Author Archive
Bilal Y. Saab
Middle East Institute

Bilal Y. Saab is senior fellow and director of the Defense and Security Program at the Middle East Institute. He previously served as a senior advisor for security cooperation with oversight responsibilities for the U.S. CENTCOM Area of Responsibility in the Pentagon’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
Ideas
Esper’s Curious Partners-and-Allies Initiative
Why now? And are the combatant commanders on board?
- Bilal Y. Saab
Ideas
The Coming F-35 Fiasco
Now that Qatar is asking for the jet, it’s time to consider an entirely different approach to helping Gulf nations defend themselves.
- Bilal Y. Saab
Ideas
We Need a Better China Policy in the Middle East
With allies and direct lines to Beijing, Washington must do more to keep China’s presence in the region from becoming a threat.
- Bilal Y. Saab and Joseph Votel
Ideas
For Saudi Arabia, What Now?
Riyadh has military options for retaliating against Iran. The Trump administration needs to persuade Saudi leaders not to use them.
- Bilal Y. Saab
Ideas
Trump’s New Arms-Sales Policy Is Good but Sounds Awful
We must reintegrate arms exports into the U.S. foreign-policy process — and do a far better job of explaining why than the Trump administration has managed so far.
- Bilal Y. Saab
Ideas
Obama's Last Chance To Change the Saudi Arabia Playbook
The U.S. can't be the sole guardian of the Gulf forever. It's time to bring in some more friends.
- Bilal Y. Saab
Ideas
Beyond Airstrikes, How the US Can Accelerate the Islamic State’s Defeat
Time is not on Washington’s side, despite greater clarity of the military, political and economic efforts it will take to defeat the Islamic State. By Bilal Y. Saab
- Bilal Y. Saab
Ideas
Why the Persian Gulf Isn’t Ready for Joint Security
Stop pretending, U.S. partners in the Persian Gulf don’t trust each other or agree on Iran. By Bilal Y. Saab
- Bilal Y. Saab
Ideas
Forget the Second Carrier, It's Time to Rethink the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf
It’s not the size of the fleet, it’s how you use it, and PC ships are smaller, more agile and better for Mideast allies. By Bilal Y. Saab and Joseph Singh
- Bilal Y. Saab and Joseph Singh