Oman 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.

 

 
“Oman in Focus”

Featuring:

Dr. Zakaria Al Muharrami – Sultan Qaboos University Professor; Author of numerous books and essays on Oman’s modernization and development as well as the Sultanate’s role in regional and global affairs.

Ambassador (Ret.) Dr. Richard J. Schmierer – former United States Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman (2009-2012); Middle East Policy Council Chairman of the Board of Directors and President.

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

Keynote Remarks by H.E. Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi [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.

 

 
“Keynote Remarks by H.E. Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi”

Featuring:

H.E. Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi – Sultanate of Oman Foreign Minister.

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

Destination Oman: Heritage, Culture, Adventure

On March 17, 2022, the National Council convened an online briefing program “Destination Oman: Heritage, Culture, Adventure”—a virtual visit to the Sultanate of Oman, the “Jewel of Arabia.”

 

 

Joining the program were:

Context Provider:

  • Dr. John Duke Anthony, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO; Author, inter alia, of Historical and Cultural Dictionary of The Sultanate of Oman and The Emirates of Eastern Arabia and Arab States of The Lower Gulf: People, Politics, Petroleum.

Opening Remarks:

  • H.E. Moosa Hamdan Al Tai, Sultanate of Oman Ambassador to the United States.

Featured Specialists:

  • Professor Linda Pappas Funsch, Author of Oman Reborn: Balancing Tradition and Modernization; Former Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center Research Fellow; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Malone Fellow and International Advisory Board Member.
  • Mr. Badar Al Yazeedi, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Cultural Affairs Fellow; Panorama Travels CEO; Oman Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Member; Oman Tourism Awards Jury Member.

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

“Destination Oman: Heritage, Culture, Adventure” podcast (.mp3)

Exploring Oman: The Jewel of Arabia

On April 22, 2021, the National Council convened an online program, “Exploring Oman: The Jewel of Arabia,” as a virtual visit to one of the most historically and culturally rich of all Arab and Islamic societies.

 

 

Joining the program were:

Featured Specialist:

  • Mr. Badar Al Yazeedi, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Cultural Affairs Fellow; Panorama Travels CEO; Oman Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Member; Oman Tourism Awards Jury Member.

Discussant:

  • Professor Linda Pappas Funsch, Author of Oman Reborn: Balancing Tradition and Modernization; Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center Research Fellow; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Malone Fellow and International Advisory Board Member.

Welcome and Context Provider:

  • Dr. John Duke Anthony, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO; Author, inter alia, of Historical and Cultural Dictionary of The Sultanate of Oman and The Emirates of Eastern Arabia and Arab States of The Lower Gulf: People, Politics, Petroleum.

Eye on Oman: Constancy Amid Modernization and Development

On June 11, 2020, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations convened a discussion exploring dynamics in Oman and the Oman-U.S. relationship titled “Eye on Oman: Constancy Amid Modernization and Development.”

 

 

Joining the program were:

Featured Specialists:

  • H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan, Sultanate of Oman Ambassador to the United Nations; Former Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs Acting Undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs; Former Ambassador of Oman to Russia.
  • Ambassador (Ret.) Richard J. Schmierer, Former United States Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman (2009-2012); Middle East Policy Council Chairman of the Board of Directors and President.
  • Professor Linda Pappas Funsch, Author of Oman Reborn: Balancing Tradition and Modernization; Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center Research Fellow; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Malone Fellow and International Advisory Board Member.

Context Provider and Moderator:

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

Welcoming Remarks:

  • Mr. Patrick Mancino, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Executive Vice President and Director of Development.

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

 

 

“Eye on Oman: Constancy Amid Modernization and Development” podcast (.mp3)

The Life of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said (1940-2020): Context, Reflections, Perspectives

On February 5, 2020, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in cooperation with the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center hosted a remembrance and discussion in Washington, D.C., titled “The Life of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said (1940-2020): Context, Reflections, Perspectives.”

 

 

Joining the program were:

Keynote Speaker:

  • Her Excellency Hunaina Sultan Ahmed Al Mughairy, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the United States.

Moderator and Context Provider:

  • Ms. Kathleen Ridolfo, Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center Executive Director.

Featured Specialists:

  • Ambassador (Ret.) Frances D. Cook, Former United States Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman (1996-1999).
  • Ambassador (Ret.) Richard J. Schmierer, Former United States Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman (2009-2012).
  • Mr. Timothy Lenderking, U.S. Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Gulf Affairs.
  • 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.

 

 

“The Life of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said (1940-2020): Context, Reflections, Perspectives” podcast (.mp3)

2020 Malone Fellowship Oman Cultural Immersion Program

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is pleased to offer, through its Joseph J. Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies Program, the Twenty-Fourth Annual Oman Cultural Immersion study visit to the Sultanate of Oman. Fellows are required to participate in and complete a pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C.

This unique opportunity will provide a privileged first hand exposure to one of the Arab world’s most demographically, geographically, and socially diverse countries. The National Council is currently accepting applications to participate in this study visit.

MALONE FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION:
https://ncusar.org/programs/Malone-Fellowship-Application.pdf

American professionals in academia, government, the military, non-governmental organizations, business, religious institutions, the media, civic associations, as well as the fine arts, humanities, and the social sciences are invited to apply.

The Twenty-Fourth Annual Oman Cultural Immersion study visit will provide participants an educational experience that few Westerners and even fewer Americans have had. The program is choreographed to provide Malone Fellows an unparalleled diverse exposure to Oman – one of the most historically and culturally rich of all Arab and Islamic societies. Until relatively recent times, the Sultanate languished in its status as one of the most forgotten corners of all Arabia. Anyone in doubt about the extraordinary opportunity that being able to visit Oman in this manner presents need only consult any of the several National Geographic Magazine features on the country over the past several decades.

[Top and Left] Inlaid Islamic niches at the Grand Mosque in Oman’s Capital Territory. [Bottom and Right] Bedouin Omani girls in the Sharqiyyah Sands.

[Top and Left] Inlaid Islamic niches at the Grand Mosque in Oman’s Capital Territory. [Bottom and Right] Bedouin Omani girls in the Sharqiyyah Sands.

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Twenty-Third Annual Oman Cultural Immersion Program – February 20 – March 6, 2019

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is pleased to offer, through its Joseph J. Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies Program, the Twenty-Third Annual Oman Cultural Immersion study visit to the Sultanate of Oman, February 22 – March 6, 2019. Fellows are required to participate in and complete a pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C. to be held on February 20-21. This unique opportunity will provide a privileged first hand exposure to one of the Arab world’s most demographically, geographically, and socially diverse countries.

The National Council is currently accepting applications to participate in this study visit. APPLY NOW!

MALONE FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION:
https://ncusar.org/programs/Malone-Fellowship-Application.pdf

American professionals in academia, government, the military, non-governmental organizations, business, religious institutions, the media, civic associations, as well as the fine arts, humanities, and the social sciences are invited to apply.

The Twenty-Third Annual Oman Cultural Immersion study visit will provide participants an educational experience that few Westerners and even fewer Americans have had. The program is choreographed to provide Malone Fellows an unparalleled diverse exposure to Oman – one of the most historically and culturally rich of all Arab and Islamic societies. Until relatively recent times, the Sultanate languished in its status as one of the most forgotten corners of all Arabia. Anyone in doubt about the extraordinary opportunity that being able to visit Oman in this manner presents need only consult any of the several National Geographic Magazine features on the country in the past two decades.

End Pictures: inlaid Islamic niches at the Grand Mosque in Oman’s Capital Territory; Middle Pictures: Bedouin Omani girls in the Sharqiyyah Sands.

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