North Africa is navigating a period of acute strategic turbulence. The U.S.-Iran war and its regional aftershocks have reordered threat calculations across the Mediterranean region, reshaping the priorities of governments from Rabat to Cairo and testing the durability of longstanding U.S. partnerships in the region. At the same time, ongoing instability in Libya, contested governance in Tunisia, and deepening competition between external powers for influence in Algeria and Morocco have compounded the complexity of U.S. engagement at a moment when Washington’s attention is increasingly stretched.
Against this backdrop, the perspectives of former senior U.S. diplomats who have served in the region carry particular weight. Ambassadors Joey Hood and Elizabeth Aubin bring direct experience with the diplomatic, security, and political dynamics shaping U.S.-North Africa relations, from counterterrorism cooperation and energy interests to migration governance and the positioning of regional governments in an increasingly multipolar environment.
This event convenes two former senior U.S. diplomats for a candid conversation on the state of U.S.-North Africa relations. It will bring together policymakers, analysts, diplomatic community members, and regional experts to assess what is at stake for Washington in North Africa and what a coherent, adaptive U.S. approach might look like going forward.
Featured Speakers
Joey Hood, Former U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia
Joey Hood was the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from January-September 2021. Mr. Hood has spent most of his career working in the Middle East, and particularly on the Arabian Peninsula. He has served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Iraq and in Kuwait, as well as Consul General and Principal Officer in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Prior to these assignments, Mr. Hood was Acting Director of the Office of Iranian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Elizabeth Aubin, Former U.S. Ambassador to Algeria
Elizabeth Moore Aubin was the U.S. Ambassador for the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria from February 2, 2022 to January 16, 2026. In 2024, she won the Charles E. Cobb Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development and Commercial Diplomacy Runner Up for her transformational and sustained commercial successes. She was a Senior Advisor for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) and the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for NEA from August 2020-January 2022. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of the joint Executive Office of the Bureaus of NEA and South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA); providing policy direction and guidance for the management of 45 diplomatic posts with a 2.5 billion USD budget.
Hafed Al Ghwell, Director & Senior Fellow, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Sahel Program (Moderator)
Header image: The Sahrawi refugees. By European Commission DG ECHO
