Category Archives: Saudi Arabia

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

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)

Bahrain, GCC, John Duke Anthony, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Economic Development in the GCC Region in Focus

John Duke Anthony – Economic Development in the GCC Region in Focus (.pdf file)

In 2007 Dr. Anthony was contracted by Britannica Book of the Year (BBOY), publication of Encyclopaedia Britannica, to write an original essay on “Boom in the Gulf.” The essay focused on the extraordinary construction boom underway in the six GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The essay, which can be accessed through the above link, was accepted and appears in the 2008 edition of the BBOY. The National Council is pleased that Encyclopaedia Britannica has granted permission for the Council to reprint the essay in full.

Britannica Book of the Year

GCC, John Duke Anthony, Saudi Arabia

NPR Interview: Arms for Diplomacy in the Middle East

John Duke Anthony – NPR Interview: Arms for Diplomacy in the Middle East (via SUSRIS).

This interview appeared on National Public Radio’s To the Point, and was conducted by host and producer Warren Olney, originally airing July 31, 2007. The program also featured interviews with Mr. Stephen Schwartz, of the Center for Islamic Pluralism; Mr. Warren Boese, Researcher at the Arms Control Association; and Mr. Yossi Melman, Reporter for Ha’aretz, Israel’s largest daily newspaper. This is an edited transcript of Dr. Anthony’s response to the questions put to him by Mr. Olney.

NCUSAR Program, Policymakers Conference, Saudi Arabia, US-Arab Relations, Video

What Went Wrong, What Went Right, and the Way Forward – 2006 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

WHAT WENT WRONG, WHAT WENT RIGHT, AND THE WAY FORWARD — MISTAKES MADE, LESSONS LEARNED

Moderator: The Hon. Walter L. Cutler, twice former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, having represented President Ronald Reagan, 1984-86 and 1987-1988; Ambassador to Tunisia and Zaire and Ambassador-Designate to Khomeini’s Iran before diplomatic relations were severed; President Emeritus, Meridian International, Washington, D.C.; former Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations.

Panelists:

  • “Economic and Related Reforms in the Kingdom’s Strategic Development Plans” – H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al-Qunaibet, Vice Chairman, Economic and Energy Affairs Committee, Majlis ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh.
  • “Perspectives of a Former Ambassador and United States Senator: Saudi Arabia-U.S. Relations, Reforms, Elections, and the Challenges Ahead.” — The Hon. Wyche Fowler, Chairman of the Board, Middle East Institute; former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, having represented President Bill Clinton, 1996-2000, and former Deputy Minority Leader, United States Senate and Congressman, 1977-1993.
  • “Enhancing the Mutuality of Benefit: The Bilateral Commercial Dimension” —H.E. Usamah Al-Kurdi, Member, Majlis Ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh; immediate past Secretary General, Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry 1997-2001; former Vice President, Saudi Consulting House, a fore-runner of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA).

VIDEO

Energy, NCUSAR Program, Policymakers Conference, Saudi Arabia, US-Arab Relations, Video

The Energy Outlook: Independence or Interdependence – 2006 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Moderator: The Hon. James Schlesinger, Chairman of the Board of the MITRE Corporation and Senior Advisor at Lehman Brothers; Consultant to the Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security; Member, the Defense Policy Board, the Arms Control and Nonproliferation Advisory Board, and Vice-Chairman of the Homeland Security Advisory Council; former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Director, Central Intelligence Agency; and former Secretary of Defense as well as the nation’s first Secretary of Energy.

Keynote Speaker: Mr. Khalid Al-Falih, Senior Vice President, Industrial Relations, and Board Member, Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), the world’s largest producer of crude oil and which manages a quarter of the world’s total oil reserves; Chairman of the Board, South Rub’ Al-Khali Company, an upstream gas joint venture among Shell, Total, and Saudi Aramco; Chairman, Dammam City Municipal Council; former President of Petron Corporation, a refining and marketing venture between Saudi Aramco and the Philippine National Oil Company; former Vice-President for Gas Ventures, Development, and Coordination.

Panelists:

Among the senior energy executives represented in the following session are those whose companies are, among other things, major purchasers of Saudi Arabian crude oil, joint venture partners in refining projects in Saudi Arabia and the United States, substantial investors in both countries while pursuing expanded commercial relations and sharing technology to ensure continued reliable long-term energy supplies.

