On September 26, 2023, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Board of Directors Member, former Senior Military Advisor to the U.S. Department of State, former U.S. Defense and Army Attaché to Saudi Arabia, and HyphenPoint LLC Founding Principal Colonel (Ret.) Abbas Dahouk took part in an online discussion about strategic ramifications for relations in the Gulf with reference to Dorra Gas Field and the the Khor Abdullah waterway. (Program in Arabic.)
On April 14, 2023, the National Council convened an online briefing program “Peering Over The Horizon: Examining Future Energy Trends And Their Implications For The U.S. And Arab Region.” The discussion examined current and future energy dynamics.
As the structure of energy demand changes, with the importance of fossil fuels predicted to decline in the decades to come, how can energy production and delivery systems incorporate a growing share of renewable energy and manage increased electrification? Will the transition to a low-carbon world require a range of other energy sources and technologies, including low-carbon hydrogen, modern bioenergy, and carbon capture, use, and storage? What factors are most critical in shaping regional and global energy dynamics, and how might they shift in the years ahead? This National Council program explores these questions and more.
Joining the program were:
Featured Specialists:
Moderator:
Audio and video recordings of the program are available above and below, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.
“Energy Trends and Their Implications for the U.S. and Arab Region” podcast (.mp3)
The 31st Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference, Arab-U.S. Uncertainties: What Lies Ahead?, convened at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., on November 2-3, 2022. These are some of the conference proceedings.
Featuring:
Mr. Phillip Cornell – Economist Impact Principal for Energy and Sustainability; Atlantic Council Senior Fellow; former Saudi Aramco, International Energy Agency, and World Bank Group Advisor.
Dr. John Sfakianakis – Gulf Research Center Chief Economist and Head of Research; Chatham House Middle East North Africa Program Associate Fellow.
Dr. Shihab Kuran – Leader of renewable energy projects in Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere; Power Edison Founder, President, and CEO.
The Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference is the signature annual symposium organized and administered by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.
On January 12, 2022, the National Council convened an online program exploring “The Messy, Volatile, and Unpredictable Energy Transition to Come, and the Middle East North Africa Region.”
Joining the program were:
Featured Specialist:
Context Provider:
Audio and video recordings of the program are available above and below, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.
On August 19, 2021, the National Council convened an online program exploring “Energy Changes and Transitions: Why, What, Where, Who, How, and Uncertainties.”
Joining the program were:
Featured Specialist:
Moderator:
Welcome and Context Provider:
Audio and video recordings of the program are available above and below, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.
“Energy Changes and Transitions: Why, What, Where, Who, How, and Uncertainties” podcast (.mp3)
On April 15, 2020, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in partnership with the World Trade Center of Washington, DC at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center recorded a discussion exploring “Energy, Economic, and Defense Dynamics During a Time of Pandemic.”
Joining the program were:
Featured Specialists:
Context Provider:
Moderator:
Welcoming Remarks:
Audio and video recordings of the program are available above and below, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.
“Energy, Economic, and Defense Dynamics During a Time of Pandemic” podcast (.mp3)
That the foreign policies of various governments often appear to be confusing or contradictory is because they frequently are. During Barack Obama’s presidency, such inconsistency has seemed to characterize aspects of America’s relations with the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The ambiguity and uncertainty that accompanies it is among the things that Obama has sought to dispel and clarify in the course successively of his March 2014 visit to Saudi Arabia, his May 2015 summit at Camp David with senior leaders of all six GCC countries, and his mid-April 2016 attendance at a similar meeting with leaders of the same countries. As this essay seeks to demonstrate, what he has had to contend with – and what others of late have had to contend with regarding aspects of his administration — in terms of background, context, and perspective has not been easy of resolution, amelioration, or even abatement.
Dating from before and since these high-level GCC-U.S. meetings, Washington has taken steps to strengthen and extend America’s overall position and influence in the GCC region. A principal means for doing so has been through the GCC-U.S. Strategic Dialogue.[1] But one example among several was when former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, along with Secretary of State John Kerry, came with approvals for billions of dollars in sales of U.S.-manufactured defense and security structures, systems, technology, and arms to GCC countries, together with long-term munitions and maintenance contracts.
President Barack Obama attends a U.S.-GCC summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in April 2016. Photo: Saudi Press Agency.
Yet, simultaneously, signals from Washington and the mainstream U.S. media before and since Obama’s meetings with his GCC counterparts have not always been as clear as the signalers thought would or should be the case. That said, what specialists have had no doubt about for some time is that the Obama administration is recalibrating the strategic focus of its international priorities in hopes of being able to accomplish two objectives at the same time. One objective has been, and continues to be, a steadfast resolve to remain committed to the security, stability, and prospects for prosperity in the GCC region. The other has been and remains a parallel determination to emphasize the Asia-Pacific regions.
Affecting the need for such a recalibration have been major U.S. budget reductions and their impact on strategic concepts, forces, and operational dynamics. At issue and under examination in this regard, according to the Secretary of Defense in advance of the most recent Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), are, and for the foreseeable future will continue to be, America’s assumptions, ambitions, and abilities.
Understandably, the GCC region’s reaction to these trends and indications was and continues to be mixed.
