Category Archives: NCUSAR Program

U.S. Presidential Election 2008: Views from the Arab World – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2008: VIEWS THE ARAB WORLD”

Chair: Dr. Abderrahim Foukara − Washington Bureau Chief, Al-Jazeerah International and former longtime BBC Correspondent

Speakers: Washington-based correspondents the Arab press and analysts covering the Arab world

Mr. Hisham Melhem − Washington-based correspondent for Annahar, the leading Lebanese daily, Al-Qabas, the Kuwaiti daily, and Radio Monte Carlo in France. He is currently the host of “Across the Ocean”, a weekly talk show for Al-Arabiya.

Ms. Dalia Mogahed − Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, a nonpartisan research center dedicated to providing data-driven analysis on the views of Muslim populations around the world. With John L. Esposito, Ph.D., she is coauthor of the book Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think.

Mr. Mohamed Elmenshawy – Editor-in-Chief of Taqrir Washington. Before joining Taqrir Washington, Elmenshawy worked as the managing editor for Global Issues, an Arabic-language bimonthly publication. He also served as a Washington correspondent for the daily pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Alawsat where he covered the White House, the State Department, and Congress.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

AUDIO FROM THE PANEL – part 1 (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM THE PANEL – part 2 (.mp3)

Luncheon Keynote Address – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

LUNCHEON KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Speaker: Ambassador Chas. W. Freeman, Jr. −  President, Middle East Policy Council; former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (1993-94), earning the highest public service awards of the Department of Defense for his roles in designing a NATO-centered post-Cold War European security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China. He also served as U. S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm) and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the U.S. mediation of Namibian independence South Africa and Cuban troop withdrawal Angola.

Remarks by: H.E. Ali Suleiman Aujali – Chargé d’Affaires, People’s Bureau of the Great Socialist Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; former Chargé d’Affaires Libyan People’s Bureau in Ottawa, Canada; former Libyan ambassador to Malaysia, Argentina, and Brazil.

“An Update on Libyan-U.S. Relations – The Process of Renewal”

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Ambassador Chas. W. Freeman, Jr. AUDIO (.mp3)

H.E. Ali Suleiman Aujali AUDIO (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM PANEL Q & A (.mp3)

Developmental and Educational Dynamics – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“DEVELOPMENTAL AND EDUCATIONAL DYNAMICS”

Chair: H.E. Marwan Muasher, Senior Vice-President of External Affairs, World Bank; former Foreign Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; former Ambassador of Jordan to the United States; author of The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation

Speakers:

Educating Each Other (I): “Arabia’s Challenges and Opportunities”

HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Chairman, King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the Court of St. James and the United States of America; former Director General, General Intelligence Directorate, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Educating Each Other (II): “The Human Rights Agenda”

H.E. Houda Ezra Nonoo − Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States.  In 2006, Ambassador Nonoo was appointed by His Majesty the King, Shaikh Hamad Bin Salman Al Khalifa to the Shura Council; serving on the Committee for Finance and Economic Affairs.

Educating Each Other (III): “Preparing a New Generation of Leaders”

Mr. David D. Arnold President, American University in Cairo; former Vice President, Institute of International Education (IIE); former Ford Foundation Representative in India.

Commentator: Ms. Muna Abu Sulayman Co-Host Kalam Nawaem (“Softly Speaking”), MBC-TV; Managing Director, HRH Prince Awaleed Bin Talal Kingdom Foundation

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

H.E. Marwan Muasher AUDIO (.mp3)

HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal AUDIO (.mp3)

H.E. Houda Ezra Nonoo AUDIO (.mp3)

Mr. David D. Arnold AUDIO (.mp3)

Ms. Muna Abu Sulayman AUDIO (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM PANEL Q & A (.mp3)

Defense Cooperation – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“DEFENSE COOPERATION”

Chair: Rear Admiral Harold J. Bernsen, (USN, Ret.) −  Chairman, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; President, Board of Trustees of Physicians for Peace; Director, American-Bahraini Friendship Society; former Commander, U.S. Middle East Force; and Director Emeritus, National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce.

Speakers: Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman − Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Adjunct Professor in National Security Affairs, Georgetown University; former senior adviser and consultant to the U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy, State.

Mr. Christopher Blanchard −Middle East Policy Analyst, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division, Congressional Research Service, United States Congress.  Mr. Blanchard has authored or co-authored 13 CRS reports for the Congress, including products on the Gulf Security Dialogue and related U.S. arms sales, U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and regional perspectives on the Iraq conflict.

Mr. Jeffrey C. McCray − Vice President, International Marketing, BAE SYSTEMS. BAE Systems is a major defense contractor, representing the merger of British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems, engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems.

