Category Archives: NCUSAR

At the Cutting Edge: The National Council’s Youth Leadership Development Program / Model Arab League

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National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President & CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony writes to students about what is possible through the National Council’s flagship student-focused initiative, the Youth Leadership Development Program / Model Arab League. Please share with any students who might be interested in or benefit from this program.

Fall is upon us. September is back-to-school time. You and countless millions of other students are hitting the books.

What Do You Want to Do?

What are you seeking to achieve this academic year?

Do you envision yourself as a leader? What kind? Diplomat? Policymaker? Opinion formulator? Teacher? Military officer? Entrepreneur?

Whatever your answer, do you possess the necessary and essential skills that are characteristic of great leaders?

For instance, can you:

  1. Debate within 45 seconds;
  2. Speak clearly, rapidly, and effectively;
  3. Write clearly, rapidly, and effectively;
  4. Edit clearly, rapidly, and effectively;
  5. Deploy parliamentary procedure;
  6. Organize a coalition;
  7. Draft public policy resolutions;
  8. Cultivate respect among your peers; and
  9. Empathize with others’ needs, interests, and concerns?

This academic year, if you can manage to master only one of these vital leadership skills, you will never be the same as before. Imagine what you might be able to accomplish if you can learn to employ all nine!

Students utilize parliamentary procedure during Youth Leadership Development Program / Model Arab League sessions

Students utilize parliamentary procedure during Youth Leadership Development Program / Model Arab League sessions. Understanding and utilizing basic rules of meetings helps to train future leaders how to consider viewpoints and make decisions in a fair, consistent, and effective manner.

At the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, cultivating these skills in students has long been our focus. In no way are we new at this – educating and training the leaders of tomorrow is something we have done for decades.

The diamond in the National Council’s tiara, so to speak, is its Youth Leadership Development Program / Model Arab League (YLDP/MAL). Like nothing else, the program prepares students to be knowledgeable, well-trained, and effective citizens as well as civic, private sector, and public affairs leaders.

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The War of 2003 & its Unintended Consequences for Iraq, the Middle East, and the United States

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On July 19, 2019, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations hosted a public affairs briefing in Washington, D.C., with Dr. Zuhair Humadi exploring “The War of 2003 and its Unintended Consequences for Iraq, the Middle East, and the United States.”

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations July 19, 2019 Public Affairs Briefing featured a conversation with international education specialist Dr. Zuhair Humadi.

The featured specialist was:

  • Dr. Zuhair Humadi, International Education Specialist; Former General Director, Iraqi Education Initiative.

A podcast recording of the program is available below.

 

 

“The War of 2003 & its Unintended Consequences for Iraq, the Middle East, and the United States” podcast (.mp3)

Exploring the Iraq-United States Relationship

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On July 9, 2019, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations hosted a public affairs briefing in Washington, D.C., with His Excellency Dr. Fareed Yasseen focused on “Exploring the Iraq-United States Relationship.”

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations July 9, 2019 Public Affairs Briefing featured a conversation with His Excellency Dr. Fareed Yasseen, Ambassador of Iraq to the United States of America.

The featured specialists were:

  • His Excellency Dr. Fareed Yasseen, Ambassador of Iraq to the United States of America.
  • Dr. John Duke Anthony, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO.

A podcast recording of the program is available below.

 

 

“Exploring the Iraq-United States Relationship: A Conversation with His Excellency Dr. Fareed Yasseen” podcast (.mp3)

Analysis of U.S. and GCC Tensions with Iran: Implications for Key American Policies

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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:

  • Mr. Norman Roule, Former National Intelligence Manager for Iran; United Against a Nuclear Iran Senior Advisor.
  • Ms. Kirsten Fontenrose, Former White House National Security Council Senior Director for Gulf Affairs; Sonoran Policy Group Vice President for Global Relations.
  • Mr. Phillip Cornell, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center Nonresident Senior Fellow; Former Saudi Aramco Senior Corporate Planning Advisor; Former International Energy Agency Special Advisor.
  • Mr. David Des Roches, Senior International Affairs Fellow, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Associate Professor, Near East/South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, U.S. Department of Defense.
  • Colonel (Ret.) Abbas K. Dahouk, Former U.S. Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Senior Military Advisor; Former Embassy of the U.S. in Saudi Arabia Defense and Army Attaché.
  • Dr. John Duke Anthony, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO; U.S. Department of State Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy Subcommittee on Sanctions Member; only American to have been invited to each of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Ministerial and Heads of State Summits since the GCC’s inception in 1981.

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)

Carolinas Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations Spring 2019 “NEWSLINES”

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The Carolinas Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations (CCUSAR), with Dr. Joe P. Dunn serving as Director, is an initiative of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Dr. Dunn is an alumni of the Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies Program, the coordinator of the Southeast Model Arab League, and the faculty advisor heading the Converse College Model Arab League program.

CCUSAR recently published its Spring 2019 “NEWSLINES” newsletter, available for download through the link below.

DOWNLOAD “CCUSAR NEWSLINES (Spring 2019)” [PDF]

Commemorating International Partnership: The National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial in Washington, D.C.

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On May 30, 2019, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations joined with The National Desert Storm War Memorial Association to host a public affairs briefing in Washington, D.C. on “Commemorating International Partnership and Statesmanship: Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and The National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial in Washington, D.C.”

Mr. Scott C. Stump, President and CEO of The National Desert Storm War Memorial Association, discusses efforts to build the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial, and the monument project’s current status.

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National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Hosts U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia John Abizaid

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The National Council honored Ambassador John Abizaid ahead of his departure for Saudi Arabia.

On April 15, 2019, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations was honored to host an evening discussion with newly-appointed United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia John Abizaid. Attendees from the National Council included Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony, Chairman John Pratt, and Executive Vice President Patrick Mancino. Joining the discussion were State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Gulf Affairs Timothy Lenderking, LEO A DALY Chairman and CEO Leo A. Daly III, Chargé D’affaires of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington Sami Al-Sadhan, and select American private sector leaders.

Yemen: How Near or Distant a Resolution to its Present Conflict?

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On March 21, 2019, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations hosted a public affairs briefing in Washington, D.C. exploring “Yemen: How Near or Distant a Resolution to its Present Conflict?”

Specialists at the National Council’s March 21, 2019 public affairs briefing included Dr. John Duke Anthony, H.E. Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, Mr. Timothy Pounds, Ms. Summer Nasser, Dr. Stephen W. Day, and Colonel (Ret.) Abbas Dahouk.

The featured specialists included:

  • H.E. Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the United States; Office of Yemen’s President Chief of Staff; Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference Secretary General;
  • Mr. Timothy Pounds, U.S. Department of State Office of Arabian Peninsula Affairs Director; former U.S. Embassy in Bahrain Deputy Chief of Mission;
  • Dr. Stephen W. Day, Editor of Global, Regional, and Local Dynamics in Yemen’s War (early 2020) and Author of Regionalism and Rebellion in Yemen: A Troubled National Union (2012); Rollins College Adjunct Professor of International Affairs;
  • Ms. Summer Nasser, Yemen Aid Chairperson; Speaker and analyst on Yemeni affairs; and,
  • Colonel (Ret.) Abbas K. Dahouk, former U.S. Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Senior Military Advisor; former Embassy of the U.S. in Saudi Arabia Defense and Army Attaché.

Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, served as context provider and moderator.

A podcast recording of the program is available below.

 

 

“Yemen: How Near or Distant a Resolution to its Present Conflict?” podcast (.mp3)