BOSTON, MA – Michael Rubin, PhD, a former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute will be honored with the inaugural Advocacy Award at the ANCA Eastern Region Endowment Fund’s 17th Annual Gala on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston. Rubin will be among one of the deserving individuals recognized for their advocacy work in support of Hai Tahd. 

Dr. Rubin, who has an extensive background in foreign policy and Middle Eastern affairs, has a doctorate and a master’s in history from Yale University, where he also obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology. Dr. Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he specializes in Iran, Turkey and the broader Middle East. He has lectured at Yale University, various universities in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he was a fellow for The Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations. Dr. Rubin has also served on the Council on Foreign Relations, as well the Office of the Secretary of Defense as a Staff Adviser on Iran and Iraq, and was an advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority during the Iraq War. Currently, he serves as a Contract Analyst for the Foreign Military Studies Office, a position he has held for nearly a decade. 

Dr. Rubin who has authored, coauthored, and co-edited several books exploring a variety of issues, including diplomacy, Iranian history, Arab culture, Kurdish studies, and Shi’ite politics, has used his voice to call attention to the atrocities that Azerbaijan has committed against the Armenians of Artsakh. He has 

advocated for Armenia and Artsakh, in articles in The National Interest and The Washington Examiner, to name a few, calling out Azerbaijan for its human rights abuses, the ongoing blockade and other humanitarian concerns. 

Most recently, Dr. Rubin participated in the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s hearing, hosted by TLHRC Co-Chairs Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) on Artsakh which was open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the media and general public. 

“Honoring Dr. Rubin with this award is well-deserved. We’re incredibly thankful for his efforts and for his raising of awareness for Artsakh at a time when no one else is speaking out against the injustice and genocide happening in Artsakh. As an outside voice, Dr. Rubin has been instrumental in drawing greater attention to Artsakh and has elevated the crisis in Artsakh to a global issue,” said Ara Nazarian, gala chair.

Dr. Rubin will join other deserving individuals at the gala who will be awarded with the ANCA Eastern Region Freedom Award, the ANCA Eastern Region Vahan Cardashian Award and the inaugural Excellence in Education Award to name a few. 

Tickets for the gala, which include a cocktail reception, silent auction and seated dinner can be purchased at: www.givergy.us/ancaer.

For more information about this year’s gala visit http://www.givergy.us/ancaer or contact: ergala@anca.org

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The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of 31 chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues. For more information, visit https://er.anca.org/.