Placing the Recent Tension in Saudi Arabian-U.S. Relations in Context: Where Do We Go From Here?

Posted on November 15, 2013 by NCUSAR

Below is a remarks as delivered transcript from a public affairs briefing held November 13, 2013, in Washington, DC, sponsored by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

Featured Specialists:

Ambassador (Ret.) Ford Fraker – Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (April 2007 – April 2009); and Senior Advisor, Trinity Group Limited.

Ambassador (Ret.) James Smith – Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (September 2009 – September 2013); and Senior Counselor, The Cohen Group.

Moderator:

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

[Remarks as delivered]

[Amb. Ford Fraker] Well, Dr. Anthony as usual has done an excellent job sort of laying the ground work, and I think one of the advantages of an audience like this is that Ambassador Smith and I get to talk to people who know a lot about what we’re talking about, and that facilitates the discussion. What we don’t – certainly what I don’t do well at is when I have to stand up in front of a group and put a map of Europe on the wall and then go from Europe down to Saudi Arabia, so it’s always nice to speak to an informed audience.

Ambassador (Ret.) Ford M. Fraker at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 2013 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference. Photo: NCUSAR.

So what I want to do is to spend some time talking about the relationship and some of the key elements in the relationship that are relevant today for what’s going on so that we can get into the question and answer portion of this rapidly. I think it’s at that point that everybody gets fully engaged and we don’t have to stand up here droning on about various issues that may or may not be important to you. It’s always better to turn it over to the audience and find out what’s on their minds.

So a brief word about the relationship. When I arrived as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia in 2007, up to that point I’d been a banker in the Middle East for almost 35 years. So Saudi Arabia was a country I knew well. It allowed me to transition into the position relatively easily from a number of standpoints. But one of the things that surprised me when I came was I had no real understanding of the breadth and depth of the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S.

Obviously the high points – energy for security – all the basic issues that drive the relationship, yes I knew about them. But the number of programs that exist encompassing Departments of Commerce, Energy, Education – a whole raft of programs that extend throughout the relationship, not just broadly, but deeply as I said, I think has a lot to do with why this relationship is as strong and as fundamentally sound as it is.

Some of you have heard me refer to the relationship as a marriage. All good marriages are based on sound fundamentals, strategic interests, shared values. I think that’s very much the case in Saudi Arabia. And in every strong marriage, good marriage, there are the ups and downs, but as long as those fundamentals are in place, and as I said as long as you have this depth and breadth of relationships operating then the relationship takes over.

I’m convinced one of the reasons the relationship did not break immediately after 9/11 was because of this, because of the number of programs that were in place, because of the day-to-day interaction was embedded. So from that standpoint I don’t worry about this relationship breaking. For sure, as I said, there will be ups and downs, and we’re in a particularly difficult period right now and there are a number of factors for that, and I wanted to mention two.

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Gulf in the News – November 13, 2013

Posted on November 13, 2013 by NCUSAR

Op-Ed: America’s oil finds will not sideline Saudi Arabia

Source: Financial Times (Read full story)

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America’s daily oil production was the highest in the world from the time oil was discovered until the mid-1970s. Average US production over that time period was about 10m barrels per day – far higher than the output of Saudi Arabia. However, that level of daily oil production did not garner the US any significant influence in international oil markets. Nor did it improve US energy security – it continued to import oil in ever greater quantities. Moreover, output levels have since declined. Even if the US reaches 11m b/d of crude oil production in 2014, this will not make it the leading producer. The Saudi output is about 11.7m b/d, and poised to increase. Further, Saudi Arabia has a ready spare capacity of an additional 2m b/d of crude. In addition, Saudi Arabia is by far the largest exporter of crude oil and products of crude oil. Its average exports for most of 2013 are about 7.6m b/d; the US exported just 1.9m b/d.

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Keynote Address by HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal at the 2013 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Posted on October 28, 2013 by NCUSAR

HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal delivered a keynote address at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 22nd Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference. He was introduced by Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President & CEO of the National Council. The conference, on the theme “Navigating Arab-U.S. Relations: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,” was held October 22-23, 2013, at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

Speaker:
HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal – 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.

For more information visit the National Council’s Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference homepage.