Ambassador Barbara Bodine − Director of the “Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative” and a Diplomat-in-Residence at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Ms. Bodine’s over 30 years in the US Foreign Service were spent primarily on Arabian Peninsula and great Persian Gulf issues, specifically US bilateral and regional policy, strategic security issues, counterterrorism, and governance and reform.

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

AUDIO FROM PANEL INTRODUCTION (.mp3)

Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman AUDIO (.mp3)

Mr. Christopher Blanchard AUDIO (.mp3)

Mr. Jeffrey C. McCray AUDIO (.mp3)

Ambassador Barbara Bodine AUDIO (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM PANEL Q & A (.mp3)

DR. CORDESMAN’S FULL POWERPOINT PRESENTATION (.ppt)

Foundations For Change In The Arab World: A Woman’s Personal and Professional Perspective – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“FOUNDATIONS FOR CHANGE IN THE ARAB WORLD: A WOMAN’S PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE”

Ms. Muna Abu Sulayman Co-Host Kalam Nawaem (“Softly Speaking”), Middle East Broadcasting Corporation [MBC-TV]; Managing Director, HRH Prince Awaleed Bin Talal Kingdom Foundation

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Ms. Muna Abu Sulayman AUDIO (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM PANEL Q & A (.mp3)

Energy – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“ENERGY”

Chair: Ms. Karen Harbert Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Institute for 21st Century Energy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; former Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy.

Speakers: Ms. Nabilah Al-Tunisi − Director of the Saudi Aramco-Dow Chemical joint venture project to build one of the largest hydrocarbon and chemical complexes in the world near the R’as Tanura Refinery in Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Ryan M. Lance President, Exploration and Production – Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, for ConocoPhillips. He serves on the boards of both the American Petroleum Institute and the Independent Petroleum Association of America, is an advisory board member of Montana Tech and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Mr. James Burkhard − Managing Director, Cambridge Energy Research Associates [CERA], Global Oil Group; leads the team of CERA experts focused on exploration and production strategy, upstream technology, and short- and long-term analysis of crude oil and refined products markets; coauthor of CERA’s World Oil Watch, which analyzes short- to medium-term developments in the oil market.

Mr. Jay R. Pryor – Vice-President for Corporate Business Development, Chevron Corporation. Mr. Pryor is responsible for identifying and developing new, large-scale business opportunities throughout the world. He assumed his current position in 2006 but began his career with Chevron in 1979.  Since that time he has held a succession of management positions with increasing responsibilities in Asia, the United States, Europe and the former Soviet Union.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Ms. Karen Harbert AUDIO (.mp3)

Ms. Nabilah Al-Tunisi AUDIO (.mp3)

Mr. Ryan M. Lance AUDIO (.mp3)

Mr. James Burkhard AUDIO (.mp3)

Mr. Jay R. Pryor AUDIO (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM PANEL Q & A (.mp3)

Geo-Political Dynamics (III): Iran and Iraq – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS (III): IRAN AND IRAQ

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

Speakers: Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft (USAF, Ret.) President and Founder of The Scowcroft Group; former National Security Advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush; concluded a twenty-nine year military career that began with graduation West Point at the rank of Air Force Lieutenant General serving as Deputy National Security Advisor; former Director, Kissinger Associates.

General Joseph P. Hoar (USMC, Ret.) − former Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command, with responsibility for planning and operations for twenty-seven (27) countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Horn of Africa. Following his retirement the military, General Hoar formed the consulting firm of J.P. Hoar & Associates, which is engaged in business development in the Middle East and Africa.

Mr. Wayne White − Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute and  Policy Expert, Middle East Policy Council; former Deputy Director of the Near East and South Asia Office, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State.

Dr. Kenneth Katzman Senior Middle East Affairs Specialist, Congressional Research Service, United States Congress.   Author of numerous and regularly updated briefing reports for Members of the United States Congress on Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the GCC region.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft (USAF, Ret.) AUDIO (.mp3)

General Joseph P. Hoar (USMC, Ret.) AUDIO (.mp3)

Mr. Wayne White AUDIO (.mp3)

Dr. Kenneth Katzman AUDIO (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM PANEL Q & A (.mp3)

Luncheon Keynote Address: H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Welcome and Brief Remarks: The Honorable Dina Habib Powell − Global Head of Corporate Engagement, Goldman Sachs; former Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs and Deputy Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State; former Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, White House.

