19th Annual
Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Arab-U.S. Relations: Going Where?

October 21 - 22, 2010

Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.

• REGISTRATION FORM (.pdf)
• SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION (.pdf)
• Conference Sponsors
• Confirmed Speakers
• Special Hotel Rates
• Conference Flyer

For more information, contact Mr. Pat Mancino, Vice President & Director of Development, Phone - 1-202-293-6466, Email - Pat@ncusar.org.

CONFERENCE SPONSORS

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Lieutenant General John R. Allen Lieutenant General John R. Allen is Deputy Commander of United States Central Command, a position he has held since July 2008. From 2006-2008, Lieutenant General Allen served as Deputy Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), and Commanding General, 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, deploying to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as the Deputy Commanding General of Multinational Force - West and II MEF (Forward) in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lieutenant General Allen was the first Marine Corps officer inducted as a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the first Marine Corps officer to serve as the Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy.

HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Sa'ud His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Sa'ud served as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States from September 13, 2005 until February 12, 2007. From 1977 to 2001, he served as the Director General of the General Intelligence Directorate, the Kingdom's main foreign intelligence service. Prince Turki is one of the founders of the King Faisal Foundation and is the Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. Prince Turki serves as a member of the Boards of Trustees of the International Crisis Group and the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies.

Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker is Dean and Executive Professor at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where he also holds the Edward and Howard Kruse Endowed Chair. Mr. Crocker joined the Foreign Service in 1971 and served in Iran, Qatar, Iraq, and Egypt as well as Washington, D.C. He was named Career Ambassador in 2004 and retired from the Foreign Service in 2009, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush for his valor, professionalism, and "masterful diplomacy."

H.E. Ambassador Samir Sumaida'ie H.E. Ambassador Samir Sumaida'ie was appointed Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in July 2004. In April 2006, he moved to Washington DC to serve as Iraq's first ambassador to the United States of America in sixteen years. Ambassador Sumaida'ie has led a distinguished career in politics. In 2004 he served as Minister of Interior in Baghdad where he managed a domestic security force of over 120,000 and in 2003 he became a member of the Governing Council in Iraq where he was Chairman of the Media Committee and played a central role in founding Iraqi Telecoms and Media Commission and the Public Broadcasting Institution.

Ambassador James B. Smith Ambassador James B. Smith was sworn in on September 16, 2009, as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Smith had served in a variety of executive positions with Raytheon Company involving corporate strategic planning, aircraft manufacturing, and international business development. Ambassador Smith spent a 28 year career in the United States Air Force. He was promoted to Brigadier General in October, 1998, and retired from the Air Force on October 1, 2002.

H.E. Sameh Shoukry H.E. Sameh Shoukry was appointed on September 24, 2008 as Ambassador of Egypt to the United States. Ambassador Shoukry previously served as Egypt's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva (2005-08) as well as ambassador to Austria and permanent representative to the International Organizations in Vienna (1999-2003). He also served as director of cabinet for the minister of foreign affairs (2004-05) and as secretary for information and follow-up for President Hosni Mubarak (1995-99).

Secretary William S. Cohen Secretary William S. Cohen is the former Secretary of Defense of the United States. In 2001, Secretary Cohen ended a 28-year career in government service and entered the private sector as Chairman & CEO of The Cohen Group, an international strategic consulting company. In addition to his work at The Cohen Group, Secretary Cohen remains an active public voice on issues of foreign affairs, business, and defense. In addition, Secretary Cohen is currently a member of the Board of Directors of CBS Corporation.

Mr. Michael Corbin Mr. Michael Corbin, a career Senior Foreign Service Officer, is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs for Iraq issues. He assumed this position in July 2009. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Corbin served as Minister-Counselor for Political-Military Affairs at the United States Embassy in Baghdad. He was also previously assigned as Charge d'Affaires in Damascus, Syria from 2006 to 2008.