Council Chronicle Vol. 7, No. 2 (2013) Now Available

Posted on October 11, 2013 by NCUSAR

National Council Public Affairs Briefing The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is pleased to provide the twenty-first edition of the Council Chronicle, the Council’s periodic newsletter. The Chronicle seeks to keep the Council’s alumni, donors, and other supporters informed and updated. One among other efforts to do so on an ongoing basis is achieved by presenting highlights and special reports on the Council’s programs, events, and activities. For new readers interested in learning more about the Council’s vision and mission, together with the ways and means it utilizes to pursue both objectives, please visit the Council’s website at ncusar.org.

ACCESS Council Chronicle Vol. 7, No. 2 (2013) (.pdf – 1.2 MB)

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Council Chronicle Vol. 7, No. 1 (2013) Now Available

Posted on September 27, 2013 by NCUSAR

Model Arab League Student Leadership Development Program The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is pleased to provide the twentieth edition of the Council Chronicle, the Council’s periodic newsletter. The Chronicle seeks to keep the Council’s alumni, donors, and other supporters informed and updated. One among other efforts to do so on an ongoing basis is achieved by presenting highlights and special reports on the Council’s programs, events, and activities. For new readers interested in learning more about the Council’s vision and mission, together with the ways and means it utilizes to pursue both objectives, please visit the Council’s website at ncusar.org.

ACCESS Council Chronicle Vol. 7, No. 1 (2013) (.pdf – 1.4 MB)

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“Navigating Arab-U.S. Relations: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities” – 22nd Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference – Oct. 22-23 in Washington, DC

Posted on September 26, 2013 by NCUSAR

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 22nd Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference, entitled “Navigating Arab-U.S. Relations: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,” is scheduled for October 22-23, 2013 in Washington, DC. Register now to join Arab and American leaders from government, the military, business, and academe as they share privileged information, insight, and recommendations that are vitally important to the definition of issues, the ordering of priorities, and the direction of policy formulation and implementation in American and Arab governments alike. The conference will provide attendees with two-days of shared ideas, intense discussions and debate, and extensive networking.

Featured Speakers Include:

HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Sa’ud

His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Sa’ud served as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States from 2005 to 2007. From 1977 to 2001, he served as the Director General of the General Intelligence Directorate, the Kingdom’s main foreign intelligence service. Prince Turki is one of the founders of the King Faisal Foundation and is the Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. Prince Turki serves as a member of the Boards of Trustees of the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies.

General Lloyd J. Austin III

General Lloyd J. Austin III assumed command of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which has a wide-ranging area of responsibility for 20 countries in the Middle East and southwest Asia, on March 22, 2013. He was previously the 33d Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. General Austin led the 3rd Infantry Division in the opening months of the Iraq war where he earned a Silver Star for valor. He later commanded divisions in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and commanded U.S. Forces-Iraq from September 2010 through the completion of the mission in December 2011.

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2013 Capital Area Regional Model Arab League

Posted on September 16, 2013 by NCUSAR

The 2013 Capital Area Regional Model Arab League will be held at Georgetown University in Washington, DC on November 9-10, 2013. Register now to take part in this unique academic, diplomatic simulation of the League of Arab States for university students.

This academic year, over 2,000 students will participate in Model Arab Leagues across the United States. Participants in the program gain practical knowledge of international diplomacy and policymaking in an interactive and engaging environment. Delegates also build critical leadership skills such as improved public speaking, the art of negotiation, coalition-building and argumentation, applied research, and intercultural understanding by approaching global issues through new lenses.

Forming a team for the Model Arab League is simple. Any size group of students may form a team and register online to receive a country assignment. Your team will then research its country’s policies on the most important issues facing the Arab world and Middle East today which can be found on the MAL Agenda. Finally, you will practice the rules of debate found in the MAL Handbook before attending the conference over the weekend.

You can find conference details, country assignments, and more at: http://ncusar.org/modelarableague/

Please feel free to contact the National Council (call or email Josh Hilbrand at 1-202-293-6466 / josh@ncusar.org) if you have any questions.

For More Information:

CENTCOM Commander Gen. Lloyd Austin to speak at Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference – Oct 22-23 in Washington, DC

Posted on August 20, 2013 by NCUSAR

The National Council is pleased to announce the recent additions of CENTCOM Commander General Lloyd J. Austin III and Dr. Herman Franssen as featured speakers at the 22nd Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference. Visit the links below to learn more and register for the conference.