Category Archives: US-Arab Relations

Energy, Economic, and Defense Dynamics During a Time of Pandemic

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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:

  • Dr. Paul Sullivan, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Distinguished International Affairs Fellow; National Defense University Professor of Economics; Johns Hopkins University Adjunct Professor for Energy and Environmental Security; Federation of American Scientists Adjunct Senior Fellow for Future Global Resource Threats.
  • Ms. Kirsten Fontenrose, Atlantic Council Middle East Programs Director of Regional Security; former White House National Security Council Senior Director for Gulf Affairs.
  • Mr. Phillip Cornell, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center Nonresident Senior Fellow; Former Saudi Aramco Senior Corporate Planning Advisor; Former International Energy Agency Special Advisor.

Context Provider:

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

Moderator:

  • Mr. David Des Roches, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Senior International Affairs Fellow; U.S. Department of Defense National Defense University Near East/South Asia Center for Strategic Studies Associate Professor.

Welcoming Remarks:

  • Mr. Andrew Gelfuso, World Trade Center Washington, DC Director.

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)

Dr. John Duke Anthony on “Certainties and Uncertainties Regarding Iran, the Arab Region, and the United States”

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On February 6, 2020, Dr. John Duke Anthony spoke to the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs on the subject “Certainties and Uncertainties Regarding Iran, the Arab Region, and the United States: What are the Implications?” A video recording of the program is available below. A podcast recording of the program is also available below as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.

 

 

 

Dr. John Duke Anthony – “Certainties and Uncertainties Regarding Iran, the Arab Region, and the United States: What are the Implications?” 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]

The Passing of a Knight: A Remembrance of Shafiq Kombargi

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In the field of U.S.-Arab relations and much more, Shafiq Kombargi was an extraordinary individual. He was not just my friend. He was the friend of untold numbers of others. Those who loved and admired the man were countless. His passing brings a moment of great sadness.

Shafiq Kombargi

Numerous specialists in the Arab region and U.S.-Arab affairs never met Shafiq, and some may not even have heard of him. Yet few individuals can match the outsized positive and enduring influence that Shafiq had on so many people’s lives.

The evidence is abundant. Shafiq’s sustained imprint upon innumerable United States-affiliated educational and cross-cultural institutions is massive.

Reaching Out to Others

Shafiq’s contributions were not those of a renowned researcher, scholar, university professor, or publicist. He was none of those. Yet all who labor in one or more of those fields have long been in his debt.

Shafiq’s gifts to Arab-U.S. cooperation and cross-cultural understanding were mostly made indirectly. In various instances, his accomplishments were achieved through and apart from his decades-long career with what was originally known as the Arabian American Oil Company, which in time became Saudi Aramco, and that, to this day, operates a subsidiary entity in the United States known as Aramco Services Company. Indeed, these entities had Shafiq’s back.

Often, Shafiq’s contributions were made from behind the scenes. Reduced to a single word, he was an enabler. Certainly, in addition to the example he set in other areas of endeavor, that’s how he influenced my life; doubtless, others can say the same.

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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)

Carolinas Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations Spring 2018 “NEWSLINES”

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CCUSAR NEWSLINES NewsletterThe 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 2018 “NEWSLINES” newsletter featuring:

  • an essay on “My ‘Gateway’ to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” by Converse College student Laura Gill, summarizing a study visit to Saudi Arabia made possible by her participation in the Model Arab League program;
  • recaps from the 2018 Southeast and National Model Arab League debate forums where Converse College won top delegation awards;
  • a Model Arab League testimonial, “The Benefits of Debate: A Call to Support Model Arab League Participation,” from a South Carolina high school student;
  • a reflection from Dr. Dunn, titled “Planting Trees and Building Orchards,” about the educational community that Converse College’s Model Arab League program has fostered; and
  • a book review of Nadia Murad’s The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State.

The full issue of CCUSAR’s Spring 2018 NEWSLINES is available for download through the link below.

DOWNLOAD “CCUSAR NEWSLINES (Spring 2018)” [PDF]

Furthering U.S.-GCC Trade, Economic Cooperation, and Investment Opportunities

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On May 21, 2018, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, the Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce, and the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee hosted a public affairs briefing exploring how to “Furthering U.S.-GCC Trade, Economic Cooperation, and Investment Opportunities” in Washington, DC.

Mr. Patrick Mancino, Executive Vice President of the National Council, opens the discussion of U.S. economic relations with the Gulf countries at the Council’s May 21, 2018 public affairs briefing.

The featured specialists were:

  • Christopher Johnson, Chairman, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce, and Chairman, American Business Group of Riyadh
  • Fred Shuaibi, Vice Chairman, American Business Council of Kuwait, and Secretary, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce
  • Matthew Kirkham, Board Member, American Business Group of Jeddah, and Finance Chairman, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce
  • Robert Hager, Member, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Committee, and Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
  • Timir Mukherjee, Board Member, American Business Group of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
  • Anne Jaffery, Chairman, American Business Council of Dubai
  • Michael Jones, Washington Representative, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce
  • Nahlah Al-Jubeir, Senior International Affairs Fellow, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, and Director of the Center for Career Development, Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission
  • Dr. Karl Petrick, Associate Professor of Economics, Western New England University; Coordinator, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce/Western New England University Gulf Region Trade Project

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.

 

 

“Furthering U.S.-GCC Trade, Economic Cooperation, and Investment Opportunities” podcast (.mp3)

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Presents Distinguished Global Leadership and Humanitarian Award to Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain

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Washington, DC: On September 7, 2017, at the International Peace Institute (IPI) in New York City, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (National Council) was honored and privileged to present its Distinguished Global Leadership and Humanitarian Award to Mr. Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain. The Award was conveyed in recognition of his indefatigable and extraordinary international efforts to promote cultural understanding, education, and bridges of knowledge between East and West.

[Left to Right] National Council Board Member Ms. Paige Peterson, Council Executive Vice President Mr. Patrick Mancino, Council Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony, Mr. Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain, and International Peace Institute President Mr. Terje Rød-Larsen.

National Council Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony, Council Board Member Ms. Paige Peterson, and Council Executive Vice President Mr. Patrick Mancino personally conveyed the award to Mr. Al-Babtain. It was presented in the offices, directly across from the United Nations, of IPI’s legendary Mr. Terje Rød-Larsen, renowned former emissary on behalf of Palestinian human rights.

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