NCUSAR Publications

Whither the Arab-US Relationship? – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 28, 2011

WHITHER THE ARAB-U.S. RELATIONSHIP IN THE PERIOD AHEAD? POLICY IMPLICATIONS FROM THE LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES

Chair:

Ms. Barbara G. B. Ferguson - Washington Bureau Chief, Arab News; Co-Chair, International Correspondents Committee, The National Press Club, Washington, D.C.; author, “Country Reports” on Bahrain, Morocco, and Kazakhstan for the Washington Times; embedded war correspondent during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Kuwait in 1990-1991 and in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Speaker:

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Hussein Hassouna - Chief Representative of the League of Arab States to the United States.

Commentators:

Mr. Bill Corcoran - President, American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA).

Mr. John Moran - Career Member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, United States Department of State; Distinguished Diplomat-in-Residence, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT

Geopolitical Dynamics: Iran – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 28, 2011

GEOPOLITICAL DYNAMICS (V): Iran

Chair:

Dr. John L. Iskander - Chair, Near East and North Africa Area Studies, Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State.

Speakers:

Mr. Afshin Molavi - Senior Fellow, New America Foundation; Senior Middle East Advisor, Oxford Analytica; and author, The Soul of Iran.

Dr. Janne Nolan - Director, Nuclear Security Programs, American Security Project; former Professor of International Affairs and Deputy Director of the Ridgway Center, University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Flynt Leverett - Director, Iran Initiative, and Senior Research Fellow, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation; and author, Dealing with Tehran: Assessing U.S. Diplomatic Options toward Iran and Inheriting Syria: Bashar’s Trial by Fire.

Dr. Kenneth B. Katzman - Specialist in Middle East Affairs in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Geopolitical Dynamics: Palestine – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 28, 2011

GEOPOLITICAL DYNAMICS (IV): Palestine

Chair:

Mr. Yousef Munayyer - Executive Director, Palestine Center and the Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development.

Speakers:

Ms. Michelle Steinberg - Counterintelligence Editor, Executive Intelligence Review (EIR).

Dr. Ghada Karmi - Co-Director, Centre of Palestine Studies, University of Exeter.

Dr. Norton Mezvinsky - Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Connecticut State University; President, International Council for Middle East Studies.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT

Libya: The Way Forward – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 28, 2011

LIBYA: THE WAY FORWARD

Introduction of Speaker:

Ms. Harriet Fulbright - President, J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center; Founder, Harriet Fulbright College.

Speaker:

H.E. Ambassador Ali Aujali - National Transitional Council of Libya Ambassador to the United States.

VIDEO

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT

Keynote Address: HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 28, 2011

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY HRH PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL

HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al Sa’ud - Chairman, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and to the United States of America; former Director General, General Intelligence Directorate, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

VIDEO

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT

Gulf Cooperation Council Dynamics – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 28, 2011

GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC) DYNAMICS (III)

Chair:

Dr. John Duke Anthony - Founding President and CEO of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, and author, inter alia, of Arab States of the Lower Gulf: People, Politics, Petroleum and Historical and Cultural Dictionary of the Sultanate of Oman and the Emirates of Eastern Arabia.

Speakers:

Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla - Professor of Political Science, Emirates University (Abu Dhabi); lead author, 2008 Arab Knowledge Report. (UAE)

Dr. Abdulla Al-Shayji - Chairman, Department of Political Science, Kuwait University, and author, Kuwait’s Ceaseless Quest for Survival in a Hostile Environment. (Kuwait)

Mr. Jeremy Jones - Author of Negotiating Change: The New Politics of the Middle East and the forthcoming Oman, Culture and Diplomacy; Senior Associate Member, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Distinguished International Fellow. (Oman)

Dr. Thomas Mattair - Executive Director, Middle East Policy Council; former Research Scholar, Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research; author,The Three Occupied UAE Islands: The Tunbs and Abu Musa and Global Security Watch — Iran: A Reference Handbook. (Bahrain)

Commentator:

Mr. Robert Lacey - Historian, and author of, inter alia, The Kingdom: Arabia & the House of Sa’ud (1982) and Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia (2009). (Saudi Arabia)

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Business, Investment, and Financial Development Dynamics and Prospects – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 28, 2011

BUSINESS, INVESTMENT, AND FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT DYNAMICS AND PROSPECTS

Chair:

Mr. Michael Markland - Vice President for Private Wealth Management, Morgan Stanley (Dubai).

