Brett McGurkVerified account

@brett_mcgurk

Payne Distinguished Lecturer . Foreign Affairs Analyst /. Former Presidential Envoy. Served under Bush, Obama, Trump. Dad. .

Palo Alto, CA
cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/people/brett-m…
Joined April 2013
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  1. Pinned Tweet
    31 Dec 2018

    Today was my last day at the State Department. I wish my former civilian and military colleagues well as they work under extremely difficult circumstances to protect the interests of our great country. It was a privilege to serve alongside them.

    2,176 replies 6,057 retweets 34,746 likes
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  2. 19 minutes ago

    Earlier this year in , I noted that Erdogan’s “safe zone” is really a plan to extend Turkey’s southern border 20 miles into Syria (left). Today before the UNGA, he confirmed as much with a map (right). The territory happens to cover all the Kurdish areas of Syria.

    32 replies 120 retweets 138 likes
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  3. 2 hours ago

    Pleased to join this letter with a bipartisan group of three dozen national security professionals on how blanket travel bans do nothing to protect our national security while contravening the principles on which our great country was founded.

    5 replies 19 retweets 44 likes
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  4. 2 hours ago

    Spectacular morning for first week of fall quarter. Look forward to teaching Presidential Decision-Making in Wartime (Truman to Trump) in the Masters in International Policy program. More on the program here 👉

    4 replies 6 retweets 28 likes
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  5. 4 hours ago

    Look forward to joining the panel with over the next hour on to discuss Trump’s address at . Tune in!

    2 replies 1 retweet 9 likes
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  6. 18 hours ago

    Sat down with this summer on the direction of American foreign policy and the dangerous risks of increasingly misaligned ends and means. Pleased to be in the latest issue. Full interview here 👉

    1 reply 8 retweets 23 likes
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  7. Sep 20

    None of these tactical moves seem nested within a concerted strategy or diplomatic campaign to isolate Iran. They seem instead to have the opposite effect: further exposing our Gulf partners and alienating traditional allies while ceding initiative to Iran, Russia, and China.

    7 replies 5 retweets 14 likes
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  8. Sep 20

    First, they’re announced without apparent coordination with allies. Second, most allies, particularly the Europeans we hope to swing, will firmly disagree given the reach to humanitarian trade. Third, the enemy is the Iranian system, not its people — and this impacts the latter.

    1 reply 5 retweets 15 likes
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  9. Sep 20

    Matt knows what he’s talking about. As described, these new sanctions seem self-defeating if the U.S. strategy (which made sense) was to build an international consensus behind Washington after the brazen Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia.

    To be clear, CBI was already sanctioned. Doing this again under CT authorities just makes unwinding it harder & prevents trade in unsanctioned humanitarian goods. It’s not, as Trump said, the biggest sanction we’ve ever done
    1 reply 3 retweets 21 likes
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  10. Sep 19

    Segment today with the awesome and on the situation in the Middle East and a worthy but difficult diplomatic way ahead for the United States.

    5 retweets 34 likes
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  11. Sep 19

    I'll be on with around 2:15 EST to discuss latest on the situation in the Middle East. Tune in!

    1 reply 4 retweets 21 likes
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  12. Sep 18

    Full clip from on the current situation in the Middle East. The United States has options but should proceed carefully and think through consequences. Trump seems to be a prisoner of his own policy.

    1 reply 15 retweets 51 likes
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  13. Retweeted
    Sep 18

    WATCH: Chuck asks Fmr. Deputy Assistant Sec. to Iran Brett McGurk the likelihood of Iran being behind the attack on Saudi Arabia. : “Look I think we can all stipulate, 100 percent, this was Iran. There is nobody else with the capability or the motivation.”

    4 replies 16 retweets 39 likes
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  14. Retweeted
    Sep 18

    COMING UP: talks our panel - , , and - and about what could happen next between the US and Iran. Plus, has the latest updates on the Israeli election. Tune in!

    10 replies 10 retweets 12 likes
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  15. Retweeted
    Sep 18

    Robert O'Brien, who was special envoy for hostage affairs, will replace John Bolton as national security adviser. President Trump says it's an easy job because he makes all the decisions. But national security expert says O'Brien's "got his work cut out for him."

    Robert O'Brien Becomes Fourth National Security Adviser
    1 reply 9 retweets 10 likes
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  16. Sep 18

    Spoke with about the choice of Robert O'Brien as APNSA. Robert is a steady hand. I have tremendous respect for him and wish him the very best in this most important and nearly impossible job.

    5 retweets 26 likes
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  17. Sep 17

    Joined Bret Stephens and this morning on with to discuss the developing situation between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

    2 replies 4 retweets 30 likes
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  18. Retweeted
    Sep 16

    This succinct thread by is how things are supposed to work when tensions are high: use reason, facts, & consensus; limit miscalculations; get other nations on board, develop a coordinated plan. This reduces unintended consequences...like, a lot of people dying.

    Re: Iran/KSA – In a national security crisis lacking an imminent threat, important to slow down, gather facts, consult with allies and even adversaries, and develop options with considered thought as to consequence of any action and preparation for counter-response.
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    27 replies 171 retweets 475 likes
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  19. Sep 16

    All the while, if this weekend's attack was launched from Iran, we should presume Tehran has priced in a Saudi or US response and prepared its counter, with another rung up the escalatory ladder. With everyone “locked and loaded” – it's a good time to slow down, and think.

    13 replies 60 retweets 231 likes
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  20. Sep 16

    Making the case publicly to justify a limited Saudi response – should they wish to act – may be the best of bad options. But any such action must be preceded and followed by proactive US-led engagement in the region and around the world to mitigate risks of spiral.

    7 replies 18 retweets 73 likes
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  21. Sep 16

    If true that this brazen attack on Saudi soil was launched from Iran, then Saudi Arabia has every right to act in self defense. It has capacity to hit fixed targets with precision. Saudi pilots flew in our initial strikes against ISIS and performed well. (Yemen is another story.)

    11 replies 20 retweets 73 likes
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