Carolinas Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations Spring 2022 “NEWSLINES”

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Cover of the Spring 2022 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 alumnus of the Council’s Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies Program, the coordinator of the Southeast Model Arab League conference, and the faculty advisor heading the Converse College Youth Leadership Development / Model Arab League program.

CCUSAR recently published its Spring 2022 “NEWSLINES” newsletter, available for download through the link below.

The issue features:

DOWNLOAD “CCUSAR NEWSLINES (Spring 2022)” [PDF]

A Conversation About Humanitarian Aid With His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah

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On May 31, 2022, the National Council convened an online briefing program “A Conversation About Humanitarian Aid with His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah.” The featured specialist was the leader of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre (KSRelief), Saudi Arabia’s leading aid organization that serves people and communities in more than fifty countries around the world.

 

 

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 Arab States of The Lower Gulf: People, Politics, Petroleum.

Featured Specialist:

  • His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre Supervisor General; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Royal Court Advisor; Former Saudi Arabia Minister of Health.

Moderator:

  • Colonel (Ret.) Abbas K. Dahouk, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Board of Directors Member; Former U.S. Department of State Senior Military Advisor; Former U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia Defense and Army Attache; HyphenPoint LLC President.

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

“A Conversation About Humanitarian Aid With His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah” podcast (.mp3)

U.S. Central Command Combatant Commander General (Ret.) Kenneth F. McKenzie Joins National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Board

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Washington, D.C.: The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is pleased to announce that General (Ret.) Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., who stepped down as the Commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) last month, has joined the National Council’s International Advisory Board. The Board provides strategic support to the Council’s Board of Directors together with its Founding President and Chief Executive Officer.

In announcing the appointment, National Council Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony stated, “We are honored that General (Ret.) McKenzie has accepted our invitation to join the Council’s Advisory Board. His exemplary record of public service is long and impressive. Few individuals can match General McKenzie’s experiences of having been immersed in the day-to-day management of security and defense relationships with America’s Arab friends, allies, and strategic partners. He will be an extraordinarily valuable resource, advisor, and conceptualizer with a wealth of problem solving experience as we work to continuously improve, strengthen, and expand the Council’s U.S.-Arab relations leadership development and bridge-building educational efforts.”

General Kenneth McKenzie speaking at the NCUSAR annual conference.

General (Ret.) Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., has been a Featured Keynote Speaker at several of the National Council’s Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conferences.

National Council Board of Directors Chairman John Pratt added, “General McKenzie has distinguished himself through a long career of effective leadership and selfless service during a time of enormous consequence for the United States and its partners in what is arguably the world’s most strategically vital region. The Council’s Board of Directors is delighted that he will be on hand to lend his hard-earned insights and analyses in furtherance of the Council’s educational mission. General McKenzie’s empirical involvement in navigating the shoals of the region’s strategic and geopolitical challenges and opportunities is unrivalled and not to be underestimated. It will be highly valued in determining how the Council’s programs, projects, events, and activities can continue to strengthen and expand the U.S.-Arab relationship.”

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2022 National University Youth Leadership Development Program / Model Arab League Conference Held in Washington, D.C.

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Last month, the National Council brought together nearly 300 students from more than 20 universities for the 39th National University Model Arab League in Washington, D.C. Meeting at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, only blocks from the White House and the U.S. Capitol Building, these students spent three days role playing as Arab diplomats—taking part in an experiential learning exercise and representing the needs, concerns, interests, and objectives of someone other than themselves.

As part of their participation in the National University Youth Leadership Development Program / Model Arab League, some of the school delegations arrived in Washington a day early so they could visit the embassy of the country they would be representing at the conference. During their embassy visits, students and faculty had the privilege of receiving a briefing by diplomats posted at the missions and had the opportunity to ask questions to deepen their understanding of the countries’ policies and positions. Students and faculty received briefings at the embassies of Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Oman, Palestine (the U.S. government closed the Palestinian Mission to the United States in 2018 so the briefing was provided by a specialist on Palestinian issues), and Sudan.

The Model Arab League Youth Leadership Development Program enables students to expand their horizons, and harness and practice empathy as they explore others’ cultures, economies, societies, and systems of governance. The National Council’s flagship student educational initiative encourages emerging American leaders to explore the Arab region, and its opportunities and challenges, while simultaneously developing professional skills that will serve them in whatever path their future takes.

The Legacy of King Abdulaziz and The Ramifications for Saudi Arabia Today

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On March 23, 2022, the National Council convened an online briefing program, “The Legacy of King Abdulaziz and The Ramifications for Saudi Arabia Today,” examining the dynamics of state formation in Saudi Arabia with two historians of the Kingdom.

 

 

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 Arab States of The Lower Gulf: People, Politics, Petroleum.

Featured Specialists:

  • Dr. Joseph Kéchichian, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Senior Research Fellow; Author, inter alia, of The Arab Nationalist Advisor: Shaykh Yusuf Yassin of Sa’udi Arabia (forthcoming) and From Alliance to Union: Challenges Facing Gulf Cooperation Council States in the Twenty-First Century (2016).
  • Dr. Joshua Yaphe, U.S. Department of State Arabian Peninsula Analyst; Author of Saudi Arabia and Iraq as Friends and Enemies (2022); Former National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Scholar-in-Residence.

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

“The Legacy of King Abdulaziz and The Ramifications for Saudi Arabia Today” podcast (.mp3)

Destination Oman: Heritage, Culture, Adventure

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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)

Can Lebanon Be Saved?

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On March 10, 2022, the National Council convened an online program, “Can Lebanon Be Saved?”, exploring a recent policy brief from the American Task Force on Lebanon and the Middle East Institute, Helping the Lebanese People Move Toward Recovery: Recommendations for U.S. Policy.

 

 

Joining the program were:

Welcome:

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

Featured Specialists:

  • Ambassador (Ret.) Edward Gabriel, American Task Force on Lebanon President and CEO; Former United States Ambassador to Morocco (1997-2001).
  • Ms. Mona Yacoubian, United States Institute of Peace Senior Advisor for Syria, the Middle East, and North Africa; Former United States Agency for International Development Middle East Bureau Deputy Assistant Administrator.

Moderator:

  • Mr. Jean AbiNader, American Task Force on Lebanon Vice President for Policy; International Programs and Communications Specialist.

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

“Can Lebanon Be Saved?” podcast (.mp3)

An Emerging Axis: Strategic Trends Between Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China

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On February 24, 2022, the National Council convened an online program exploring “An Emerging Axis: Strategic Trends Between Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China, and What it Means for the Middle East.”

 

 

Joining the program were:

Context Provider:

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

Featured Specialists:

  • Mr. David H. Rundell, Author of Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads, Former United States Diplomat, and National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Board Member.
  • Ambassador (Ret.) Michael Gfoeller, Former United States Diplomat, and Consultant on Foreign Affairs and International Security.

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

“An Emerging Axis: Strategic Trends Between Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China, and What it Means for the Middle East” podcast (.mp3)