This essay from Dr. Anthony examines the diplomatic and geopolitical challenges and opportunities for the three most recent Saudi Arabian Ambassadors to the United States: Prince Bandar, Prince Turki, and Adel Al-Jubeir. Dr. Anthony wrote an earlier biography of Adel Al-Jubeir for the Biographical Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa in 2007. Centgage Learning, the publisher of that two-volume work, has granted permission to reprint the earlier version and to bring the essay up to date. The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa can be purchased here: http://bit.ly/seY6oo.

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.

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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)

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Watch the segment on YouTube

This essay from Dr. Anthony analyzes the Gulf Cooperation Council’s response to Bahrain’s request for defense assistance in March 2011. It was written for the website of the Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR). The ECSSR is one of the GCC countries’ oldest and most productive think tanks and research institutes on public policy issues. A shorter version of this essay was published on the ECSSR website and can be accessed here: http://t.co/MLsibJx.

Visit enlightens 10 American students about Saudi culture, Arab News, April 3, 2011

GV student travels to Saudi Arabia on fellowship, Grand Valley Lanthorn, January 23, 2011

Central grad tells of Saudi trip, Forsyth News, February 1, 2011

Saudi Arabia is no longer ‘foreign’ to me, The Saudi Gazette, February 20, 2011

Fellowship in Saudi Arabia, Grand Valley State University Success Stories, December 21, 2010

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.

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

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

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Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation Hosts Visit of US Students from NCUSAR Youth Leadership Development Program [Photo]

Follow the student delegation on Andrew Cotton’s blog

A window on the Arab world, Northeastern University News, July 1, 2010

Girl Effect movement sweeping the globe, By Muna Abu Sulayman, Arab News, June 15, 2010

Americans divided over US policies on Israel, say US students, Arab News, June 20, 2010

Ministry of Higher Education Hosts Delegation from the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, Ministry of Higher Education, June 16, 2010 [Arabic]

NCUSAR Visits Jubail Industrial City, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu News, June 21, 2010

Overseas trip changes perceptions of UM-Dearborn student, The Arab American News, October 10, 2010

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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)

Moderator: Mr. Peter J. Robertson − Co-Chairman, of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council; retired Board of Directors Vice Chairman, Chevron Corporation; Chairman, World Affairs Council of Northern California; Board of Directors Vice Chairman, International House, University of California at Berkeley.

Speakers:

H.E. Adel A. Al-Jubeir − Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States; Foreign Policy Adviser to HRH ‘Abdallah Bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud, Custodian of the Two Holy Places and King of Saudi Arabia.

The Hon. James B. Smith (Brigadier General, USAF, Ret.) − Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; former International Business Development Executive, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems; Distinguished Graduate, The Naval   War College, The Air Command and Staff College, and The National War College.

Former United States Ambassadors to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
The Hon. Walter L. Cutler (1984-1987 and 1988-1989)
The Hon. Charles W. (“Chas”) Freeman, Jr. (1989-1992)
The Hon. Wyche Fowler (1996-2001)
The Hon. James C. Oberwetter (2004-2007)
The Hon. Robert Jordan (2002-2003)

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Featured Speaker:

HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Sa’ud

Moderator:

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

WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS RECAP

The Honorable Ford Fraker

The Honorable Walter Cutler

The Honorable Wyche Fowler

The Honorable Robert Jordan

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The Honorable Ford Fraker AUDIO (.mp3)

The Honorable Walter Cutler AUDIO (.mp3)

The Honorable Wyche Fowler AUDIO (.mp3)

The Honorable Robert Jordan AUDIO (.mp3)

In 2007 Dr. Anthony was contracted by Britannica Book of the Year (BBOY), publication of Encyclopaedia Britannica, to write an original essay on “Boom in the Gulf.” The essay focused on the extraordinary construction boom underway in the six GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The essay, which can be accessed through the above link, was accepted and appears in the 2008 edition of the BBOY. The National Council is pleased that Encyclopaedia Britannica has granted permission for the Council to reprint the essay in full.

Britannica Book of the Year

This interview appeared on National Public Radio’s To the Point, and was conducted by host and producer Warren Olney, originally airing July 31, 2007. The program also featured interviews with Mr. Stephen Schwartz, of the Center for Islamic Pluralism; Mr. Warren Boese, Researcher at the Arms Control Association; and Mr. Yossi Melman, Reporter for Ha’aretz, Israel’s largest daily newspaper. This is an edited transcript of Dr. Anthony’s response to the questions put to him by Mr. Olney.

Moderator: The Hon. Walter L. Cutler, twice former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, having represented President Ronald Reagan, 1984-86 and 1987-1988; Ambassador to Tunisia and Zaire and Ambassador-Designate to Khomeini’s Iran before diplomatic relations were severed; President Emeritus, Meridian International, Washington, D.C.; former Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations.

Panelists:

• “Economic and Related Reforms in the Kingdom’s Strategic Development Plans” - H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al-Qunaibet, Vice Chairman, Economic and Energy Affairs Committee, Majlis ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh.
• “Perspectives of a Former Ambassador and United States Senator: Saudi Arabia-U.S. Relations, Reforms, Elections, and the Challenges Ahead.” – The Hon. Wyche Fowler, Chairman of the Board, Middle East Institute; former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, having represented President Bill Clinton, 1996-2000, and former Deputy Minority Leader, United States Senate and Congressman, 1977-1993.
• “Enhancing the Mutuality of Benefit: The Bilateral Commercial Dimension” –H.E. Usamah Al-Kurdi, Member, Majlis Ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh; immediate past Secretary General, Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry 1997-2001; former Vice President, Saudi Consulting House, a fore-runner of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA).

