English-Speaking World and Turkish Culture Joint Program
Program: U.S. Policy in the Middle East
The Middle East is mired in one of the most unstable periods in its modern history. While each country faces unique challenges, a range of cross-border issues shape the wider region,
from proxy warfare and terrorism to migration and shifting regional alliances.
A decade after the Arab Spring began, what are the key issues most likely to face the next U.S. administration? How should the US deploy its diplomatic, military, and other assets to meet these challenges? And what are the limits of American engagement?
Presenter: Joe Yackley
Joe Yackley is a diplomat at the US State Department, currently based in Istanbul, Turkey from where he reports on Iran. Prior to joining the Department of State, Joe roamed around Europe and the Middle East as a journalist, consultant, and academic. He has held fellowships from the Robert Bosch Foundation, the International Center for Journalists, and the Fulbright Program. Joe holds a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, where his dissertation is still prescribed to treat acute cases of insomnia. He is a co-author of a marginally more interesting book on international political risk, entitled "Risk Rules: How Local Politics Threaten the Global Economy.” Most importantly, he is the son of IWA stalwart, Sel Yackley.