Philip Gordon

Philip Gordon is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. From 2013 to 2015, he was special assistant to the president and White House coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Region. As the most senior White House official focused on the greater Middle East, Gordon worked closely with President Barack Obama and his national security team on the full range of regional issues, including the U.S. relationship with Israel, Middle East peace, the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, the democratic transitions in North Africa, and U.S. relations with the Gulf States. He played a central role in developing all aspects of the U.S. approach to the Iranian nuclear program. From 2009 to 2013, Gordon served as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. Previously, he held positions at the Brookings Institution, the National Security Council, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.