The Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore is pleased to invite you to a book talk presenting Iron Dome: A History of Israel’s Military Strategy (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026) by Jean-Loup Samaan.

How did a missile defense system become one of the most recognizable military technologies in the world—and what does its story tell us about the future of warfare in the Middle East? In this talk, MEI Senior Research Fellow Jean-Loup Samaan will present his new book, tracing back Iron Dome’s trajectory from a small military project to a national symbol and a central pillar of US–Israel defense cooperation. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews conducted across Israel and the United States, the book offers insights on a system that reshaped Israeli strategic culture and became deeply embedded in the country’s politics and national identity.

During the talk, Samaan will also address how the events of October 7, 2023, and the wars that followed exposed the limits of the “Iron Dome decade”—and what comes next for missile defense and deterrence in the region.

This talk will be held both in-person and via Zoom on Thursday, 8 October 2026, from 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM (Singapore time).

This session is free to attend, but registration is required. Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants 2 days before the session.

Click here to find out more information about the book and to purchase it with the discount code.

Photo Caption: Rocket trails are seen in the sky amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on March 27, 2026. Israel warned its citizens to expect weeks more fighting against Iran, after Washington and Tehran traded threats to destroy power plants or block oil and gas exports. The tit-for-tat rhetoric came as the war that has seen drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, has sent energy prices soaring and has triggered fears for the world economy entered its fourth week. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)