On Thursday, October 8 at 2:30 p.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs will host a conversation with Distinguished Fellow Brett McGurk to mark the publication of his new book, Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7 Hostages.

McGurk served in senior national security positions across four presidential administrations, most recently as President Joe Biden’s coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. In that role, he helped lead negotiations to secure the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, conducted back-channel diplomacy with Iran, and helped coordinate the defense of Israel against two large-scale Iranian missile and drone attacks.

In conversation with Washington Post foreign affairs columnist David Ignatius, McGurk will discuss the book and his firsthand account of the diplomacy and decision-making that followed Hamas’s October 7 attack, including the war in Gaza, the US-Israel relationship, Iran, and the future of US policy in the Middle East.

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Brett McGurk
Former White House Coordinator for the Middle East; Distinguished Fellow,
Atlantic Council

William F. Wechsler
Senior Director, Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs,
Atlantic Council

David Ignatius
Foreign Affairs Columnist,
The Washington Post

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Through our Middle East Programs, the Atlantic Council works with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

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