28th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Treading a Tightrope: How Best to Balance and Advance the Multifaceted Arab-U.S. Relationship?

October 23-24, 2019

Atrium Hall
Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC

• Conference Proceedings
• Watch Conference Videos on YouTube
• Podcasts of Conference Sessions: Apple, Spotify, FeedBurner
• "Economic Diversification in the GCC" presentation by Dr. Turki Faisal Al Rasheed (pdf)
• About the Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Conference Proceedings:

Jump to a specific session by selecting the session title in the list immediately below, or scroll further down to see the complete listing of sessions and speakers.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

9:00 - 9:20 a.m. – Welcome and Introductions

Speakers:

Mr. John Pratt – National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Board of Directors Chairman; former Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce Chairman.

Dr. John Duke Anthony – National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and Chief Executive Officer; author, inter alia, of Arab States of the Lower Gulf: People, Politics, Petroleum; Historical and Cultural Dictionary of the Sultanate of Oman and the Emirates of Eastern Arabia; and The United Arab Emirates: Dynamics of State Formation.

9:30 - 10:50 a.m. – Dynamics Impacting the Future of the U.S.-Arab Relationship
Video
Podcast (mp3)

Chair Introduction:

Ms. Paige Peterson – National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Board of Directors Member; Huntsman Cancer Foundation Consultant.

Chair:

Mr. Richard Kaplan – former President of CNN-U.S. and MSNBC; award-winning television news producer; Harvard University Lecturer and Fellow.

Speakers:

Ms. Kirsten Fontenrose – Atlantic Council Middle East Programs Director of Regional Security; former White House National Security Council Senior Director for Gulf Affairs.

The Right Honourable Mona Makram-Ebeid – The American University in Cairo Distinguished Lecturer of Political Science; former Egyptian Shura Council (Senate) Member; former Egyptian People’s Assembly (Parliament) Member.

Mr. Thomas L. Friedman – New York Times Op-Ed Columnist; Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and commentator.

Commentator:

Ms. Raghida Dergham – Beirut Institute Founder and Executive Chairman; The National Columnist; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Board Member.

11:00 - 11:30 a.m. – Keynote Remarks from U.S. Central Command
Video
Podcast (mp3)

Introduction:

H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba – United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States.

Featured Speaker:

General Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr. – United States Central Command Commander; Former U.S. Department of Defense Joint Staff Director.

12:00 - 2:15 p.m. – Luncheon (Sponsored by LEO A DALY), Presentations, Remarks, and Keynote Address
National Council Programmatic Alumni Reflections Video
National Council Programmatic Alumni Reflections Podcast (mp3)
Ambassador (Ret.) Edward "Skip" Gnehm, Jr. Award Presentation Podcast (mp3)
Desert Storm War Memorial Update Podcast (mp3)
H.E. Dr. Abdel-Aziz Hamad Aluwaisheg Remarks Video
H.E. Dr. Abdel-Aziz Hamad Aluwaisheg Remarks Podcast (mp3)
HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al-Saud Remarks Video
HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al-Saud Remarks Podcast (mp3)

Welcoming Remarks:

Mr. Leo A. Daly III – LEO A DALY Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Reflections:

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Programmatic Alumni.

Award Presentation:

Recognition of Ambassador (Ret.) Edward "Skip" Gnehm, Jr. featuring remarks by H.E. Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Desert Storm War Memorial Update:

Mr. Scott C. Stump – National Desert Storm War Memorial Association President and CEO.

Featured Remarks:

H.E. Dr. Abdel-Aziz Hamad Aluwaisheg – Gulf Cooperation Council Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Negotiation Affairs; Arab News Columnist.

Keynote Speaker:

HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al-Saud – King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Chairman; former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and to the United States; former Saudi Arabian General Intelligence Directorate Director General.

2:45 - 3:15 p.m. – Advancing Interfaith Dialogue and Messages of Peace

Written Remarks Submitted By:

H.E. Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Ibn Abdulkarim Alissa – Muslim World League Secretary General; Saudi Arabia Ministry of Defense Ideological Warfare Center General Supervisor; International Body of Muslim Scholars Chairman.  

3:45 - 4:30 p.m. – Keynote Discussion with General (Ret.) David Petraeus
Video
Podcast (mp3)

Moderator:

Ms. Raghida Dergham – Beirut Institute Founder and Executive Chairman; The National Columnist; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Board Member.

Discussant:

General (Ret.) David Petraeus – KKR Partner and KKR Global Institute Chairman; former United States Central Intelligence Agency Director; former United States Central Command Commander; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Board Member.

4:35 - 5:55 p.m. – Future Prospects for Palestinians
Video
Podcast (mp3)

Chair:

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

Speakers:

Dr. Elizabeth Campbell – United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Washington Office Director; former U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Organization Affairs Senior Humanitarian Policy Advisor.

Mr. Yousef Bashir – The Words of My Father Author; Palestinian advocate; former Palestinian Diplomatic Delegation to the United States Member.

Mr. Omar Baddar – Arab American Institute Deputy Director; former Al Jazeera International The Stream Digital Producer and Presenter; former American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Massachusetts Executive Director.

Mr. Sean Carroll – Anera President & CEO; former U.S. Agency for International Development Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer.

Mr. Jonathan Kuttab – human rights attorney; Palestinian Center for the Study of Nonviolence, Al-Haq, and Mandela Institute for Political Prisoners Co-Founder.

