00263206.2024.2314523
- Michael Sharnoff, “Jordanian Stamps of the Islamic Holy Places in Jerusalem: 1967-1989,” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (2023). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2023.2251129
- Michael Sharnoff, “Changing Attitudes Toward the West Bank in Jordan,” Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Fall 2022), pp. 44-70. DOI: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/865905
- Michael Sharnoff, “Maps of the West Bank in Jordanian Postage Stamps, 1952–1985,” Contemporary Review of the Middle East, Vol. 9, Issue 1 (March 2022), pp. 51-69. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/23477989211053177
- Michael Sharnoff, “Why Jordan Will Not Reannex the West Bank,” Foreign Policy, November 10, 2021. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/11/10/palestine-jordan-will-not-reannex-the-west-bank/
- Michael Sharnoff, “Nasser and the Palestinians,” Middle East Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Summer 2021), pp. 1-13. https://www.meforum.org/62399/nasser-and-the-palestinians
- Michael Sharnoff, “Five Domestic and Regional Security Challenges for Jordan in 2021,” Strategic Assessment, Vol. 24, No. 2 (April 2021), pp. 129-133. https://www.inss.org.il/publication/five-domestic-and-regional-security-challenges-for-jordan-in-2021/
- Michael Sharnoff, “Don’t Pursue Saudi-Israeli Peace at Jordan’s Expense,” Foreign Policy, January 26, 2021. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/26/dont-pursue-saudi-israeli-peace-at-jordans-expense/
- Michael Sharnoff, “Does Jordan Want the West Bank?” Middle East Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Fall 2020), pp. 1-11. https://www.meforum.org/61461/does-jordan-want-the-west-bank