  • Mr. Stephen D. Pryor, President, ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Company and a Vice President of the Corporation
  • Mr. Peter J. Robertson, Vice Chairman of the Board, Chevron Corporation; former Comptroller for Chevron Oil Europe, Comptroller of Chevron USA, and Vice President of Finance, Chevron USA; former President, Warren Petroleum Company, Chevron’s former natural gas liquids subsidiary; former President, Chevron Overseas Petroleum Inc., with responsibility for directing Chevron’s oil exploration and production activities worldwide; Director, U.S.-Russian Business Council; the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council; the American Petroleum Institute; and Vice-Chairman, U.S. Energy Association.
  • Mr. John D. Hofmeister, President, Shell Oil Company; Head, U.S. Country Leadership Team, which includes the leaders of all Shell businesses operating in the United States; Board Member, the American Petroleum Institute, United States Energy Association, National Association of Manufacturers, National Urban League, and the Foreign Policy Association.
  • Mr. James J. Mulva, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, ConocoPhillips, and Chairman, the American Petroleum Institute; former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Phillips Petroleum Company; Member, the Business Council and the Board of Visitors of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
  • Mr. Gary R. Heminger, President, Marathon Petroleum Company LLC, and Executive Vice President, Marathon Oil Corporation; Chairman, American Petroleum Institute Downstream Committee; Chairman of the Board, Tiffin University; former Chairman, Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, and Member, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

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HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal, NCUSAR Program, Policymakers Conference, Saudi Arabia, US-Arab Relations, Video

A Vision for the Future of U.S.-Saudi Relations – 2006 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Keynote Speaker: “A Vision for the Future of U.S. Saudi Relations” — HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America; Chairman, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh; Co-Chair, C100 Group, Council of 100 Leaders (West-Islamic World Dialogue) which has been affiliated with the World Economic Forum since 2003; Founding Member, Board of Directors, King Faisal Foundation; former Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom and Ireland; and former Director General, General Intelligence Directorate, the kingdom’s main foreign intelligence service, 1977-2001.

VIDEO

NCUSAR Program, Policymakers Conference, Saudi Arabia, Video

U.S.-Saudi Arabia Regional Strategic Issues: Challenges and Opportunities – 2006 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

REGIONAL STRATEGIC ISSUES: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Moderator: H.E. Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi, Director General, Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Foundation, Riyadh, and former president, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Keynote Speaker: “Strategic Scenarios for the Energy Future” — Dr. Daniel Yergin, Chairman, Cambridge Energy Research Associates; author of The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and more recently, Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy; former Chair, U.S. Department of Energy’s Task Force on Strategic Energy Research and Development; Board Member, U.S. Energy Association; Member, the National Petroleum Council; the sole foreign member of the Russian Academy of Oil and Gas; Trustee, The Brookings Institution; Board Member, the New American Foundation; Advisory Board Member, the International Institute for Economics.

Panelists:

  • “Impact of Events in Iraq and Iran: Implications for Saudi Arabian Interests and Policies” — Mr. Nawaf Obaid, Managing Director of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; co-author, National Security in Saudi Arabia: Threats, Responses, and Challenges.
  • “Assessing the Kingdom’s Efforts in Counter-Terrorism and Political Reform” — Dr. Rachel Bronson, Director of Programs, Institute for Global Affairs, Chicago; former Director of Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Council’s Senior Associate for Near East Programs; author of Thicker than Oil: America’s Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia; and testifier before The Congressional Anti-Terrorist Finance Task Force; Congress’ Joint Economic Committee; and the 9-11 Commission.
  • “Oil Prices and the Financial and Investment Outlook for Saudi Arabia” —Dr. Nahed M. Taher, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Gulf One Investment Bank, Bahrain, — the first Saudi Arabian woman to head a bank in the Gulf region; and former Chief Economist, Saudi National Commercial Bank, where she was the first Saudi Arabian woman to hold such a position.

VIDEO

NCUSAR Program, Policymakers Conference, Saudi Arabia, US-Arab Relations, Video

Taking Stock of the Saudi Arabian-U.S. Relationship – 2006 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS

Dr. John Duke Anthony, President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Member, Council on Foreign Relations; Adjunct Associate Professor on Saudi Arabia and Gulf Politics, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; author, numerous books, articles, and essays on the Arabian Peninsula, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the six GCC countries.

TAKING STOCK OF THE SAUDI ARABIAN U.S. RELATIONSHIP

Moderator: Ms. Afnan Al-Shuaiby, Advisor to the President of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council, Washington, D.C.; formerly a business consultant to major U.S. companies and commercial associations, including Walt Disney World Company and the Business Council.

Keynote Speaker: “Saudi Arabia and America: Where Are We Headed?” — H.E. Abdalla A. Alireza, Minister of State, Saudi Arabian Council of Ministers; former Co-Chairman, National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce.

Panelists:

  • “Saudi Arabian-U.S. Relations: A Balance Sheet on the Issues of Greatest Importance to Both” — The Hon. Robert Jordan, Partner, Baker and Botts; President, Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations; Member, Board of Directors, the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies; in addition to having served as personal attorney to President George W. Bush, he was U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia 2001-2003.
  • “The Dynamics of Educational Reform in the Kingdom: A Balance Sheet” —H.E. Dr. Khalil Al-Khalil, Member, Majlis ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh and Professor, Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh.
  • “Women’s Rights and Development in the Kingdom: An Analytical Assessment” — Dr. Eleanor Abdella Doumato, Visiting Fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; former president of the Association for Middle East Women’s Studies; co-editor of, inter alia, Getting God’s Ear: Women, Islam, and Healing in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, plus author of essays on women in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Gulf in numerous edited volumes and monographs as well as scholarly journals and encyclopedias.

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