Summer Intensive Language Program at AFKAR Academy in Jordan

Posted on February 19, 2013 by NCUSAR

The National Council, in collaboration with AFKAR Academy, is pleased to announce a 2013 Summer Intensive Arabic Program to be held at Yarmouk University, Jordan, from June 9 to July 19, 2013. Students will spend six weeks in the historic city of Irbid taking part in intensive Arabic language study.

The program offers 16 in-class contact hours of Arabic language instruction per week for six weeks, as well as 10 hours weekly with language partners in small groups to practice learned material and learn survival Jordanian Arabic. This program is ideal for students seeking to further their proficiency in Arabic language and exposure to Arab culture. Students enrolling in this program should be able to obtain the equivalent of 6 college level credit hours in Arabic.

Students who have finished one year of Arabic study or more are especially encouraged to apply. While the Program accepts applications from students with no prior knowledge of Arabic, priority will be given to students who have previous exposure to Arabic language and culture.

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Gulf in the News – February 15, 2013

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Maria Pantelis

Analysis | Saudi Arabia Energy Profile Update – U.S. EIA

Source: SUSRIS (Read full story)

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Saudi Arabia is the largest oil consuming nation in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia consumed approximately 3 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil in 2012, almost double 2000 levels, because of strong industrial growth and subsidized prices. Contributing to this growth is rising direct burn of crude oil for power generation, which reaches 1 million bbl/d during summer months, and the use of natural gas liquids (NGL) for petrochemical production. Khalid al-Falih warned that domestic liquids demand was on a pace to reach over 8 million bbl/d (oil equivalent) by 2030 if there were no improvements in energy efficiency.

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NCUSAR US Air Force Academy Study Visit to the UAE, November 2012

Posted on February 14, 2013 by NCUSAR

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, in coordination with the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi, escorted a delegation of cadets from the United States Air Force Academy on a study visit to the UAE in November 2012. The visit provided the cadets with an opportunity to explore the dynamics of some of the major economic, political, and social determinants of UAE culture as well as the country’s modernization and development.

Gulf in the News – February 13, 2013

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Maria Pantelis

Yemen’s powerful families still cast shadows

Source: The Washington Post (Read full story)

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A year after former president Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in a deal brokered by the United States and Yemen’s Arab neighbors, the country’s three most influential families continue to cast a large shadow over the political transition. Unlike leaders of other nations altered by the Arab Spring revolutions, Yemen’s elites were neither jailed nor exiled, and they have remained inside the country, free to operate as they will. The continuity has helped prevent Yemen from descending into a Syria-like civil war or erupting into the violent political turmoil seen in Egypt and Tunisia. But the elites’ lingering influence has also impeded Yemen’s progress, say activists, analysts and Western diplomats.

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NCUSAR Model Arab League Study Visit to Saudi Arabia, Winter 2013

Posted on February 12, 2013 by NCUSAR

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, in partnership with the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission and Saudi Arabian Ministry of Higher Education, escorted a delegation of Model Arab League students on a cultural immersion study visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, December 27, 2012-January 7, 2013. During the course of the visit, the students met Saudi Arabian educators, business representatives, civil society leaders, and American diplomats in addition to visiting numerous sites of cultural and historical interest. The study visit provided the young American leaders a hands-on experience in the Arab world that few others their age have had.

Model Arab League Study Visit to Saudi Arabia, January 2013

Gulf in the News – February 11, 2011

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Maria Pantelis

The US and the Gulf States: Uncertain Partners in a Changing Region

Source: Atlantic Council (Read full story)

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The United States and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) share vital interests. In addition to core mutual defense needs, the Gulf is a major market for US exporters and remains an important source of petroleum. Yet the shared political, security, and commercial interests of the Gulf states and the United States have not translated into the deep mutual trust that form the basis of long-term alliances. Such trust is undercut by a US perspective dominated by ill-informed views of the Gulf states, often failing to distinguish one from another, worrying primarily about the export of Islamic extremism and terrorism from the Gulf region, and critical of non-representative governance structures and treatment of women and minorities within their borders.

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Gulf in the News – Februray 8, 2013

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Mariam Klait

End occupation, UAE tells Iran

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

The UAE on Thursday stressed the need for solidarity and cooperation among Muslim countries to overcome the current challenges, seize opportunities and urged continuous efforts to secure the Muslim nation’s interests and stature. Addressing the 12^th Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Dr Anwar Gargash said the UAE is following with great concern the current situations of Muslim peoples and communities and is eager to bolster ties among Muslim countries.

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Save the Date — 22nd Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference scheduled for October 22 – 23, 2013

Posted on February 7, 2013 by NCUSAR

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is pleased to announce the 22nd Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference has been scheduled for October 22 – 23, 2013 (Tuesday – Wednesday). The conference will again be held at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. Information about sponsorship opportunities for the 2013 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference along with transcripts, audio, and video recordings of the 2012 conference are available through the links below.