Michael Singh, Former NSC Middle East Official, Named Washington Institute Managing Director

Michael Singh, a former senior White House official responsible for Middle East affairs and a strong voice in the national debate over the direction of U.S. policy in the region, will join the leadership team of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy in the new position of managing director, the research organization announced today.

Singh, who served as senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council, is a former visiting fellow at The Washington Institute. In his new capacity, Singh will pursue a broad research agenda relating to U.S. strategy in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iran, Arab-Israeli relations, and the changes currently sweeping the region. In addition, he will supervise key aspects of the Institute's operations to strengthen the policy impact of the organization's research and analysis.

"Mike Singh brings an extraordinary range of talent, insight, and experience to The Washington Institute," said Dr. Robert Satloff, executive director. "I am thrilled that he will play a key role in advancing our efforts to improve the quality of U.S. Middle East policy through ideas, research, and scholarship."

Singh was involved in Middle East affairs throughout the George W. Bush administration. In his NSC role, he advised the president and other senior officials on topics including Iran's nuclear program, its support for terrorism in Iraq and elsewhere, the Annapolis peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and the defense of democracy and human rights in the region. Singh played a key role in supporting Lebanon's Cedar Revolution, strengthening the U.S.-Israel strategic relationship, and designing a sanctions program to pressure the Iranian regime.

"With the addition of Mike Singh, the Institute gains a powerful and principled voice in the furthering of core American interests and values in the Middle East," said Institute chairman Howard Berkowitz and president Martin Gross. "His contribution will enable the Institute to go from strength to strength."

Prior to serving at the NSC, Singh was special assistant to ecretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, traveling with them to more than fifty countries to advance the U.S. foreign policy agenda. A former foreign service officer, he also served at the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv as an aide to Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer.

"I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with The Washington Institute's remarkable group of scholars to help the U.S. government promote America's national security interests in the Middle East," Singh said. "Building on more than twenty-five years of excellence, the Institute is poised to make an even greater impact on policymaking at a time when the seismic events in the Middle East demonstrate the continuing importance of this region to America and the world."

A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School, Singh first joined The Washington Institute in 2008. He has contributed to numerous newspapers, journals, and other publications, and is a frequent commentator in U.S. and international media. He has taught economics at Harvard University and served as an adjunct fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Singh lives in Virginia with his wife and sons.