Washington, D.C. | July 18, 2025 — Last night, the New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs (NYCFPA) hosted a high-level panel discussion titled “U.S. Foreign Policy at a Crossroads: Conflict, Alliances, and Strategic Priorities in 2025” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. The event brought together leading voices in diplomacy, journalism, and academia to examine the challenges and recalibrations facing American foreign policy amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
The panel featured Alan Eyre, Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow at the Middle East Institute and former U.S. nuclear negotiator with Iran; Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center and veteran foreign policy journalist; and Dr. Sina Azodi, Program Director of Middle East Studies at George Washington University and an expert in international security and U.S.-Iranian relations. The discussion was moderated by Emily Ekshian, Media Affairs Officer at NYCFPA, who curates and leads dialogues on global affairs, human rights, and the future of diplomacy.
Panelists explored a wide range of pressing issues, beginning with the United States’ response to the ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Yemen, and Iraq. They reflected on how the strategic calculus has evolved since the Iran nuclear deal, debated whether current deterrence strategies are effective or potentially counterproductive, and discussed the influence of great-power competition on U.S. decision-making. The conversation also examined the growing role of Congress in shaping foreign aid and sanctions policy, the impact of media narratives on public understanding of U.S. engagement in the region, and the need for more culturally attuned diplomacy. In their closing reflections, panelists offered forward-looking recommendations, including revitalizing multilateral engagement, strengthening backchannel diplomacy, and rethinking how technology could be used to build trust in high-stakes geopolitical environments.
Attendees engaged in a dynamic Q&A session following the panel, contributing to a wide-ranging and nonpartisan conversation on U.S. diplomatic priorities. The event reflected NYCFPA’s ongoing commitment to fostering open dialogue and deeper understanding on the critical foreign policy issues of our time.