6:00 - 8:00 p.m. – Conference Reception in The Pavilion of the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center

Conference registrants were invited to attend an evening social reception in The Pavilion Room after the first day's proceedings concluded.

The reception featured a musical performance by singer-songwriter Kamel Zennia.

The reception also featured a special appearance and presentation by Master Falconer Mike Dupuy. Guests had the opportunity to learn about the history of falconry and humanity's intimate connection to birds of prey.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

8:55 - 10:10 a.m. – U.S.-Arab Energy Dynamics
Video
Podcast (mp3)

Chair and Speaker:

Dr. Paul Sullivan – National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Distinguished International Affairs Fellow; National Defense University Professor of Economics; Georgetown University Adjunct Professor for Security Studies; Federation of American Scientists Adjunct Senior Fellow for Future Global Resource Threats.

Speakers:

Dr. Herman Franssen – Energy Intelligence Group Executive Director; International Energy Associates, Inc. President; Center for Strategic and International Studies Senior Associate; Middle East Institute Adjunct Scholar; Centre for Global Energy Studies (London, UK) Visiting Fellow.

Dr. Ellen Wald – Atlantic Council Global Energy Center Senior Fellow; Saudi, Inc. Author; Forbes, Arab News, and Investing dot com Columnist.

Dr. Jean-François Seznec – Atlantic Council Global Energy Center Senior Fellow; Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Adjunct Professor.

Mr. Phillip Cornell – Atlantic Council Global Energy Center Nonresident Senior Fellow; Former Saudi Aramco Senior Corporate Planning Advisor; Former International Energy Agency Special Advisor.

10:15 - 11:00 a.m. – Business, Investment, and Developmental Dynamics in Arabia and the Gulf
Video
Podcast (mp3)

Chair:

Mr. Steve Lutes – U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Director of Middle East Affairs; Former U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration Senior Legislative Affairs Specialist.

Speakers:

Dr. Turki Faisal Al Rasheed – Golden Grass, Inc. Founder and Chief Executive Officer; University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Adjunct Professor.

Dr. T. B. (Mac) McClelland, Jr. – Center House Ltd. President and CEO; Management and Business Analyst; International Stability Operations Association President for Middle East and Africa; Hult International Business School Professor of Leadership and Management.

Commentator:

Dr. Ghiyath Nakshbendi – American University Professor and Kogod School of Business Executive in Residence; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Business and Investment Affairs Fellow.

11:10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. – U.S.-Arab Defense Cooperation Dynamics
Video
Podcast (mp3)

Chair:

Dr. Amin Tarzi – Marine Corps University Director of Middle East Studies; University of Southern California Dornsife Washington, D.C. Program Professor of Practice (Political Science); Foreign Policy Research Institute Program on the Middle East Senior Fellow.

Speakers:

Ambassador (Ret.) Lincoln Bloomfield – Stimson Center Chairman Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow; Former U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for Political Military Affairs.

Mr. Norman Roule – Former United States National Intelligence Manager for Iran; United Against a Nuclear Iran Senior Advisor.

Mr. David Des Roches – U.S. Department of Defense National Defense University Near East/South Asia Center for Strategic Studies Associate Professor; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Senior International Affairs Fellow.

Colonel (Ret.) Abbas K. Dahouk – former U.S. Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Senior Military Advisor; former Embassy of the United States in Saudi Arabia Defense and Army Attaché; HyphenPoint LLC President; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Board of Directors Member.

Ms. Jennifer Neuville – Northrop Grumman Mission Systems Sector Lead for Global Strategic Partnerships.

Commentator:

Ms. Kirsten Fontenrose

1:00 - 3:00 p.m. – Luncheon, Remarks, and Keynote Address
National Council Programmatic Alumni Reflections Podcast (mp3)
Mr. Joey Hood Remarks Podcast (mp3)
H.E. Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak Remarks Video
H.E. Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak Remarks Podcast (mp3)
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan Remarks Video
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan Remarks Podcast (mp3)

Welcoming Remarks:

Congressman Steve Watkins – United States Congress Representative from the Second District of Kansas.

Reflections:

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Programmatic Alumni.

Featured Remarks:

H.E. Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak – Republic of Yemen Ambassador to the United States; former Office of Yemen's President Chief of Staff; Yemen's National Dialogue Conference Secretary General.

Mr. Joey Hood – U.S. Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary; former U.S. Department of State Deputy Chief of Mission in Iraq and in Kuwait.

Keynote Speaker:

H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan – Sultanate of Oman Ambassador to the United Nations; former Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs Acting Undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs; former Ambassador of Oman to Russia.

3:30 - 5:00 p.m. – Geo-Political Dynamics of Arabia and the Gulf
Video
Podcast (mp3)

Chair:

Ms. Raghida Dergham

Speakers:

Ambassador (Ret.) Gerald Feierstein – Middle East Institute Senior Vice President; Former U.S. Department of State Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs; Former United States Ambassador to Yemen.

Ambassador (Ret.) Edward W. Gnehm Jr. – George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs Vice Dean, Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, and Middle East Policy Forum Director; Former United States Ambassador to Jordan, Australia, and Kuwait.

Dr. Abdullah Baabood – National University of Singapore Middle East Institute Visiting Professor; former Qatar University Gulf Studies Centre Director; former University of Cambridge (UK) Gulf Research Centre Director.

Mr. Timothy Lenderking – U.S. Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Gulf Affairs; former U.S. Department of State Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

5:00 - 5:10 p.m. – Closing Remarks

Speaker:

Dr. John Duke Anthony