Speaker: H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi Minister for Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates

H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi headed the UAE’s Ministry of Economy during one of the country’s most economically prosperous periods. Additionally, Sheikha Lubna’s appointment in November 2004 to manage what was then the UAE’s newly merged economy and planning portfolio was a historic event for the UAE as she became the first woman ever in the country to assume a cabinet position. Sheikha Lubna was also appointed Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the UAE’s Securities & Commodities Authority, serving 2004 until 2008. Following her tenure as Minister of Economy, Sheikha Lubna was appointed in February 2008 to another highly sensitive post as Minister for Foreign Trade.

Commentator: The Honorable David Bohigian Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance, International Trade Administration, United States Department of Commerce; Department of Commerce representative on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

The Honorable Dina Habib Powell AUDIO (.mp3)

H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi AUDIO (.mp3)

The Honorable David Bohigian AUDIO (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM PANEL Q & A (.mp3)

Geo-Political Dynamics (II): Israel and Palestine – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS (II): ISRAEL AND PALESTINE”

Chair: Dr. Peter Gubser Immediate Past President, American Near East Refugee Aid, Inc [ANERA]; Member, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

Speakers: Dr. Nadia Hijab − Senior Fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Palestine Studies. Author, Womanpower: The Arab Debate on Women at Work and co-author Citizens Apart: A Portrait of Palestinians in Israel. She was Editor-in-Chief of the London-based Middle East magazine before moving to New York in 1989 to join the United Nations. Since 1999, she has worked as an independent consultant for international organizations on human rights, human development, gender, and the media.

Mr. Daniel Levy − Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Initiative at the New America Foundation and a Senior Fellow and Director of the Prospects for Peace Initiative at The Century Foundation.

Dr. Naseer Aruri − Chancellor Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; author of numerous books and articles on the Arab-Israeli conflict; President of the Board, Trans-Arab Research Institute; Member, Executive Committee, Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Dr. Peter Gubser AUDIO (.mp3)

Dr. Nadia Hijab AUDIO (.mp3)

Mr. Daniel Levy AUDIO (.mp3)

Dr. Naseer Aruri AUDIO (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM PANEL Q & A (.mp3)

Arab-U.S. Relations in Transition: Views from Riyadh and Washington – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“ARAB-U.S. RELATIONS IN TRANSITION”

The Honorable Ford Fraker

The Honorable Walter Cutler

The Honorable Wyche Fowler

The Honorable Robert Jordan

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

The Honorable Ford Fraker AUDIO (.mp3)

The Honorable Walter Cutler AUDIO (.mp3)

The Honorable Wyche Fowler AUDIO (.mp3)

The Honorable Robert Jordan AUDIO (.mp3)

Geo-Political Dynamics (I): Lebanon and Syria – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS (I): LEBANON AND SYRIA”

Chair: The Honorable Edward W. Gnehm, Jr. – Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, Elliot School of International Affairs, The George Washington University; former United States Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; former United States Ambassador to Australia; former director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Personnel for the Department of State; 36-year career in the United States Foreign Service.

Speakers: H.E. Dr. Imad Moustapha − Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United States

Dr. Bassam Haddad Director, Middle East Studies Program and Assistant Professor, Department of Public and International Affairs, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia

Dr. Daoud Khairallah, Esq. −Adjunct Professor of International Law at Georgetown University Law Center and the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C.

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

The Honorable Edward W. Gnehm, Jr. AUDIO (.mp3)

H.E. Dr. Imad Moustapha AUDIO (.mp3)

Dr. Bassam Haddad AUDIO (.mp3)

Dr. Daoud Khairallah, Esq. AUDIO (.mp3)

AUDIO FROM PANEL Q & A (.mp3)

Revisiting Arab-U.S. Strategic Relations: An Overview and Personal Perspective – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

“REVISITING ARAB-U.S. STRATEGIC RELATIONS: AN OVERVIEW AND PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE”

General Wesley Clark (USA, Ret.) − Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; author, A Time to Lead, Waging Modern War, and Winning Modern Wars; candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States [2004].

VIDEO

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

General Wesley Clark (USA, Ret.) AUDIO (.mp3)

Welcome and Introductions – 2008 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

Dr. John Duke Anthony − President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Adjunct Professor, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Graduate School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University and Adjunct Professor, Defense Institute for Security Assistance Management; author of Arab States of the Lower Gulf: People, Politics, Petroleum; The Middle East: Oil, Politics, and Development; Historical and Cultural Dictionary of the Sultanate of Oman and the Emirates of Eastern Arabia, and The United Arab Emirates: Dynamics of State Formation, in addition to numerous articles and essays on the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf States, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the six GCC countries.

Rear Admiral Harold J. Bernsen, USN, Ret.) − Chairman, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; President, Board of Trustees of Physicians for Peace; Director, American-Bahraini Friendship Society; former Commander, U.S. Middle East Force; and Director Emeritus, National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce.