Speakers:

Ambassador Ford Fraker - Senior Adviser and Chairman for the Middle East and North Africa Group, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.; former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Ambassador Joseph LeBaron - Senior Adviser, Patton Boggs LLP; former U.S. Ambassador to Qatar and Mauritania.

Mr. Danny E. Sebright - President, U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council.

Mr. Lionel C. Johnson - Vice President, Middle East and North Africa Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT

View from the State Department – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 28, 2011

A VIEW FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Speaker:

Dr. Tamara Wittes - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs and Deputy Special Coordinator for Middle East Transitions, U.S. Department of State.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT

Geopolitical Dynamics: Arab North Africa (The Maghreb) / Syria / Yemen – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 27, 2011

GEOPOLITICAL DYNAMICS (II): Arab North Africa (The Maghreb) / Syria / Yemen

Chair:

Ms. Jennifer Salan - Senior Producer, The Stream, Al Jazeera English.

Speakers:

Dr. Néjib Ayachi - Founder and President, Maghreb Center. (Tunisia)

Dr. Michele Dunne - Director, Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East; former Member, White House National Security Council Staff and the Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff, as well as Bureau of Intelligence and Research; and service as a Diplomat in Cairo and Jerusalem. (Egypt)

Mr. Christopher Blanchard - Middle East Policy Analyst, Congressional Research Service. (Syria / Yemen)

Ms. Randa Fahmy Hudome - President, Fahmy Hudome International; former Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy; Member, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. (Libya)

Dr. Esam Omeish

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Geopolitical Dynamics: Iraq – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 27, 2011

GEOPOLITICAL DYNAMICS (I): Iraq

Chair:

Dr. Kenneth B. Katzman - Specialist in Middle East Affairs in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Speakers:

Dr. Eric Davis - Professor of Political Science and former Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Rutgers University; author of Memories of State: Politics, History and Collective Identity in Modern Iraq and the forthcoming Taking Democracy Seriously in Iraq.

Dr. Juan Cole - Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan; author of Engaging the Muslim World and Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East; former President, Middle East Studies Association of North America.

Dr. Paul Sullivan - Professor of Economics, Industrial College of Armed Forces, National Defense University; Adjunct Professor of Security Studies and Science, Technology and International Affairs, Georgetown University.

Ms. Shameem Rassam - Media Expert and Analyst, Alhurra Television-Iraq.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

SLIDES FROM DR. DAVIS (.pdf)

Keynote Address: Ambassador Sameh Shoukry – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 27, 2011

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Introduction of Speaker:

Dr. John Duke Anthony - Founding President and CEO of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, and author, inter alia, of Arab States of the Lower Gulf: People, Politics, Petroleum and Historical and Cultural Dictionary of the Sultanate of Oman and the Emirates of Eastern Arabia.

Speaker:

H.E. Ambassador Sameh Shoukry - Ambassador of Egypt to the United States.

Remarks by:

H.E. Dr. Adnan Ahmed Al-Ansari - Ambassador and Observer, Permanent Mission of the Gulf Cooperation Council to the United Nations; former Director, Research Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sultanate of Oman.

H.E. Nasser Tammimi - Political Counselor to the Ambassador and Observer, Permanent Mission of the Gulf Cooperation Council to the United Nations; formerly, Senior Political Adviser to the Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

H.E. AMBASSADOR SHOUKRY AUDIO (.mp3)

H.E. DR. AL-ANSARI AUDIO (.mp3)

REMARKS BY H.E. AMB. SHOUKRY (.pdf)

REMARKS BY H.E. DR. AL-ANSARI (.pdf)

Energy Dynamics – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 27, 2011

ENERGY DYNAMICS

Chair:

The Honorable Molly Williamson - Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute; Immediate Past Senior Foreign Policy Adviser to the Secretary of Energy (2005-2008); former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Middle East, South Asia, Oceania and Africa (1999-2004); former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (1993-1995).

