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 February 9, 2022, the National Council convened an online program exploring “Iran Nuclear Deal Negotiations: Policy Implications for Success or Failure.”
Joining the program were:
Context Provider:
Featured Specialists:
Discussant:
Audio and video recordings of the program are available above and below, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.
“Iran Nuclear Deal Negotiations: Policy Implications for Success or Failure” podcast (.mp3)
On July 20, 2021, the National Council convened an online program exploring “Iran and U.S. Strategy: Looking Beyond the JCPOA.”
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.
“Iran and U.S. Strategy: Looking Beyond the JCPOA” podcast (.mp3)
On January 28, 2021, the National Council convened an online program exploring “The Biden Presidency, the GCC, and Iran.”
Joining the program were:
Featured Specialists:
Moderator and Discussant:
Welcome and Context Provider:
Audio and video recordings of the program are available above and below, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.
On January 9, 2020, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations hosted a public affairs briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., focused on “Strategic Dynamics of Iran’s Continuing Asymmetric Warfare: What Implications for the United States and the Region?”
The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations January 9, 2020, Public Affairs Briefing examined strategic dynamics related to Iranian asymmetric warfare, and their implications for the region as well as the United States.
The featured specialists included:
A podcast recording of the program is available below along with slides from several of the speakers.
“Strategic Dynamics of Iran’s Continuing Asymmetric Warfare” podcast (.mp3)
Slides from Mr. David Des Roches – “The Iranian Way of (Near) War” (.pdf)
On June 28, 2019, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations hosted a public affairs briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., focused on “Analysis of U.S. and GCC Tensions with Iran: Implications for Key American Policies.”
The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations June 28, 2019 Public Affairs Briefing explored implications of ongoing tensions between Iran, the United States, and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
The featured specialists included:
A podcast recording of the program is available below.
“Analysis of U.S. and GCC Tensions with Iran: Implications for Key American Policies” podcast (.mp3)
On October 30, 2017, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President & CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony joined The John Fredericks Radio Show to discuss the Middle East.
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.
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