The 2020-2021 Foreign Policy Forum Series is presented by Hitachi Healthcare Americas.

Multiple issues surround the U.S.-Iran relationship and now face the Biden Administration. A primary policy consideration  is Iran’s nuclear program and the possibility of restoring the 2015 nuclear agreement. How can the Biden Administration work to prevent a Iranian nuclear weapons program and increase security in the Middle East through relations with Iran? How will the Biden Administration choose to engage with Iranian counterparts? Outside of bilateral and nuclear issues, multilateral diplomacy will likely be a central focus for how the United States will engage with Iran and others in the Middle East. What might U.S. multilateral diplomacy look like in a region filled with challenging actors?

On February 23, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs will host Paul Pillar and Kelsey Davenport for a dynamic conversation about the challenges facing the Biden Administration’s policy towards Iran and the Middle East.

Paul Pillar is a Nonresident Senior Fellow of the Center for Security Studies in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a Fellow of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He had a 28 year career in the U.S. intelligence community and most recently served as National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia. Earlier he served in analytical and managerial positions, including as chief of analytic units at the CIA covering portions of the Near East, the Persian Gulf, and South Asia.

Kelsey Davenport is the Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, where she focuses on the nuclear and missile programs in Iran, North Korea, India, and Pakistan. She also reports on developments in these areas for Arms Control Today and runs the Arms Control Association’s project assessing the effectiveness of multilateral voluntary initiatives that contribute to nonproliferation efforts. Prior to joining the Arms Control Association, she worked at a think tank in Jerusalem researching Middle East security issues.

Registration for this event is now closed. The podcast recording will be posted in our podcasts section after the event.