Speakers:

Dr. Herman T. Franssen - Executive Director, Energy Intelligence Group; Senior Associate, Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Mr. Jay Pryor - Vice President for Corporate Business Development, Chevron Corporation.

Ms. Randa Fahmy Hudome - President, Fahmy Hudome International; former Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy; Member, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Dynamics of Defense Cooperation – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 27, 2011

DYNAMICS OF DEFENSE COOPERATION

Chair:

Ambassador James Larocco - Director, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University; former U.S. Ambassador to the State of Kuwait.

Speakers:

Dr. Joseph Moynihan - Chairman, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Vice President, Northrop Grumman Electronics Systems.

General Joseph Hoar (USMC, Ret.) - Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Central Command with planning and operations responsibility for 27 countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Horn of Africa; Chairman, J.P. Hoar & Associates, a consulting firm engaged in business development in the Middle East and Africa.

Commentators:

Col. David Des Roches (USA) - Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Malone Fellow in Arab and Islamic Studies.

Mr. Bob Sharp - Assistant Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

The Mess in the Middle East – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 27, 2011

THE MESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. - Chairman of the Board, Projects International, Inc., a Washington, D.C.−based development firm specializing in international joint ventures, acquisitions, and other business operations for its American and foreign clients; former President, Middle East Policy Council; former 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 security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China; former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm); Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the U.S. mediation of Namibian independence from South Africa and Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola; and author of the newly published America’s Misadventures in the Middle East as well as The Diplomat’s Dictionary (Revised Edition) and Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT

Council Chronicle Vol. 4, No. 3 (Fall-Winter 2010)

February 4, 2011

Council Chronicle Vol. 4, No. 3 (Fall – Winter 2010)
(.pdf file)

Includes:

2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference – SAVE THE DATE

2011 Summer Internship Program and Study Abroad Opportunities

2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference Highlights

Diplomatic Connections Business Quarterly feature on 2010 Policymakers Conference

December 1, 2010

Diplomatic Connections Business Quarterly feature on 2010 Policymakers Conference (.pdf)

Policy Directions From The League Of Arab States – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

POLICY DIRECTIONS FROM THE LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Hussein Hassouna – Chief Representative of the League of Arab States to the United States.

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

President Obama’s ‘National Export Initiative’ And Arab Markets: Growing Relationships – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ‘NATIONAL EXPORT INITIATIVE’ AND ARAB MARKETS: Growing Relationships

Mr. Francisco J. Sánchez – Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade and Head of the International Trade Administration

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Business and Financial Development – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT

CHAIR:

Ms. Barbara G. B. Ferguson – Washington Bureau Chief, Arab News; Co-Chair, International correspondents committee, The National Press Club, Washington, D.C.; author, “Country Reports” on Bahrain, Morocco, and Kazakhstan for theWashington Times; embedded war correspondent during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Kuwait in 1990-1991 and in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

SPEAKERS:

Ambassador Ford M. Fraker − Senior Adviser and Chairman for the Middle East and North Africa Group at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.

Dr. Hani K. Findakly – Investment Banker and Director of Clinton Group, Inc.; former Vice Chairman of the Clinton Group; Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and its task forces on “The Balkans 2010” and “Middle East Trade and Investments.”

Mr. Brad Bourland − Chief Economist at Jadwa Investment Company.

Dr. Lama Suleiman − First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI).

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Oct. 22 Luncheon Keynote Address: HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

OCTOBER 22 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Oct. 22 Keynote Address – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference from NCUSAR on Vimeo.

Speaker: HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Sa’ud – Chairman, King Faisal Foundation, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the Court of St. James and to the United States of America; former Director General, Intelligence Directorate General, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

TRANSCRIPT

Muppet Diplomacy – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

MUPPET DIPLOMACY

Muppet Diplomacy – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference from NCUSAR on Vimeo.

Mr. H. Melvin Ming − Chief Operating Officer, Sesame Workshop.

Sesame Workshop shares a common mission with the National Council on U.S.- Arab Relations – to promote awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the Arab countries and the Islamic world. Referring to its work as “Muppet Diplomacy,” Sesame Workshop has been creating captivating youth programming that has reached across divides for over forty years. More than thirty countries, including Egypt, Palestine, and Jordan, have developed local co-productions of Sesame Street. With the help of furry and fuzzy Muppets, these programs reach children by focusing on the unique educational needs of each country – interspersing lessons on basic reading and math with lessons in cooperation, mutual respect, and understanding.

Oct. 22 Luncheon Welcome – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

OCTOBER 22 LUNCHEON WELCOME

Oct. 22 Luncheon Welcome – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference from NCUSAR on Vimeo.

WELCOME ON BEHALF OF HRH PRINCE TALAL BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SA’UD: HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Sa’ud – Chairman, Arab Open University Forum; Chairman, Transpacific Broadcast Group International.

Ambassador’s Report: Saudi Arabian – U.S. Relations: The American Ambassador’s View from Riyadh – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

AMBASSADOR’S REPORT: Saudi Arabian – U.S. Relations: The American Ambassador’s View from Riyadh

Ambassador James B. Smith − United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Energy: Sources, Supply, and Security- 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

ENERGY: Sources, Supply, and Security

CHAIR:

Ms. Randa Fahmy Hudome − President, Fahmy Hudome International; former Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy; Member, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Herman Franssen − President, International Energy Associates and Senior Associate, Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies [CSIS].

Mr. Jay Pryor − Chevron Corporation, Vice President for Corporate Business Development.

Ms. Rayola Dougher – Senior Economic Advisor, American Petroleum Institute.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

MS. RAYOLA DOUGHER SLIDES (.pdf)

DR. HERMAN FRANSSEN SLIDES (.pdf)

Geo-Political Dynamics (III): The Palestinian Future – Impediments to Peace and Possibilities for Progress – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS (III):
The Palestinian Future – Impediments to Peace and Possibilities for Progress

CHAIR:

Mr. William Corcoran − President, ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid).

SPEAKERS:

Ms. Kathleen Christison − former Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency; Author,Perceptions of Palestine: Their Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy; The Wound of Dispossession: Telling the Palestinian Story; and, Palestine in Pieces: Graphic Perspectives on the Israeli Occupation.

Dr. Sara Roy − Senior Research Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University.

Mr. Andrew Whitley − Director, UNRWA Representative Office, New York.

Ms. Barbara Lubin – Founder and Executive Director, Middle East Children’s Alliance.

COMMENTATORS:

H.E. Sameh Shoukry − Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the United States.

H.E. Maen Areikat − Representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization to the United States.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Oct. 22 Opening Keynote Address: Lieutenant General John Allen – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 22, 2010

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Lieutenant General John R. Allen − Deputy Commander, United States Central Command.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Global Educational Challenges: What Future Arab Employment Prospects? – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 21, 2010

GLOBAL EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES: WHAT FUTURE ARAB EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS?

CHAIR:

Ms. Anne Joyce – Vice President, Middle East Policy Council; Editor, Middle East Policy.

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Mody Al Khalaf − Director of Social and Cultural Affairs, Saudi Cultural Mission, the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.

Ms. Magali Rheault − Senior Analyst with the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies.

Ms. Maggie Mitchell Salem − Executive Director of Qatar Foundation International; former Regional Director for the MENA region at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems; first Director of Communications and External Relations for the Middle East Institute; former Foreign Service Officer, United States Department of State.

COMMENTATOR:

Mr. John Moran – Career Member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, United States Department of State; Distinguished Diplomat in Residence, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

SLIDES FROM DR. MODY AL KHALAF (.pdf)

SLIDES FROM MS. MAGALI RHEAULT (.pdf)

Defense Cooperation – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 21, 2010

DEFENSE COOPERATION

CHAIR:

Secretary William S. Cohen − Chairman and Chief Executive of the Cohen Group; former United States Secretary of Defense (1997-2001).

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman− Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Adjunct Professor in National Security Affairs, Georgetown University.

Mr. Joseph McMillan − Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Department of Defense.

Mr. Christopher Blanchard − Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs, Congressional Research Service.

