Michael Rubin (historian)

Michael Rubin
Michael Rubin
Born	1971 (age 52–53); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Yale University, B.S. biology, 1994 Yale University, Ph.D. history, 1999

Michael Rubin (born 1971) is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He previously worked as an official at the Pentagon, where he dealt with issues relating to the Middle East, and as political adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority.^[1] He writes frequently on issues relating to the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, Taiwan, and American diplomacy.

Biography

Early life

A native of Philadelphia, Rubin earned both his B.S. in biology (1994) and his Ph.D. in history (1999) from Yale University.^[1] His dissertation, The Making of Modern Iran, 1858–1909: Communications, Telegraph and Society won Yale's John Addison Porter Prize.^[2]

Career

Rubin has lectured in history at Yale University, Hebrew University, Johns Hopkins University, and worked as visiting lecturer at Universities of Sulaymaniyah, Salahuddin, and Duhok, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.^{[citation needed]} From 2002 until 2004, Rubin served as a staff adviser on Iran and Iraq for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.^[3] Between 2003 and 2004, Rubin worked as a political adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad.^[4]

Between 2004 and 2009, he was editor of the Middle East Quarterly.^{[citation needed]} He has received fellowships from the Council on Foreign Relations,^[5] and the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.^{[citation needed]}

Since 2007 and 2021, he taught senior U.S. Army, U.S. Marine, and U.S. Navy leadership prior to their deployment to Iraq, the Persian Gulf, and Afghanistan as a lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School.^[1]

Rubin is also a Contributing Editor for the online national security website 19FortyFive.^[6]

Turkey shut down order

In 2017, Turkey ordered Twitter to shut down the Twitter account of Rubin, accusing him of insulting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey. Twitter faced potential fines under Turkish law if it failed to comply. Rubin's critical tweets had sparked the legal dispute.^[7]

Bibliography

Seven Pillars: What Really Causes Instability in the Middle East? (co-editor, with Brian Katulus, AEI Press, 2019)
Kurdistan Rising (AEI Press, 2016)
Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes. New York: Encounter Books, 2014. (ISBN 978-1594037238)
The Shi'ites of the Middle East (co-author, AEI Press, 2014)
Dissent and Reform in the Arab World (editor, AEI Press, 2008)
Eternal Iran: Continuity and Chaos (co-author with Patrick Clawson). London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. (ISBN 978-1403962768)
Into the Shadows: Radical Vigilantes in Khatami's Iran. Washington: Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2001. (ISBN 9780944029459)