Washington Institute Presents Scholar-Statesman Award to General Michael E. Kurilla and Honors Philanthropists Mike and Sofia Segal
New York, NY – Retired General Michael “Erik” Kurilla – who, as commander of U.S. Central Command, led two years of multi-front operations across the Middle East in the wake of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel – was honored with the Scholar-Statesman Award at The Washington Institute’s annual gala in New York City last Thursday, the research organization announced.
The award, established in 2006, honors individuals whose public service and professional achievements exemplify the idea that sound scholarship and a discerning knowledge of history are essential to advancing security and peace in the Middle East. General Kurilla was recognized for his extraordinary leadership during one of the most challenging periods in the region’s history, which included unprecedented U.S.-Israel defense cooperation during wartime as well as the first-ever U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities (Operation Midnight Hammer).
During the event, it was announced that General Kurilla will also be joining the Institute as its Jill and Jay Bernstein Distinguished Fellow.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award and to join such a prestigious and impactful organization,” said General Kurilla in his acceptance remarks. “The Institute’s ability to bring rigorous analysis to policymakers and its commitment to improving security outcomes in the Middle East make this recognition especially meaningful.”
During the gala, the Institute also paid tribute to Mike and Sofia Segal, longtime supporters of the organization whose philanthropy ranges from funding cutting-edge medical research to promoting viewpoint diversity in higher education. In their remarks, the Segals—who fled the Soviet Union half a century ago to seek a new life in America—emphasized their admiration for the Institute’s role, over administrations of both parties, of never shirking from speaking truth to power.
“Mike and Sofia Segal are pillars of The Washington Institute,” said Robert Satloff, Segal Executive Director and Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in Middle East Policy. “Their integrity, humility, and lived experience give special meaning to their support, and make it eminently appropriate that they were honored alongside General Kurilla.”
During a thirty-minute conversation with Dr. Satloff, General Kurilla described the leadership lessons of his long career in the U.S. Army and his tenure at CENTCOM. He emphasized the importance of building strong personal relationships with his regional counterparts well before crises occur. “You cannot surge trust. Trust is built over time, and you have to physically be in the region,” General Kurilla said. He underscored the importance of a “whole-of-government approach” to tackling 21st-century national security challenges.
In receiving the Scholar-Statesman Award, General Kurilla joins a list of leaders, diplomats, and activists from America and across the Middle East. Past awardees include former President Bill Clinton, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, former U.S. secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice, George Shultz, and Henry Kissinger, and human rights activists Masih Alinejad and Natan Sharansky.
Learn more about the Scholar-Statesman Award.
Media Contact: Shelby Weiss, 202-230-9550, email.
About The Washington Institute: The Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution funded exclusively by U.S. citizens that seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them. Drawing on the research of its fellows and the experience of its policy practitioners, the Institute promotes informed debate and scholarly research on U.S. policy in the region.