Ambassador Shaun Donnelly Ambassador Shaun Donnelly is vice president for Middle East Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He was formerly the senior director for International Business Policy at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Ambassador Donnelly was a career diplomat for over 35 years in the Foreign Service, where he rose to become U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, and later an assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Middle East and Europe.

Ms. Magali Rheault Ms. Magali Rheault is a Senior Analyst with the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. Ms. Rheault is a regular speaker at international conferences, symposia, and other events on issues of Muslim-West relations, governance, peace and security, and public diplomacy. She briefs opinion leaders and policy makers on Gallup research and has lectured at a wide variety of institutions in the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Rheault is also a Senior Consultant with the Gallup World Poll, a multi-year research initiative to survey public views and attitudes in more than 150 countries and areas.

Mr. Andrew Whitley Mr. Andrew Whitley is Director of the Representative Office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in New York, responsible for the Agency's relations with the United Nations System and with the US and Canadian Governments. He joined UNRWA in July 2002 as Director of External Relations, charged with donor relations and resource mobilization at a voluntarily funded Agency with an annual budget of over $1 billion, serving also as Secretary of the Agency's inter-governmental Advisory Commission.

Dr. Herman Franssen Dr. Herman Franssen is currently a Senior Director of the Energy Intelligence Group (EIG). He is also the President of International Energy Associates Inc.; a Senior Fellow with CSIS; an Adjunct Scholar with the Middle East Institute; a Distinguished Associate of the FACTS (Fesharaki and Associates) Global Energy Group; a Visiting Fellow at CGES in London and a Senior Fellow with MEC in London. Dr. Franssen also serves on the board of a number of academic institutions and publications.

Dr. John Sfakianakis Dr. John Sfakianakis is the Group General Manager and Chief Economist of Banque Saudi Fransi. He regularly contributes articles to international and local printed media and is frequently a commentator in major regional and international news channels, such as Al Arabiya, BBC, CNBC, CNN, and Bloomberg. Prior to his current position, Dr. Sfakianakis served for three years as SABB's Chief Economist in Riyadh where he issued the first business confidence index report by a Saudi-based bank. He was also the Chief Regional Economist for Samba Financial Group.

Dr. Mody Alkhalaf Dr. Mody Alkhalaf is currently Director of Cultural and Social Affairs at the Saudi Cultural Mission of The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington DC. She has written for Arab News on women's rights in Saudi Arabia and is currently Editor in Chief of Almubta'ath, a monthly magazine launched in 1978 by the Saudi Cultural Mission covering a range of topics of interest to Saudi students in the U.S.

Dr. Flynt Leverett Dr. Flynt Leverett directs the Iran Project at the New America Foundation, where he is also a Senior Research Fellow. Additionally, he teaches at Pennsylvania State University's School of International Affairs. Dr. Leverett is a leading authority on the Middle East and Persian Gulf, U.S. foreign policy, and global energy affairs. From 1992 to 2003, he had a distinguished career in the U.S. government, serving as Senior Director for Middle East Affairs at the National Security Council, on the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff, and as a CIA Senior Analyst. Among Dr. Leverett's many publications are Dealing with Tehran: Assessing U.S. Diplomatic Options toward Iran (2006) and Inheriting Syria: Bashar's Trial by Fire (2005).

Dr. Elizabeth Campbell Dr. Elizabeth Campbell is a Senior Advocate for Refugees International and leads the organization's work on Iraq. Previously, she was director of Refugee Council USA for three years. In this capacity, she led the policy and advocacy work of the nongovernmental organization (NGO) coalition that focuses on refugee protection and resettlement. She has worked with UNHCR's Protection Unit in Nairobi, Kenya as well as with two different NGOs in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya providing education and other assistance. For two years Elizabeth worked with a local NGO in Jerusalem conducting research and writing about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Mr. Brad Bourland Mr. Brad Bourland is Chief Economist at Jadwa investment Company in Riyadh. He is also Managing Director of Proprietary Investments, overseeing investment of the bank's own capital, and he is the Vice Chairman of the Management Committee. Prior to joining Jadwa, Brad was the Chief Economist at Samba Financial Group, formerly the Citigroup affiliate Saudi American Bank, in Riyadh. Mr. Bourland spent 18 years as a diplomat, economist, and manager with the U.S. Department of State. During the last three years of his diplomatic career he was in Riyadh as the American Embassy's First Secretary responsible for financial affairs.

