Category Archives: Policymakers Conference

Chas Freeman, NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, US-Arab Relations, Video

Coping With Kaleidoscopic Change in the Middle East – 2013 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

COPING WITH KALEIDOSCOPIC CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Speaker:

Ambassador Chas Freeman – Chairman of the Board, Projects International, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based development firm specializing in international joint ventures, acquisitions, and other business operations for its American and foreign clients; former President, Middle East Policy Council; former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (1993-94), earning the Department of Defense’s highest public service awards for his roles in designing a NATO-centered post-Cold War security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China; former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm); Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the U.S. mediation of Namibian independence from South Africa and Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola; and author, Interesting Times: China, America, and the Shifting Balance of Prestige; America’s Misadventures in the Middle East; The Diplomat’s Dictionary (Revised Edition); and Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy.

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NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, US-Arab Relations, Video

Arab-U.S. Relations: Views from the Arab Media – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

ARAB-U.S. RELATIONS: VIEWS FROM THE ARAB MEDIA

Chair:

Ms. Barbara Ferguson – Consultant, United States Marine Corps’ Center for Advanced Operational Culture; former Washington Correspondent, Arab News; former embedded war correspondent in Iraq.

Speakers:

Mr. Jamal Khashoggi – General Manager and Editor-in-Chief, Al Arab News Channel; former Editor-in-Chief, Al-Watan.

Ms. Nadia Bilbassy – Chief U.S. Correspondent, Middle East Broadcasting Center Television.

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Iran, NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, Video

American and Arab Policy Successes and Shortcomings Regarding the Regional Geo-Political Dynamics of Iran – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

AMERICAN AND ARAB POLICY SUCCESSES AND SHORTCOMINGS REGARDING THE REGIONAL GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS OF IRAN

Chair:

Dr. Thomas Mattair – Executive Director, Middle East Policy Council; former Research Scholar, Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research; author,The Three Occupied UAE Islands: The Tunbs and Abu Musa and Global Security Watch — Iran: A Reference Handbook.

Speakers:

Dr. Kenneth Katzman – Specialist in Middle East Affairs in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Dr. Trita Parsi – Founder and President, National Iranian American Council; author A Single Roll of the Dice – Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran and Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States.

Mr. Alireza Nader – Senior Policy Analyst, RAND Corporation; author, Israel and Iran: A Dangerous Rivalry, The Next Supreme Leader: Succession in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and lead co-author, Coping with a Nuclearizing Iran.

Ms. Hillary Mann Leverett – Senior Professorial Lecturer of U.S. foreign policy, American University’s School of International Service; Visiting Scholar, Peking University’s School of International Studies; CEO, STRATEGA; co-author, The Race for Iran Blog; co-author, Going to Tehran: Why the United States Needs to Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic (forthcoming).

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Development and Education, NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, Trade and Investment, Video

Policymaking Opportunities in Business, Finance, and Human Resource Development – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

POLICYMAKING OPPORTUNITIES IN BUSINESS, FINANCE, AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Chair:

Ms. Elizabeth Wossen – Principal and Lead Consultant, Energy Links Group LLC; former Coordinator, Congressional and Government Relations, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation; Member, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

Speakers:

Mr. Khush Choksy – Senior Director, Middle East Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; former Director, Chemonics International.

Dr. Mody AlKhalaf – Director of Social and Cultural Affairs, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia; Editor-in-Chief, Al-Mubtaath (“The Scholar”).

Ambassador (Ret.) Ford Fraker – Senior Adviser and Chairman for the Middle East and North Africa Group, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.; former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Hisham Fahmy – CEO, American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt; Founder, Egyptian Association of Executives; former Acting Director, Egyptian Center for Economic Studies.

Commentator:

Mr. Ken Close – Founder and CEO, Quincy International; former Senior Policy Advisor to HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal.

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Bahrain, GCC, Kuwait, NCUSAR Program, Oman, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Video, Yemen

Policymaking Opportunities and Lessons Learned From Regional Geo-Political Dynamics: The Arabian Peninsula (GCC Countries and Yemen) – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

POLICYMAKING OPPORTUNITIES AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM REGIONAL GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS: THE ARABIAN PENINSULA (GCC COUNTRIES AND YEMEN)

Chair:

Dr. John Duke Anthony

Speakers:

Dr. Abdel Aziz Abu Hamad Aluwaisheg – Assistant Secretary General for Negotiations and Strategic Dialogue, Gulf Cooperation Council.

Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla – Professor of Political Science, United Arab Emirates University (Abu Dhabi); lead author, 2008 Arab Knowledge Report.

Dr. Abdullah K. Al-Shayji – Chairman, Department of Political Science, Kuwait University; author, Kuwait’s Ceaseless Quest for Survival in a Hostile Environment.

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Mideast Peace Process, NCUSAR Program, Palestine, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, Video

Policy Challenges Pertaining To Regional Geo-Political Dynamics: The Palestinian Future – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

POLICY CHALLENGES PERTAINING TO REGIONAL GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS: THE PALESTINIAN FUTURE

Chair:

Ms. Alison Weir – President, Council for the National Interest; Executive Director, If Americans Knew.

Speakers:

Dr. Sara Roy – Senior Research Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University; Board Member, American Near East Refugee Agency (ANERA) and the Center for American Jewish Studies, Baylor University; author,The Gaza Strip: Political Economy of De-development and Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza: Engaging the Islamist Social Sector.

Dr. Tamara Sonn – Wm. R. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Humanities, College of William and Mary; author, Interpreting Islam:  Bandali Jawzi’s Islamic Intellectual History, Religions through Law: Judaism and Islam, Islam: A Brief History, and The Religion Toolkit:  A Complete Guide to Religious Studies.

Mr. Jeff Steinberg – Editor, Executive Intelligence Review.

Mr. Mark Perry – Author, Conceived in Liberty, The Last Days of the CIA, and Talking to Terrorists: Why America Must Engage its Enemies.

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HE Mohammed Alhussaini Alsharif, NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, US-Arab Relations, Video

Arab-U.S. Relations: A View from the League of Arab States – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

ARAB-U.S. RELATIONS: A VIEW FROM THE LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES

Speaker:

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Mohammed Alhussaini Alsharif – Chief Representative of the League of Arab States to the United States; former Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Canada and Turkey; former Head of the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Houston.

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Algeria, Egypt, HE Ali Aujali, Libya, Morocco, NCUSAR Program, Paul Sullivan, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, Tunisia, Video

Policymaking Concerns Related To Regional Geo-Political Dynamics: Arab North Africa – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

POLICYMAKING CONCERNS RELATED TO REGIONAL GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS: ARAB NORTH AFRICA

Chair:

Mr. Christopher Blanchard – Middle East Policy Analyst, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Speakers:

H.E. Ambassador Ali Aujali – Ambassador of Libya to the United States.

Professor Paul Sullivan

Ms. Alexis Arieff – Analyst on Africa and the Maghreb, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Mr. Karim Haggag – Visiting Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University; former Director, Egyptian Press and Information Office in Washington, DC.

Dr. David Ottaway – Senior Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center; former Washington Post foreign correspondent in the Middle East, Africa, and Southern Europe; author, The King’s Messenger: Prince Bandar bin Sultan and America’s Tangled Relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Commentator:

Dr. Néjib Ayachi – Founder and President, Maghreb Center.

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Iraq, NCUSAR Program, Paul Sullivan, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, Syria, Video

Policymaking Considerations Regarding Regional Geo-Political Dynamics: Iraq and Syria – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

POLICYMAKING CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING REGIONAL GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS: IRAQ AND SYRIA

Chair:

Dr. John L. Iskander – Chair, Near East and North Africa Area Studies, Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State.

Speakers:

Dr. David Lesch – Professor of Middle East History, Trinity University; author,The Fall of the House of Assad, The Arab – Israeli Conflict: A History, and The New Lion of Damascus: Bashar al-Asad and Modern Syria.

Ms. Mona Yacoubian – Senior Advisor, Middle East and Project Director, Pathways to Progress, Stimson Center; former Special Advisor and Senior Program Officer on the Middle East, U.S. Institute of Peace; former North Africa analyst, U.S. Department of State.