COMMENTATORS:

Major General Mohammed Elkeshky − Defense Attaché of Egypt to the United States and Canada.

General Joseph P. Hoar (USMC, Ret.) – Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Central Command.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

SLIDES FROM DR. ANTHONY CORDESMAN (.pdf)

Regional Security Issues – Evolving Concerns – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 21, 2010

REGIONAL SECURITY ISSUES – EVOLVING CONCERNS

Dr. Kathleen Hicks – Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Forces Department of Defense

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Ambassador’s Report: The Saudi Arabian Ambassador’s View from Washington – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 21, 2010

AMBASSADOR’S REPORT: Saudi Arabian – U.S. Relations: The Saudi Arabian Ambassador’s View from Washington

H.E. Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir – Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States and Advisor at the Royal Court.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT

Oct. 21 Luncheon Keynote Address: Ambassador Ryan Crocker – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 21, 2010

OCTOBER 21 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

INTRODUCTIONS:

Dr. John Duke Anthony − President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

Rear Admiral Harold J. Bernsen, (USN, Ret.) − Chairman, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; President, Board of Trustees of Physicians for Peace; Director, American-Bahraini Friendship Society; former Commander, U.S.-Middle East Force; and Director Emeritus, National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce.

SPEAKER: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker – Dean and Executive Professor at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University; former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq (2007-2009); former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan (2004-2007); and previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Kuwait, and Lebanon.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Geo-Political Dynamics (II): The Iran Conundrum – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 21, 2010

GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS (II):
The Iran Conundrum

CHAIR:

Dr. John Iskander − Chair of Near East and North Africa Area Studies at the Foreign Service Institute; Professorial Lecturer at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University; former Professor of Islamic Studies at Georgia State University.

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Flynt Leverett − Director, Iran Initiative, Senior Research Fellow, American Strategy Program and Director, Geopolitics of Energy Initiative, New America Foundation.

Mr. Thomas Delare –Director, Terrorism Finance and Sanctions Policy, Economic Bureau, United States Department of State; former Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs, U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy; former Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs, U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.

Dr. Trita Parsi − Founder and President of the National Iranian American Council [NIAC]; author of Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel, and the United States and silver medal winner of the 2008 Arthur Ross Book Award from the Council on Foreign Relations; 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving world Order.

Dr. Kenneth B. Katzman − Specialist in Middle East Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

COMMENTATOR:

Dr. Thomas R. Mattair − Executive Director, Middle East Policy Council; Associate Editor, Middle East Policy.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Geo-Political Dynamics (I): The Endgame in Iraq – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 21, 2010

GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS (I):
The Endgame in Iraq

CHAIR:

Mr. Charles Dunne – Resident Scholar with the Middle East Institute; former Foreign Policy Adviser to the J-5, Director of Strategic Plans and Policy of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon; former Director for Iraq at the National Security Council.

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Michel Gabaudan − President, Refugees International

Mr. Michael Corbin − Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

Ms. Manal Omar – Director of Iraq Programs, Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, United States Institute of Peace

Mr. Brian Katulis – Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 21, 2010

DISTINGUISHED LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND MULTI-FAITH COOPERATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference from NCUSAR on Vimeo.

Presented to: Dr. Landrum Bolling

Dr. Landrum Bolling is Director at Large and Senior Advisor to Mercy Corps working out of its Washington, D.C. office. His long career has spanned the academic world − where he was President of Earlham College for fifteen years; the foundation world – where he served as President of the Lilly Endowment, one of the largest grant-making foundations in the world, and Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Foundations; the world of ecumenical relations – where he was Director of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem; and the world of “non-official” diplomacy – where he has long served as a communications channel between the White House, the State Department, and Palestinian leaders.

