(Washington, DC – February 5) Dana Stroul, who just completed service as the Pentagon’s top civilian official with responsibility for the Middle East, has rejoined The Washington Institute as its new Research Director, the organization announced today. Stroul, who will also be the Institute’s Shelly and Michael Kassen Fellow, succeeds Morningstar Fellow Patrick Clawson, who has been named to the new post of Research Counselor. 
 
"Research, scholarship and policy expertise are the foundation of The Washington Institute and we are delighted to strengthen that core element of our work with this new set of appointments,” said Segal Executive Director Robert Satloff, the Institute’s Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in U.S. Middle East Policy. 
 
“We are thrilled to welcome Dana Stroul back to the Institute in this leadership position,” Satloff added. “With her years of experience in both the executive and legislative branches, Dana’s unique understanding of U.S. policy toward the Middle East will enhance our ability to respond effectively to the demands of government with ideas, analysis and timely, action-oriented recommendations.

 

"Dana is a worthy successor to Patrick Clawson, who has contributed immeasurably to the Institute’s success for over twenty-six years and to whom we express our gratitude for a job very well done. In his new position, Patrick will continue to play a vital role in developing our analytical product, especially in terms of research on Iran and regional economic issues. With Dana and Patrick in these new roles, the Institute is poised to go from strength to strength.”  

 

As deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East for the past three years, Stroul led the development and execution of U.S. defense policy in the region during an especially turbulent period that included accelerating integrated air and maritime defense, addressing Iran’s destabilizing activities, formulating the U.S. approach to strategic competition, sustaining the DEFEAT-ISIS coalition, and responding to the Israel-Hamas War. Her appointment to this position followed three years as a senior fellow at the Institute, a highlight of which was her role as co-chair of the bipartisan, Congressionally-mandated Syria Study Group.
 
Previously, Stroul served for five years as senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where she covered the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey. In that capacity, she played a central role in the oversight of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which included overseeing U.S. foreign assistance and weapons sales as well as crafting relevant legislation. Previously, she worked for five years on Middle East policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, focusing on such issues as U.S.-Egypt relations, the U.S. military drawdown in Iraq, and a review of U.S. government policies and programs in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
 
She holds an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and BA from the University of Virginia in Middle East Studies and Religious Studies.