ACADEMIA

Mark Dubowitz

CEO

The CEO of the leading Washington, DC think-tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Mark Dubowitz has been a constant presence on talk shows and opinion sections in the wake of the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023. Personally sanctioned by the Iranian regime in 2019, and accused in 2022 by Tehran's Intelligence Ministry of having played "a key role in organizing the rebellions against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Dubowitz has repeatedly emphasized that Iran seeks to eliminate Israel through a "ring of fire" strategy that deploys its proxies in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. Yet the powerful blows struck by the IDF against Iran and its allies over the last year present an opportunity to secure regime change, Dubowitz has argued. The recent military successes against Hezbollah and Hamas, and the destruction of Iran's central air defenses, "proves that the IDF is able to overcome a such a sophisticated adversary, using precise intelligence, advanced technology, and impressive aerial operations,” Dubowitz has written. "With the election of Donald Trump as president, a joint Israeli-American operation is not inconceivable and would significantly increase the chances of success, by combining Israel's operational precision and technological systems with American firepower and special forces, along with diplomatic cover."