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Middle East, Diplomacy, Economics and trade, Energy security, Grand strategy, International security, Israel-Hamas, Israel-Iran, and Syria

Rosemary Kelanic

Director, Middle East Program

Defense Priorities

Rosemary Kelanic is director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities.

Kelanic publishes widely on energy security, great power politics, and U.S. grand strategy in the Middle East. Her work has appeared in outlets ranging from Foreign Affairs and Security Studies to the New York Times and the Washington Post. Kelanic’s book, Black Gold and Blackmail: Oil and Great Power Politics (Cornell University Press, 2020), explains the differences in energy security strategies that great powers adopt, while her edited volume (with Charles L. Glaser), Crude Strategy: Rethinking the U.S. Military Commitment to Defend Persian Gulf Oil (Georgetown University Press, 2016), urges a reappraisal of U.S. engagement in the region. Kelanic spent 10 years teaching political science at the University of Notre Dame and Williams College prior to entering the policy world. She earned her PhD in political science from the University of Chicago and her BA, summa cum laude, from Bryn Mawr College.

In the mediaIsrael‑Iran, Middle East

Is Iran really a threat to the United States? A debate

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

June 25, 2025

On this episode of “The Opinions,” the director of the editorial board David Leonhardt moderates a discussion between the Opinion […]

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

The real obstacle to peace with Iran

By Rosemary Kelanic and Jennifer Kavanagh

June 25, 2025

In the mediaIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

As Israel and Iran weigh truce, U.S. troops in region remain on alert

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

June 24, 2025

More from Rosemary Kelanic

In the mediaIsrael‑Iran, Middle East

Is Iran really a threat to the United States? A debate

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

June 25, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

The real obstacle to peace with Iran

By Rosemary Kelanic and Jennifer Kavanagh

June 25, 2025

In the mediaIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

As Israel and Iran weigh truce, U.S. troops in region remain on alert

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

June 24, 2025

In the mediaIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Nuclear weapons

Trump claims Iran nuclear sites ‘totally destroyed’—but that clashes with Vance and U.S. intelligence

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

June 23, 2025

Press ReleaseIsrael‑Iran, Middle East

Deescalation in the Middle East is welcome

By Rosemary Kelanic

June 23, 2025

In the mediaIsrael‑Iran, Middle East

With risky strike, Trump puts presidency on the line

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

June 22, 2025

Rosemary Kelanic Past Virtual Events

virtualGreat power competition, Balance of power, China, Grand strategy, Middle East

Past Virtual Event: U.S.-China competition and the value of Middle East influence

June 10, 2025
virtualMiddle East, Basing and force posture, Diplomacy, Houthis, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Israel‑Hamas, Military analysis, Syria

Past Virtual Event: Trump in the Middle East: Impacts, implications, and alternatives

May 16, 2025
virtualSyria, Balance of power, Basing and force posture, Counterterrorism, Middle East, Military analysis

Past Virtual Event: Syria after Assad: Prospects for U.S. withdrawal

February 21, 2025
virtualMiddle East, Alliances, Diplomacy, Israel, Military analysis

Past Virtual Event: Assessing a formal U.S.-Saudi alliance

October 17, 2024
virtualMiddle East, Grand strategy, Israel‑Iran

Past Virtual Event: Does the Middle East still matter?

February 6, 2024

Rosemary Kelanic Featured Symposia

symposiumGrand strategy

Realistic recommendations for Trump II

January 13, 2025