Arab-U.S. Relations: Misadventures Past and Present – 2010 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 21, 2010

ARAB-U.S. RELATIONS: Misadventures Past and Present

Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. – Chairman of the Board, Projects International, Inc., a Washington, DC-based development firm specializing in international joint ventures, acquisitions, and other business operations for its American and foreign clients; former President, Middle East Policy Council; former 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 security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China; former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm); Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the U.S. mediation of Namibian independence from South Africa and Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola; and author of the newly published America’s Misadventures in the Middle East as well as The Diplomat’s Dictionary (Revised Edition) and Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT

Council Chronicle – Vol. 3, No. 3 (Fall-Winter 2009)

March 12, 2010

Council Chronicle – Vol. 3, No. 3 (Fall – Winter 2009) (.pdf file)

Includes:

2010 Policymakers Conference – Save the Date

2010 Summer Washington, DC Internship Program

2009 Policymakers Conference Highlights

2009 Policymakers Conference Speakers & Sessions

2009 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference Sponsors

Diplomatic Connections Business Quarterly feature on 2009 Policymakers Conference

December 1, 2009

Diplomatic Connections Business Quarterly feature on 2009 Policymakers Conference (.pdf)

Arab-U.S. Relations: The Way Forward – 2009 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 16, 2009

“ARAB-U.S. RELATIONS: THE WAY FORWARD”

Arab-U.S. Relations: The Way Forward – 2009 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference from NCUSAR on Vimeo.

Speaker: The Hon. Charles W. (“Chas”) Freeman, Jr. − Chairman of the Board, Projects International, Inc., a Washington, DC-based business development firm specializing in international joint ventures, acquisitions, and other business operations for its American and foreign clients; former President, Middle East Policy Council; former 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; former U. S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm); Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the U.S. mediation of Namibian independence from South Africa and Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola; and author of The Diplomat’s Dictionary (Revised Edition) and Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy.

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

The Obama Administration: Views from the Region – 2009 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 16, 2009

“THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION:
VIEWS FROM THE ARAB WORLD”

The Obama Administration: Views from the Region – 2009 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference from NCUSAR on Vimeo.

Chair: Ms. Barbara G.B. Ferguson − Washington Bureau Chief, Arab News; Co-Chair, International Correspondents Committee, The National Press Club, Washington, D.C.; author, “Country Reports” on Bahrain, Morocco and Kazakhstan for the Washington Times; embedded war correspondent during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Kuwait in 1990-1991 and in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Speakers:

Mr. Ibrahim Helal − Deputy Managing Editor, Al Jazeera Satellite Television, English; former Deputy Managing Director, News and Programs; former Middle East and North Africa Project Director, BBC World Service Trust, responsible for the training and development of Arab media organizations; Editor-in-Chief, Al-Jazeera Arabic Channel (2001-2004); former Head of News, Abu Dhabi TV (2000-2001).

Mr. Hisham Melhem − Washington Bureau Chief, Al-Arabiya, the Dubai-UAE based satellite channel; former host of Al-Arabiya’s “Across the Ocean”, a weekly current affairs program on U.S.-Arab relations; Correspondent, Annahar, the leading Lebanese daily.

Ms. Nadia Bilbassy-Charters – Chief Correspondent, Middle East Broadcasting Center, Washington, D.C., covering the White House and the State Department; formerly Al-Arabiya Television Diplomatic Correspondent; former Bureau Chief for Middle East Broadcasting Center based in Nairobi, Kenya covering conflicts across the African continent; formerly with both Inter Press Service News Agency (IPS) and Agence France Press (AFP).

AUDIO (.mp3)

Keynote Addresses – 2009 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

October 16, 2009

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

Oct. 16 Luncheon Keynote Address – 2009 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference from NCUSAR on Vimeo.

Introductions: Dr. John Duke Anthony – Founding President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

Speakers:

H.E. Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo − Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States; appointed to Bahrain’s Majlis ash-Shura [National Advisory] Council by His Majesty the King Shaikh Hamad Bin Salman Al-Khalifa where, prior to her appointment as Ambassador she served on the Committee for Finance and Economic Affairs; and former Secretary General of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society.

Dr. Abdulrahman H. Al-Saeed − Advisor to The Royal Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Director, Office of Special Projects for HRH King ‘Abdallah Bin ‘Abdalaziz Al Sa’ud, Custodian of the Two Holy Places and King of Saudi Arabia.

H.E. Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo AUDIO (.mp3)

Dr. Abdulrahman H. Al-Saeed AUDIO (.mp3)

H.E. Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)