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Middle East, Economics and trade, and Energy security

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 mediaUS‑Israel‑Iran, Middle East

Oil hits $100 a barrel for first time since July as U.S. and Iran trade strikes

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

September 9, 2026

Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East program at Defense Priorities, tells TIME the current stalemate is a way for […]

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

Vance says Iran fight isn’t a ‘war’ as Trump tries to navigate unpopular conflict as election nears

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

September 4, 2026

In the mediaIran, Middle East, US‑Israel‑Iran

Hurting Everyday Iranians Doesn’t Help American Interests

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

September 2, 2026

More from Rosemary Kelanic

In the mediaUS‑Israel‑Iran, Middle East

Oil hits $100 a barrel for first time since July as U.S. and Iran trade strikes

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

September 9, 2026

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

Vance says Iran fight isn’t a ‘war’ as Trump tries to navigate unpopular conflict as election nears

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

September 4, 2026

In the mediaIran, Middle East, US‑Israel‑Iran

Hurting Everyday Iranians Doesn’t Help American Interests

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

September 2, 2026

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

America First!? Why Trump Is Making U.S. Taxpayers Pay to Keep Hormuz Open for the World

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

August 30, 2026

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

Why the United States Can’t Quit Its Wars

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

August 30, 2026

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

Trump’s Iran war gamble explained

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

August 29, 2026

Rosemary Kelanic Past Events

virtualMiddle East

What’s Next for U.S. Foreign Policy in 2026? Middle East Edition

January 14, 2026
virtualGreat power competition, Balance of power, China, Grand strategy, Middle East

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

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

Syria after Assad: Prospects for U.S. withdrawal

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

Assessing a formal U.S.-Saudi alliance

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

Does the Middle East still matter?

February 6, 2024

Rosemary Kelanic Featured Symposia

symposiumWestern Hemisphere

Americas first: A shift to hemispheric defense

February 10, 2026

symposiumGrand strategy

Realistic recommendations for Trump II

January 13, 2025