Arab North Africa in Focus [2022 Arab-US Policymakers Conference]

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.

 

 
“Arab North Africa in Focus”

Featuring:

Dr. William Lawrence – Arab North Africa specialist and former diplomat; American University School of International Service Professor; National Council International Advisory Board Member.

Dr. John Duke Anthony – National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and Chief Executive Officer.

The Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference is the signature annual symposium organized and administered by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

Surveying Geo-Political Dynamics in Arab North Africa: What Implications for the United States and the Region?

On January 27, 2022, the National Council convened an online program “Surveying Geo-Political Dynamics in Arab North Africa: What Implications for the United States and the Region?”

 

 

Joining the program were:

Featured Specialist:

  • Dr. William Lawrence, American University School of International Service Professor and C&O Resources Senior Advisor; Analyst, Educator, International Programs Director, and Former Diplomat.

Context Provider:

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

Audio and video recordings of the program are available above and below, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.

“Surveying Geo-Political Dynamics in Arab North Africa: What Implications for the United States and the Region?” podcast (.mp3)

Beyond the Proxy War: The Search for a Solution to the Crisis in Libya

On August 18, 2020, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations convened a discussion exploring dynamics in Libya titled “Beyond the Proxy War.”

 

 

Joining the program were:

Featured Specialists:

  • Mr. Jalel Harchaoui, Clingendael Institute (The Netherlands Institute of International Relations) Conflict Research Unit Research Fellow.
  • Dr. Virginie Collombier, European University Institute of Florence (Italy) Professor; Robert Schuman Center for Advanced Studies Middle East Directions Programme Scientific Coordinator.
  • Mr. Jonathan M. Winer, Former United States Special Envoy for Libya; Middle East Institute Non-Resident Scholar.

Moderator:

  • Dr. William Lawrence, American University School of International Service Professor of Political Science and International Affairs.

Welcoming Remarks:

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

Audio and video recordings of the program are available above and below, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.

 

 

“Beyond the Proxy War: The Search for a Solution to the Crisis in Libya” podcast (.mp3)

Postponement Announcement: February 16 Conference on “U.S.-Libya Relations”

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations

and

National Council on U.S. Libya Relations

EVENT POSTPONEMENT – “Libya-U.S. Relations 2017”

Due to events and circumstances beyond the organizers’ and sponsors’ control, the conference on “Libya-U.S. Relations 2017: New Vision, Hope, and Opportunities,” originally scheduled for February 16, 2017, has been postponed.

As a result of Executive Order 13769 of January 27, 2017, which bans Libyan travelers from entering the United States, it will not be feasible for the full complement of speakers, sponsors, and guests to be in Washington, D.C., for the event as originally planned. In the interest of maximizing conference participants’ benefit in exploring current and future political, security, oil and gas, healthcare, and infrastructure investment issues in Libya – as well as the future of U.S.-Libya relations – a new date for the conference will be announced soon.

Thank you for your patience as the conference organizers and sponsors work to set a new date for the event. Many have recognized the importance of this conference and there appears to be political will to enable it to succeed. Conference organizers and sponsors hope to have an update on the conference status within the next two weeks.

If you have already registered for the conference, your registration will be applied to the new conference date. Refunds are available but individuals are encouraged to await developments regarding conference rescheduling before making a refund request.

Should you have any further questions, please contact Ms. Rihab Elhaj at relhaj@ncuslr.org or Dr. Hani Shennib at hshennib@mail.com.

“Libya-U.S. Relations 2017: New Vision, Hope, and Opportunities” **Conference Postponed**

and

Invite you to attend a full-day conference:

Libya-U.S. Relations 2017
New Vision, Hope, and Opportunities

Date TBD*

*Due to events and circumstances beyond the organizers’ and sponsors’ control, the conference on “Libya-U.S. Relations 2017: New Vision, Hope, and Opportunities,” originally scheduled for February 16, 2017, has been postponed. A new date for the conference will be announced soon.

Pavilion Room
Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
Washington, DC

Featured Speakers Include:

“Oil & Gas in Libya: from Trepidations to Exhilaration?” “What Went Wrong in Libya: Reflections from the Top” “What Went Wrong in Libya: Reflections from the Top”
Mr. Mustafa Sanalla
Chairman of the National Oil Corporation (Libya)
H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Jebril
Former Prime Minister of Libya
H.E. Ali Zeidan
Former Prime Minister of Libya

 

“Private-Public Joint Enterprises and Investment in Libya” “Fate of the U.N. Sponsored Agreement in Libya” “The Humanitarian and Health Crisis in Libya: Magnitude and Needed Measures”
Fawzi Farkash
Chairman, Libya Investment Authority
Jonathan Winer
Special Envoy for Libya, U.S. Department of State
Dr. Syed Jaffar Hussain
Representative & Head of Mission, World Health Organization for Libya, U.N. Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya

 