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Dr. John Duke Anthony AUDIO (.mp3)

Developmental Dynamics – 2007 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS

Chair: 

Dr. Joseph C. Moynihan, Regional Vice President for the Middle East and Africa, Northrop Grumman

Speakers: 

Ambassador Shaun Donnelly, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President

Mr. Jeremy Jones, Senior Strategic Fellow, Oxford Center for Islamic Studies; Senior Fellow, Harvard Belfer Center for International Affairs; Senior International Affairs Fellow, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; and author, Negotiating Change: The New Politics of the Middle East

Dr. Odeh Aburdene, President, OAI Advisors; Adviser, Capital Partners Holding; Member of the Board, AMIDEAST, Search for Common Ground, the Rand Center for Middle East Public Policy, the Bethlehem Foundation, Seeds of Peace, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

Dr. Abderrahim Foukara, Washington Bureau Chief, Al-Jazeerah Internationaland former longtime BBC Correspondent

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Defense Cooperation – 2007 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

DEFENSE COOPERATION

Chair: 

Major General William Nash (USA, Ret.), Adjunct Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Military Fellows Program, Council on Foreign Relations; former Director of Operations, U.S. Advisory Mission to the Modernization Program of the Saudi Arabian National Guard

Speakers: 

Lieutenant General Martin E. Dempsey, Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command; former Director of Operations, U.S. Advisory Mission to the Modernization Program of the Saudi Arabian National Guard

Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, Center for Strategic and International Studies; and author, inter alia, of The Iraq WarSaudi Arabia Enters the 21st CenturyThe Lessons of AfghanistanTerrorism, Asymmetric Warfare, and Weapons of Mass DestructionCyberthreats, Information Warfare, and Critical Infrastructure ProtectionStrategic Threats and National Missile Defenses;and The Lessons and Non-Lessons of the Air and Missile Campaign in Kosovo

Dr. J.E. Peterson, Writer and Specialist on the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf Affairs, and author, inter alia, of Defending ArabiaDefense and Regional Security in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf Region, 1973-2004: An Annotated BibliographyOman’s Insurgencies: The Sultanate’s Struggle for Supremacy;Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia. 2nd ed.Saudi Arabia and the Illusion of Security; and The Arab Gulf States: Steps Towards Political Participation

DR. CORDESMAN’S FULL SLIDE PRESENTATION (.pdf)

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Energy – 2007 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

ENERGY

Chair: 

Dr. Frank Verrastro, Director and Senior Fellow, Energy Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Speakers: 

The Hon. Clay Sell, Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, United States Department of Energy

Dr. Mohammed Y. Al-Qahtani, President, and CEO, Aramco Services Company

Mr. Michael J. Dolan, President, ExxonMobil Chemical Company and Vice-President, ExxonMobil Corporation

Mr. John D. Hofmeister, President, Shell Oil Company

Mr. Gary R. Heminger, Executive Vice President, Marathon Oil Corporation, and President, Marathon Petroleum Company, LLC

Mr. Sigmund L. Cornelius, Senior Vice President, ConocoPhillips

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)

Geo-Political Dynamics (III): Iran and Iraq – 2007 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS (III): IRAN AND IRAQ

Chair: 

The Hon. Ronald Neumann, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Algeria, and Bahrain; Political Advisor, Coalition Provisional Authority/United States Embassy in Baghdad, United States Department of State; and President, The American Academy of Diplomacy

Speakers: 

Dr. Judith Yaphe, Distinguished Research Fellow, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University; and author, inter alia, ofGovernment and Politics of the Middle EastReassessing the Implications of a Nuclear-Armed IranTurbulent Transition in Iraq: Can It Succeed?Political Reconstruction in Iraq: A Reality Check; U.S. Policy in Post-Saddam Iraq: Lessons from the British ExperienceIraq at the Crossroads: State and Society in the Shadow of Regime Change; and The Middle East in 2015: The Impact of Regional Trends on U.S. Strategic Planning

Dr. Trita Parsi, President, National American Iranian Affairs Council; author, The Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the U.S.; and Adjunct Professor, School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Edmund Ghareeb, Mustafa Barzani Scholar of Global Kurdish Studies, American University; author, The Kurdish Nationalist MovementThe Kurdish Question in Iraq, and War in the Gulf (co-author); and editor, Split Vision: The Portrayal of Arabs in the American Media

Dr. Kenneth Katzman, Senior Middle East Affairs Specialist, Congressional Research Service; and author, The Warriors of Islam: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard

AUDIO (.mp3)

TRANSCRIPT (.pdf)