In the recently released book Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama—edited by former Bush national security advisor Stephen J. Hadley—readers have first-time access to thirty declassified Transition Memoranda drafted by Bush administration experts along with candid policy reappraisals by these same officials. The volume offers an opportunity for fresh ideas and analysis as the international community grapples with Iran’s ever-higher nuclear enrichment and aggressive regional posture.
To discuss insights from the book and how they apply today, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum with Elliott Abrams, Dennis Ross, and Michael Singh. The event will be moderated by Nahal Toosi, Politico’s senior correspondent for foreign affairs and national security.
Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor in the Bush administration, and as special representative for Iran and Venezuela in the Trump administration.
Dennis Ross, the William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute, has advised multiple U.S. presidents on Middle East policy, including as special assistant to President Obama and as special advisor on Iran to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Michael Singh, the managing director and Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, served as senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council in the Bush administration.
