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Robert Kagan
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Robert Kagan

Brookings Institution senior fellow and foreign-policy author; a leading liberal-hawkish voice on US Iran strategy.

Last refreshed: 9 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

What does Robert Kagan think the US should do if Iran rejects the MOU?

Timeline for Robert Kagan

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Common Questions
What does Robert Kagan say about the Iran nuclear deal?
Kagan has consistently argued for robust deterrence of Iran, sceptical of diplomatic agreements that do not include credible military threat. He would likely oppose MOU terms without strong enforcement mechanisms.Source: Brookings Institution
Is Robert Kagan a Democrat or Republican?
Kagan was a co-founder of the neoconservative PNAC and a Republican, but publicly broke with the party over Trump and has since aligned more with liberal internationalists.
What is the Brookings Institution?
Brookings is one of Washington's oldest and most influential think-tanks, broadly centrist-liberal on domestic policy and interventionist on Foreign Policy, where Kagan is a senior fellow.

Background

Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and one of America's most prominent foreign-policy commentators. A co-founder of the neoconservative Project for the New American Century in 1997, he has since evolved into a prominent voice for muscular liberal internationalism, arguing consistently for US global leadership, strong alliances, and military deterrence. His books include The World America Made (2012) and The Jungle Grows Back (2018).

In the May 2026 Iran conflict, Kagan was cited in analyses of the Trump administration's MOU negotiating strategy, with his framework of US power and credibility invoked to assess whether the diplomatic approach signalled strength or accommodation. Kagan has been a consistent critic of both Republican isolationism and what he sees as insufficient US willingness to use military force to deter adversaries including Iran.

Notably, Kagan publicly broke with the Republican Party over Trump's first term and wrote extensively about the risks of democratic backsliding, giving his foreign-policy analysis a distinct cross-partisan credibility that makes his Iran commentary widely cited in both liberal and centrist policy circles.