On January 31st, Edward Luttwak and Michael Doran will debate "Is the Middle East strategically important?"

Edward Luttwak is a strategist and historian famous for books including Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook and The Rise of China vs. the Logic of Strategy. He has previously served as a consultant to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. 

Michael Doran is senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute. He previously served as a senior director in the National Security Council and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.