Ms. Kathleen Christison Ms. Kathleen Christison was a political analyst with the CIA from 1967 to 1979 and has been dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict for almost 40 years. Since leaving the CIA, she has been a free-lance writer on Middle East issues and has lectured around the country. She has authored or co-authored three books: Perceptions of Palestine: Their Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy; The Wound of Dispossession: Telling the Palestinian Story; and, co-authored with her late husband Bill Christison, Palestine in Pieces: Graphic Perspectives on the Israeli Occupation, published in 2009. She writes frequently for the web newsletter Counterpunch.org.

Ambassador Ford M. Fraker Ambassador Ford M. Fraker served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from April 2007 to April 2009. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Fraker worked a banker in the Middle East for more than 30 years. Ambassador Fraker founded Fraker & Co. in 1991, and in 1993, he joined MeesPierson Investment Finance (UK) Limited. In 1996, he co-founded Trinity Group Limited. He is now Senior Advisor and Chairman for the Middle East and North Africa group at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., a New York private-equity firm.

Dr. Sara Roy Dr. Sara Roy is a senior research scholar at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University where she completed her doctoral studies in international development and education. Trained as a political economist, Dr. Roy is the author of The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-development about to be published in its third edition. Her most recent book, Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza: Engaging the Islamist Social Sector, is forthcoming from Princeton University Press.

Ambassador Chas. W. Freeman, Jr. Ambassador Chas. W. Freeman, Jr. is President Emeritus of the Middle East Policy Council. He served as United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (1993-94), earning the Department of Defense's highest public service awards for his roles in designing a NATO-centered post-Cold War European security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China. Ambassador Freeman is Chairman of the Board of Projects International, Inc., a Washington, DC-based business development firm.

Mr. H. Melvin Ming Mr. H. Melvin Ming is Chief Operating Officer for the Sesame Workshop. Mr. Ming coordinates and aligns the efforts of the Workshop with the Workshop's stated strategic direction and short-term goals. Sesame Workshop has been creating captivating youth programming that has reached across cultural divides for over forty years. More than thirty countries, including Egypt, Palestine, and Jordan, have developed local co-productions of Sesame Street.

SPECIAL HOTEL RATES

Doubletree Hotel 1515 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005-5595 Phone # for Reservations: 1-800-492-5195

Georgetown Suites 1111 30th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007 Phone # for Reservation: 202-298-7800 / 1-800-348-7203 reservations@georgetownsuites.com

18th Annual
Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Fresh Visions, Old Realities,
New Possibilities:
The Impact of Leadership Change
on Arab-U.S. Relations

October 15 - 16, 2009

• Conference Audio, Video & Transcripts
• 'How' Questions for Policymakers
• Conference Pictures
• Conference Sponsors
• Select Media Coverage
• Council Chronicle Conference Recap

2009 SELECT MEDIA COVERAGE

Riyadh committed to peace, envoy says (United Press International, Inc.)

Saudi Ambassador Speaks on Saudi-U.S. Relations (PRNewswire-USNewswire)

Economic reforms bearing fruits: King (Saudi Gazette)

Growth of Iraqi oil output will take time: oil exec (Reuters)

Council on Arab-US Relations Holds Annual Conference (Arab News)

Education for Arab women on the rise (The International Communications Forum)

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Examines the Diplomacy of Engagement (Diplomatic Connections)

17th Annual
Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

 Transitioning the White House:
Challenges and Opportunities
for Arab-U.S. Relations 

October 30 - 31, 2008

• Streaming Video from C-SPAN
• Conference Proceedings -- Transcripts & Audio
• Conference Pictures
• Council Chronicle Conference Recap