Jeddah: Gateway to Mecca and A Living Cultural Artifact

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Paige Peterson is the Executive Vice President of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation and a board member of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in Washington, D.C.

This photo essay illustrates her visit to Jeddah’s Old City, on the Red Sea, in Saudi Arabia.

 

 

Health conferences are held everywhere but there is a special pleasure in attending one in Jeddah. Having visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia many times for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, I have experienced the genuine warmth of Arab hospitality. To have the opportunity to visit friends there and attend the Saudi American Health Care Forum in Jeddah was a double pleasure.

Accepting an award on behalf of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation from Adel A. Shakoor and HRH Prince Mish’al bin Majed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Governor of Jeddah.

While in Jeddah, I was invited to stay in the guesthouse of my dear friend Fawzia Algosaibi, wife of Saleh Alturki, a prominent Saudi Arabian businessman who was recently named Mayor of Jeddah. What was planned as a two week trip turned into a stay of almost two months but my hosts were beyond gracious. Their hospitality gave me precious time to tour the western seaboard of Saudi Arabia.

With Saleh Alturki, Mayor of Jeddah.

I spent time exploring and photographing the once walled-in city of Old Jeddah, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. It’s a cliché to say that a picture can be worth a thousand words. These pictures were worth more than that for me — this visit was like time travel, transporting me to another century. It’s a privilege to share my story here.

 

 

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2018 Washington, DC Summer Internship Program Photos

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The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 2018 Washington, DC Summer Internship Program concludes today! Students in the program have spent the past 10 weeks working, reading, writing, and otherwise immersing themselves in the U.S.-Arab relationship. They have visited a range of institutions in the nation’s capital, including government agencies, think tanks, businesses, and foreign missions. Along the way, they have met with individuals working in media, NGOs, research institutes, defense and security offices, and other avenues of foreign policymaking. They leave the program now to return to school, to begin new jobs, and to pursue new opportunities in a variety of fields having gained a deeper understanding of policy analysis and advocacy processes as well as the beginnings of a network to guide them in their future careers.


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Dr. John Duke Anthony Recognized by Gulf Research Center

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On July 31, 2018, Gulf Research Center Chairman & Founder Dr. Abdulaziz Sager and Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council H.E. Dr. Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani recognized National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President & CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony for his contributions to the Annual Gulf Research Meeting in Cambridge, UK, now in its ninth year.

Madain Saleh: An Archeological Marvel in the Saudi Arabian Desert

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Paige Peterson is the Executive Vice President of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a board member of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in Washington, D.C.

This photo essay illustrates her visit to Madain Saleh, one of Saudi Arabia’s “hidden treasures.”

 

 

When he was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States, Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir gave me an extended visa. He had two good reasons for doing that. One was professional. I am the Executive Vice President of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, where one of my missions has been to build alliances with Saudi Arabia’s excellent cancer researchers. The other was personal. As a writer and photographer, I was endlessly curious about Saudi Arabia’s people — and its landscape.

It’s a cliché to say that a picture can be worth a thousand words. These pictures were worth more than that for me — they are the story of a rare and extraordinary adventure. It’s a privilege to share it here.

 

Map depicting location of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is located on the continent of Asia. It shares land borders with 8 countries: Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. Saudi Arabia’s geography is dominated by the Rub’ al Khali desert, the second largest desert in the world with only the Sahara being larger. The Kingdom’s population is over 28,000,000.

Saudi Arabia is the 13th largest nation in terms of land area. The United States is about 5 times bigger than the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is four times the size of France, western Europe’s largest country.

Two bodies of water border Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Sea to the East and the Red Sea to the West.

The flight to Al-Ula was one hour and fifteen minutes from Jeddah.

Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz Airport.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by local nature photographers who had an exhibition of their work at the airport. Notice the distinctive ways men can wear their ghutra (headscarf).

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CCUSAR 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 affiliate 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 immediate below.

DOWNLOAD “CCUSAR NEWSLINES (Spring 2018)” (.pdf file)

Dr. Anthony Honored by the Sultanate of Oman

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SULTANATE OF OMAN RECOGNIZES NATIONAL COUNCIL ON U.S.-ARAB RELATIONS PRESIDENT AND CEO DR. JOHN DUKE ANTHONY AT A SPECIAL EVENT IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL

 

Washington, DC: Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President and CEO of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, was recognized by the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Washington, D.C., on May 24, 2018, at their Fifth Annual Ramadan Iftar Celebration (an Islamic dinner marking the end of a day’s fasting observed by devout Muslims worldwide). The recognition singled out Dr. Anthony’s special contributions as an educator and practitioner of public diplomacy regarding the Arab countries, the Middle East, and the Islamic world.

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony with Her Excellency Hunaina Al-Mughairy, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the United States and Vice-Dean of the Arab Ambassadors to the United States, and Embassy of Oman Information Attaché Ms. Hanan Al Kindi. Photo: National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

Included among the event’s distinguished guests were the highest-ranking U.S. Department of State official responsible for America’s relations with the Arab region, Arab government officials, including the Arab world’s first-ever Minister for Human Rights, current and recently retired U.S. Ambassadors, additional representatives of the U.S. Departments of Defense and State, members of the international diplomatic corps, representatives of Fortune 100 Corporations, international media networks, and numerous foreign affairs specialists, together with political and religious leaders.

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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)