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Keynote Speaker: Mr. Khalid Al-Falih, Senior Vice President, Industrial Relations, and Board Member, Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), the world’s largest producer of crude oil and which manages a quarter of the world’s total oil reserves; Chairman of the Board, South Rub’ Al-Khali Company, an upstream gas joint venture among Shell, Total, and Saudi Aramco; Chairman, Dammam City Municipal Council; former President of Petron Corporation, a refining and marketing venture between Saudi Aramco and the Philippine National Oil Company; former Vice-President for Gas Ventures, Development, and Coordination.

Panelists:

Among the senior energy executives represented in the following session are those whose companies are, among other things, major purchasers of Saudi Arabian crude oil, joint venture partners in refining projects in Saudi Arabia and the United States, substantial investors in both countries while pursuing expanded commercial relations and sharing technology to ensure continued reliable long-term energy supplies.

• Mr. Stephen D. Pryor, President, ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Company and a Vice President of the Corporation
• Mr. Peter J. Robertson, Vice Chairman of the Board, Chevron Corporation; former Comptroller for Chevron Oil Europe, Comptroller of Chevron USA, and Vice President of Finance, Chevron USA; former President, Warren Petroleum Company, Chevron’s former natural gas liquids subsidiary; former President, Chevron Overseas Petroleum Inc., with responsibility for directing Chevron’s oil exploration and production activities worldwide; Director, U.S.-Russian Business Council; the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council; the American Petroleum Institute; and Vice-Chairman, U.S. Energy Association.
• Mr. John D. Hofmeister, President, Shell Oil Company; Head, U.S. Country Leadership Team, which includes the leaders of all Shell businesses operating in the United States; Board Member, the American Petroleum Institute, United States Energy Association, National Association of Manufacturers, National Urban League, and the Foreign Policy Association.
• Mr. James J. Mulva, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, ConocoPhillips, and Chairman, the American Petroleum Institute; former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Phillips Petroleum Company; Member, the Business Council and the Board of Visitors of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
• Mr. Gary R. Heminger, President, Marathon Petroleum Company LLC, and Executive Vice President, Marathon Oil Corporation; Chairman, American Petroleum Institute Downstream Committee; Chairman of the Board, Tiffin University; former Chairman, Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, and Member, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

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Moderator: H.E. Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi, Director General, Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Foundation, Riyadh, and former president, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Keynote Speaker: “Strategic Scenarios for the Energy Future” – Dr. Daniel Yergin, Chairman, Cambridge Energy Research Associates; author of The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and more recently, Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy; former Chair, U.S. Department of Energy’s Task Force on Strategic Energy Research and Development; Board Member, U.S. Energy Association; Member, the National Petroleum Council; the sole foreign member of the Russian Academy of Oil and Gas; Trustee, The Brookings Institution; Board Member, the New American Foundation; Advisory Board Member, the International Institute for Economics.

Panelists:

• “Impact of Events in Iraq and Iran: Implications for Saudi Arabian Interests and Policies” – Mr. Nawaf Obaid, Managing Director of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; co-author, National Security in Saudi Arabia: Threats, Responses, and Challenges.
• “Assessing the Kingdom’s Efforts in Counter-Terrorism and Political Reform” – Dr. Rachel Bronson, Director of Programs, Institute for Global Affairs, Chicago; former Director of Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Council’s Senior Associate for Near East Programs; author of Thicker than Oil: America’s Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia; and testifier before The Congressional Anti-Terrorist Finance Task Force; Congress’ Joint Economic Committee; and the 9-11 Commission.
• “Oil Prices and the Financial and Investment Outlook for Saudi Arabia” –Dr. Nahed M. Taher, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Gulf One Investment Bank, Bahrain, — the first Saudi Arabian woman to head a bank in the Gulf region; and former Chief Economist, Saudi National Commercial Bank, where she was the first Saudi Arabian woman to hold such a position.

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Dr. John Duke Anthony, President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Member, Council on Foreign Relations; Adjunct Associate Professor on Saudi Arabia and Gulf Politics, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; author, numerous books, articles, and essays on the Arabian Peninsula, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the six GCC countries.

TAKING STOCK OF THE SAUDI ARABIAN U.S. RELATIONSHIP

Moderator: Ms. Afnan Al-Shuaiby, Advisor to the President of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council, Washington, D.C.; formerly a business consultant to major U.S. companies and commercial associations, including Walt Disney World Company and the Business Council.

Keynote Speaker: “Saudi Arabia and America: Where Are We Headed?” – H.E. Abdalla A. Alireza, Minister of State, Saudi Arabian Council of Ministers; former Co-Chairman, National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce.

Panelists:

• “Saudi Arabian-U.S. Relations: A Balance Sheet on the Issues of Greatest Importance to Both” – The Hon. Robert Jordan, Partner, Baker and Botts; President, Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations; Member, Board of Directors, the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies; in addition to having served as personal attorney to President George W. Bush, he was U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia 2001-2003.
• “The Dynamics of Educational Reform in the Kingdom: A Balance Sheet” –H.E. Dr. Khalil Al-Khalil, Member, Majlis ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh and Professor, Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh.
• “Women’s Rights and Development in the Kingdom: An Analytical Assessment” – Dr. Eleanor Abdella Doumato, Visiting Fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; former president of the Association for Middle East Women’s Studies; co-editor of, inter alia, Getting God’s Ear: Women, Islam, and Healing in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, plus author of essays on women in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Gulf in numerous edited volumes and monographs as well as scholarly journals and encyclopedias.

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This article originally appeared in Al-Riyadh Newspaper (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) on July 17, 2006 and in the Saudi-US Relations Information Service on August 1, 2006.