Steven Simon

Steven Simon is the professor of practice in Middle Eastern studies at the Jackson School of International Relations, University of Washington, and a senior research analyst at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He is the author of Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East.

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Articles by Steven Simon
Biden and Mohammed bin Salman walk next to each other.
Biden and Mohammed bin Salman walk next to each other.

The U.S. Should Ask for More From Saudi Arabia

Argument
Steven Simon, Aaron David Miller
Flags of Saudi Arabia and Israel stand together in a kitchen staging area as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds meetings at the State Department in Washington on Oct. 14, 2021.
Flags of Saudi Arabia and Israel stand together in a kitchen staging area as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds meetings at the State Department in Washington on Oct. 14, 2021.

Is Saudi-Israeli Normalization Worth It?

Analysis
Aaron David Miller, Steven Simon
Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden gestures during a speech at Tel Aviv University in Israel on March 11, 2010. Biden was in the Middle East to meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then-Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden gestures during a speech at Tel Aviv University in Israel on March 11, 2010. Biden was in the Middle East to meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then-Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Biden Is About to Have His Hands Full in the Middle East

Argument
Aaron David Miller, Steven Simon
U.S. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One.
U.S. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One.

What to Expect From Biden’s Big Middle East Trip

Analysis
Aaron David Miller, Steven Simon
A convoy of Taliban fighters patrol along a street in Kabul on Sept. 2.
A convoy of Taliban fighters patrol along a street in Kabul on Sept. 2.

Afghanistan Was a Ponzi Scheme Sold to the American Public

Argument
Alan Richards, Steven Simon
U.S. Army troops from the 10th Mountain Division collect their duffels after returning from a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan to Fort Drum, New York, on Dec. 8, 2020.
U.S. Army troops from the 10th Mountain Division collect their duffels after returning from a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan to Fort Drum, New York, on Dec. 8, 2020.

What to Do With U.S. Forces in the Persian Gulf

Argument
Steven Simon, Richard Sokolsky
An activist wearing a mask of U.S. President Donald Trump marches with a model of a nuclear rocket during a demonstration against nuclear weapons in Berlin on Nov. 18, 2017.
An activist wearing a mask of U.S. President Donald Trump marches with a model of a nuclear rocket during a demonstration against nuclear weapons in Berlin on Nov. 18, 2017.

The United States’ Nuclear Peril Will Outlast This Administration

Argument
David Schwartz, Steven Simon
President George W. Bush declares the end of major combat in Iraq under a “Mission Accomplished” banner aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln off the California coast on May 1, 2003.
President George W. Bush declares the end of major combat in Iraq under a “Mission Accomplished” banner aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln off the California coast on May 1, 2003.

Trump’s Epic Coronavirus Fail Follows Bush’s 9/11 Playbook

Argument
Steven Simon
U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the podium after making a statement on Iran at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3.
U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the podium after making a statement on Iran at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3.

Trump’s ‘Wag the Dog’ Moment

Argument
Steven Simon, Daniel Benjamin
Members of the U.S. military carry the flags of Israel and the United States before the arrival of then Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman in Washington on April 26, 2018.
Members of the U.S. military carry the flags of Israel and the United States before the arrival of then Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman in Washington on April 26, 2018.

Should the United States and Israel Make It Official?

Argument
Steven Simon
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a military parade marking the country’s annual Army Day in Tehran on April 18.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a military parade marking the country’s annual Army Day in Tehran on April 18.

How to Prevent an Accidental War With Iran

Argument
Steven Simon, Richard Sokolsky
Syria Civil Defence volunteers attempt to put out a fire in rebel-held Idlib province on Feb. 7, 2018 (Amer Alhamwe/AFP/Getty Images)
Syria Civil Defence volunteers attempt to put out a fire in rebel-held Idlib province on Feb. 7, 2018 (Amer Alhamwe/AFP/Getty Images)

Syria’s Three Wars

Argument
Steven Simon
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458277594jordancrop

Just Because You Quote Clint Eastwood Doesn’t Make You a Cowboy

Argument
Steven Simon, James Fromson
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

‘Tonkinitis’ in Iraq

Argument
Steven Simon
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The Real Shock of Fort Hood

Argument
Steven Simon, Jonathan Stevenson
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