“The Trump Administration Perspective on Libya: Considerations and Expectations” “Mapping Investments in Libya: Opportunities and Challenges” “The Central Bank of Libya: Walking a Fine Line”
Dr. Walid Phares
Foreign Policy Advisor to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Campaign 2016, author, consultant and commentator on Middle Eastern affairs and global terrorism
Mohamed Mohamed Ben Yousef
General Manager, Libyan Foreign Bank
Ali Hebri
Governor, Central Bank of Libya

 

“Economic and Security Implications of Libyan Instability on its Neighbors” “Social Capital & Nation Building in Libya: A Bottom Up Approach and Role of Women” “Congress and Libya: How Will Future Policy on Libya be Shaped?”
Dr. Gawdat Bahgat
Professor of National Security Affairs, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University
Zahra Langhi
Chairperson, Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace
Mr. Christopher Blanchard
Middle East Analyst, Congressional Research Service

 

“Chasing ISIS and its Allies Across Libya: How to Secure the Country” “Rebuilding the Libyan Economy & Investment Opportunities” (MODERATOR) “How Significant is Libyan Oil & Gas to Loco-regional and Global Security?”
Col. Wolfgang Pusztai
Chairman of the Advisory Board, National Council on U.S. Libya Relations, and Former Defense Attaché, Austrian Ministry of Defense
The Hon. David Mack
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Dr. Paul Sullivan
Professor of Economics, National Defense University, and Senior International Affairs Fellow, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations

Along with other distinguished specialists. Full agenda announced soon.

Continue reading »

“Geo-Political Dynamics: Egypt and North Africa” – 24th Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Session on Geo-Political Dynamics: Egypt and North Africa with Ms. Ellen Laipson, Dr. William Lawrence, Dr. Dirk Vandewalle, Dr. Paul Sullivan, and Dr. Abderrahim Foukara from the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 24th Annual Arab-US Policymakers’ Conference, “U.S.-Arab Relations at a Crossroads: What Paths Forward?,” on October 15, 2015, in Washington, DC.

Watch on YouTube

Listen to Podcast (.mp3)

Read Transcript (.pdf)

The Consolidation of a New Arab Political Order

Operation Decisive Storm Coalition Forces' spokesman Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri provides a briefing on developments in the campaign.

Operation Decisive Storm Coalition Forces’ spokesman Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri provides a briefing on developments in the campaign. Photo: Saudi Press Agency.

While the Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm against the Yemeni Houthis and their allies continues and its long-term results are so far unknown, it is not pre-mature to project that a new Arab political order is being consolidated. Its elements include a firm and sustainable commitment to fight extremism and sectarianism, bring order and stability to the heart of the Arab world – namely, Syria and Iraq – and design, chart, and lead an independent course for the protection of pan-Arab national interests.

Such an order has a leader in the collective energies and capabilities of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with Saudi Arabia as a first among equals, and essential assistance from such countries as Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco. Indeed, to assure its collective interests, arrive at a hoped-for peaceful stability, and sustain much needed political, economic, and social development, the Arab world must coalesce around a strong political order that can utilize its capacities and permissible international conditions to achieve what it needs and deserves. Importantly, the consolidated new Arab political order appears to emphasize essential principles that require astute judgment, committed resources, and continuous vigilance.

Fighting Extremism and Sectarianism

The status quo states of the new Arab order are cognizant of the threats represented by the plethora of extremist groups operating at the heart of the Arab world. In Yemen, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has staked a claim in Hadramawt Province abutting the Saudi Arabian border after it lost its bases in Shabwa and Abyan to the west. In Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group has erased the borders between the two countries in a mission to re-establish an imagined and borderless Islamic Caliphate while al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front controls strategic areas of Syria. Both organizations are serious threats to Lebanon and its pluralist political society.

In Libya, the Islamic State group, al-Qaeda affiliated Ansar ash-Shari’a, and a sundry of militias have settled, and promise to both keep the country unstable and use it as a base to spread chaos and mayhem elsewhere. In Tunisia and Egypt, jihadist extremists are waging a war of attrition against state security institutions. The actors of the consolidating Arab political order must know full well that they alone can address this threat in a fashion that combines a sense of shared responsibility for common interests and an attempt at forging an independent course that serves such interests.

Continue reading »

Geo-Political Dynamics: Egypt & Arab North Africa – 2014 Arab-US Policymakers Conference

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations23rd Annual Arab U.S.-Policymakers Conference included a session on “Geo-Political Dynamics: Egypt & Arab North Africa” that featured Dr. Paul Sullivan, Dr. Michele Dunne, Ms. Ellen Laipson, Dr. Michael Hudson, and Dr. William Lawrence.

An audio and video recording of the session as well as a link to the transcript are available below. Videos of the entire 2014 conference are available on YouTube and podcasts of the conference are available through iTunes and FeedBurner.

 

 

Transcript (.pdf)

Audio only: