The Next U.S. Presidency: Implications for the U.S.-Arab Relationship
November 17 – 19, 2020
Conference Proceedings
17 November 2020
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
Mr. John Pratt
Dr. John Duke Anthony
Mr. Andrew Gelfuso
U.S.-ARAB RELATIONS: WHAT NOW?
Mr. Richard Kaplan
Mr. Mohammed Alyahya
Ms. Susanne Koelbl
Mr. Thomas L. Friedman
Dr. David Ottaway
Mr. David H. Rundell
Ms. Barbara Slavin
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY HRH PRINCE TURKI AL FAISAL
HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al-Saud
Mr. Leo A. Daly III
ARAB-U.S. RELATIONS: A VIEW FROM EGYPT
H.E. Mohamed M. Abou El Enein
Mr. H. Delano Roosevelt
18 November 2020
KEYNOTE REMARKS FROM THE GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL
H.E. Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf
Dr. John Duke Anthony
KEYNOTE REMARKS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Mr. Joey Hood
Dr. John Duke Anthony
17 November 2020 (cont.)
GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS OF ARABIA AND THE GULF
Dr. Abdullah Baabood
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan
Dr. Abdullah Al Shayji
Mr. Timothy Lenderking
Ambassador (Ret.) Susan L. Ziadeh
Dr. John Duke Anthony
KEYNOTE REMARKS FROM THE SAUDI ARABIAN EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON
Dr. John Duke Anthony
HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud
19 November 2020
REMARKS FROM U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND
General Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr.
H.E. Dina Kawar
U.S.-ARAB DEFENSE COOPERATION DYNAMICS
Colonel (Ret.) Abbas K. Dahouk
Dr. Cinzia Bianco
Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman
Ms. Kirsten Fontenrose
Mr. Joshua Yaphe
KEYNOTE REMARKS FROM THE U.S. EMBASSY IN RIYADH
Ambassador John Abizaid
Dr. John Duke Anthony
KEYNOTE DISCUSSION WITH DAVID PETRAEUS
General (Ret.) David Petraeus
Ms. Raghida Dergham
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Full Day 1 Livestream
Welcome and Introductions Video
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.
Mr. Andrew Gelfuso – Trade Center Management Associates Vice-President; World Trade Center Washington, DC at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Director.
U.S.-Arab Relations: What Now? Video
Podcast
Chair:
Mr. Richard Kaplan – former President of CNN-U.S. and MSNBC; award-winning television news producer; Harvard University Lecturer and Fellow.
Speakers:
Mr. Mohammed Alyahya – Al Arabiya English Editor-in-Chief.
Mr. Thomas L. Friedman – New York Times Op-Ed Columnist; Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and commentator.
Ms. Susanne Koelbl – Der Spiegel Military and Foreign Correspondent; Author, Behind the Kingdom’s Veil.
Dr. David Ottaway – Woodrow Wilson Center Middle East Fellow; former Washington Post foreign correspondent in the Middle East, Africa, and Southern Europe; Author, inter alia, of A Tale of Four Worlds: the Arab Region After the Uprising.
Mr. David H. Rundell – Author, Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads; former United States Diplomat.
Ms. Barbara Slavin – Atlantic Council Future of Iran Initiative Director; George Washington University Lecturer in International Affairs; Al-Monitor Columnist.
Keynote Remarks by HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al-Saud Video Podcast
Welcome:
Mr. Leo A. Daly III – LEO A DALY Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Introduction:
Dr. John Duke Anthony
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.
Arab-U.S. Relations: A View From Egypt Video Podcast
Introduction:
Mr. H. Delano Roosevelt – U.S.-Saudi Business Council President and CEO; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Board Member.
Speaker:
H.E. Mohamed M. Abou El Enein – Member of the Egyptian Parliament; Cleopatra Group Chairman and Founder; Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean Honorary President; Egyptian-European Business Council President.
Wednesday, November 18, 2020 Full Day 2 Livestream
Keynote Remarks from the Gulf Cooperation Council Video Podcast
Introduction:
Dr. John Duke Anthony
Keynote Speaker:
H.E. Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf – Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf Secretary-General; former Kuwait Minister of Finance.
Keynote Remarks from the U.S. Department of State Video Podcast
Introduction:
Dr. John Duke Anthony
Keynote Speaker:
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.
Geo-Political Dynamics of Arabia and the Gulf Video Podcast
Chair:
Dr. Abdullah Baabood – Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan) School of International Liberal Studies Chair for Islamic Area Studies and Visiting Professor; former 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.
Speakers:
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.
Dr. Abdullah Al Shayji – Kuwait University Professor of International Relations and Post Graduate Political Science Program Director; Author, The GCC Crises: The Root Causes, The Mediation Efforts, And the Future of the GCC Alliance.
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.
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.
Ambassador (Ret.) Susan L. Ziadeh – Georgetown University Adjunct Professor; former United States Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Peninsula Affairs; former United States Ambassador to Qatar.
Keynote Remarks from the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington Video Podcast
Introduction:
Dr. John Duke Anthony
Speaker:
HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ambassador to the United States; International Olympic Committee Member.
Thursday, November 19, 2020 Full Day 3 Livestream
Keynote Remarks from U.S. Central Command Video Podcast
Introduction:
H.E. Dina Kawar – Ambassador of Jordan to the United States; former Jordan Ambassador to the United Nations.
Speakers:
General Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr. – United States Central Command Commander; former U.S. Department of Defense Joint Staff Director.
U.S.-Arab Defense Cooperation Dynamics Video Podcast
Chair & Speaker:
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.
Additional Speakers:
Dr. Cinzia Bianco – European Council on Foreign Relations Visiting Fellow; former European Commission Sharaka Project Research Fellow.
Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman – Center for Strategic and International Studies Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy; Consultant to the U.S. State Department, Defense Department, and intelligence community; former Office of the Secretary of Defense Director of Intelligence Assessment.
Ms. Kirsten Fontenrose – Atlantic Council Middle East Programs Director of Regional Security; former White House National Security Council Senior Director for Gulf Affairs.
Commentator:
Mr. Joshua Yaphe – National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Scholar-in-Residence; U.S. Department of State Bureau of Intelligence and Research Arabian Peninsula Analyst.
Keynote Remarks from the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Video Podcast
Introduction:
Dr. John Duke Anthony
Speaker:
Ambassador John Abizaid – United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; former United States Central Command Commander.
Keynote Discussion with General (Ret.) David Petraeus Video Podcast
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.
Conference Moderator, Context Provider, Facilitator, and Speaker
National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO; Knighted by Moroccan King Muhammad VI, bestowing upon him Morocco's Highest Award for Excellence; former U.S. Department of State Near East and North Africa Area and Country Studies Program Chairman; former U.S. Department of State Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy and its Subcommittee on Sanctions Member; author of numerous publications pertaining to American interests and involvement in the Arab region, the Middle East, and the Islamic world.
Featured Specialists
Performances
Ms. Nidal Ibourk is a singer, scholar, and multi-talented artist with a mastery of Arab classical music. She has performed at distinguished venues around the world, and collaborated with a range of artists including violin and oud master Simon Shaheen. In addition to her talents as a singer, she is known for her artistic commitment to promoting Arab cultural heritage through her song selections, presentation, and stage presence.
Born in Rabat, Mococco, Ms. Ibourk moved to the United States in 2006 to pursue postgraduate studies at Kent State University. She has subsequently earned several degrees while cultivating her career as an artist. Beyond singing and her professional work in human resources development, she is an active speaker at schools and community programs where she can share her passion for Arab culture and music.
King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Chairman; Former Saudi Arabia Ambassador to the United Kingdom and to the United States; Former Saudi Arabia General Intelligence Directorate Director General
Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf Secretary-General; Former Kuwait Minister of Finance
Saudi Arabia Ambassador to the United States; International Olympic Committee Member
New York Times Op-Ed Columnist; Pulitzer Prize-winning Reporter and Commentator
Beirut Institute Founder and Executive Chairman; The National Columnist; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Board Member
United States Central Command Commander; Former United States Department of Defense Joint Staff Director
Atlantic Council Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative Director; Former White House National Security Council Senior Director for Gulf Affairs
United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Former United States Central Command Commander
Oman Ambassador to the United Nations; Former Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs Acting Undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs; Former Ambassador of Oman to Russia
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
Member of the Egyptian Parliament; Cleopatra Group Chairman and Founder; Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean Honorary President; Egyptian-European Business Council President
LEO A DALY Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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
Ambassador of Jordan to the United States; Former Jordan Ambassador to the United Nations
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
Former President of CNN-U.S. and MSNBC; Award-winning television news producer; Harvard University Lecturer and Fellow
Georgetown University Adjunct Professor; Former United States Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Peninsula Affairs; Former United States Ambassador to Qatar
Center for Strategic and International Studies Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy; Consultant to the United States Department of State, Department of Defense, and intelligence community
U.S.-Saudi Business Council President and CEO; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Board Member
Der Spiegel Military and Foreign Correspondent; Author, Behind the Kingdom's Veil
Former United States 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
Al Arabiya English Editor-in-Chief
European Council on Foreign Relations Visiting Fellow; Former European Commission Sharaka Project Research Fellow
Kuwait University Professor of International Relations and Post Graduate Political Science Program Director; Author, The GCC Crises: The Root Causes, The Mediation Efforts, And the Future of the GCC Alliance
Atlantic Council Future of Iran Initiative Director; George Washington University Lecturer in International Affairs; Al-Monitor Columnist
Woodrow Wilson Center Middle East Fellow; Former Washington Post foreign correspondent in the Middle East, Africa, and Southern Europe
Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan) Visiting Professor; Former National University of Singapore Middle East Institute Visiting Professor
National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Scholar-in-Residence
Trade Center Management Associates Vice-President; World Trade Center Washington, DC at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Director
Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads Author; Former United States Diplomat
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