Dr. Judith Yaphe – Distinguished Research Fellow for the Middle East, Institute for National Strategic Studies; former senior analyst in the office of Near Eastern and South Asian Analysis, Directorate of Intelligence, CIA.

Dr. Abdullah Alshammari – Advisor, Middle East – Riyadh Represantative, ORSAM.

Commentators:

Professor Paul Sullivan – Professor of Economics, Eisenhower School, National Defense University; Adjunct Professor, Security Studies, Georgetown University; Columnist, Turkiye Gazetesi, Istanbul, Turkey.

Ambassador (Ret.) Theodore Kattouf – President and CEO, AMIDEAST; former U.S Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Syria.

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Energy, John Hofmeister, NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference

Energy: Policymaking Dynamics of Sources, Supply, and Security – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

ENERGY: POLICYMAKING DYNAMICS OF SOURCES, SUPPLY, AND SECURITY

Chair:

Ms. Randa Fahmy Hudome – President, Fahmy Hudome International; former Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy; Member, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

Speakers:

Mr. James LeJeune – President, Chevron Middle East North Africa Inc.

Mr. John Hofmeister – Founder and Chief Executive, Citizens for Affordable Energy; former President, Shell Oil Company.

Mr. Frank Verrastro – Senior Vice President and Director, Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Commentator:

H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Bin Abdulla Al-Rumaihi – Ambassador of Qatar to the United States.

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HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal, NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, Saudi Arabia, Video

Keynote Address: HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY HRH PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL

Chair and Introduction:

Dr. John Duke Anthony

Speaker:

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

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Molly Williamson, NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, Security and Defense, US-Arab Relations, Video

Defense Cooperation Dynamics: Enhancing Regional Security – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

DEFENSE COOPERATION DYNAMICS: ENHANCING REGIONAL SECURITY

Chair:

The Honorable Molly Williamson – Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute; former Senior Foreign Policy Adviser to the Secretary of Energy (2005-2008); former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Middle East, South Asia, Oceania and Africa (1999-2004); former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (1993-1995).

Opening Remarks:

VADM Robert Harward – Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command; former Commander, Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 in Afghanistan; former Deputy Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command; and former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff representative to the National Counterterrorism Center.

Speakers:

Dr. Anthony Cordesman – Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, Center for Strategic and International Studies; consultant to the U.S. State Department, Defense Department, and intelligence community; former Director of Intelligence Assessment, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Mr. David Des Roches – Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University; National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Malone Fellow in Arab and Islamic Studies.

Mr. Robert Sharp – Assistant Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University.

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Chas Freeman, NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, US-Arab Relations, Video

Change without Progress in the Middle East – 2012 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

CHANGE WITHOUT PROGRESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Ambassador (Ret.) Chas Freeman – Chairman of the Board, Projects International, Inc., a Washington, D.C.−based development firm specializing in international joint ventures, acquisitions, and other business operations for its American and foreign clients; former President, Middle East Policy Council; former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (1993-94), earning the Department of Defense’s highest public service awards for his roles in designing a NATO-centered post-Cold War security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China; former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm); Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the U.S. mediation of Namibian independence from South Africa and Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola; and author, America’s Misadventures in the Middle East as well as The Diplomat’s Dictionary (Revised Edition) and Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy.

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HE Hussein Hassouna, NCUSAR Program, Podcast, Policymakers Conference, US-Arab Relations

Whither the Arab-US Relationship? – 2011 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

WHITHER THE ARAB-U.S. RELATIONSHIP IN THE PERIOD AHEAD? POLICY IMPLICATIONS FROM THE LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES

Chair:

Ms. Barbara G. B. Ferguson  – Washington Bureau Chief, Arab News; Co-Chair, International Correspondents Committee, The National Press Club, Washington, D.C.; author, “Country Reports” on Bahrain, Morocco, and Kazakhstan for the Washington Times; embedded war correspondent during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Kuwait in 1990-1991 and in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Speaker:

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Hussein Hassouna – Chief Representative of the League of Arab States to the United States.

Commentators: 

Mr. Bill Corcoran – President, American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA).

Mr. John Moran – Career Member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, United States Department of State; Distinguished Diplomat-in-Residence, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

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