Session on Geo-Political Dynamics: Egypt and North Africa with Ms. Ellen Laipson, Dr. William Lawrence, Dr. Dirk Vandewalle, Dr. Paul Sullivan, and Dr. Abderrahim Foukara from the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 24th Annual Arab-US Policymakers’ Conference, “U.S.-Arab Relations at a Crossroads: What Paths Forward?,” on October 15, 2015, in Washington, DC.
The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 23rd Annual Arab U.S.-Policymakers Conference included a session on “Geo-Political Dynamics: Egypt & Arab North Africa” that featured Dr. Paul Sullivan, Dr. Michele Dunne, Ms. Ellen Laipson, Dr. Michael Hudson, and Dr. William Lawrence.
An audio and video recording of the session as well as a link to the transcript are available below. Videos of the entire 2014 conference are available on YouTube and podcasts of the conference are available through iTunes and FeedBurner.
February 19, 2014
The Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington, DC
Keynote Speaker:
His Excellency M’Hamed Ezzine Chelaifa, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to the United States
Special Guest:
Mr. Andrew Haviland, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs’ International Finance and Development Unit, U.S. Department of State
Speaker:
Dr. Caroline Freund, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics; Former Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa, World Bank
Moderator:
Dr. Néjib Ayachi, Founding President, The Maghreb Center
Welcoming Remarks:
Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President & CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations
GEO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS: EGYPT AND ARAB NORTH AFRICA
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:
Dr. Paul Sullivan – Professor of Economics, Eisenhower School, National Defense University; Adjunct Professor, Security Studies, Georgetown University; Columnist, Turkiye Gazetesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
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.
Ms. Alexis Arieff – Analyst on Africa and the Maghreb, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Speakers:
H.E. Ambassador Mohamed M. Tawfik – Ambassador of Egypt to the United States.
Dr. Nejib Ayachi – Founder and President, Maghreb Center.
March 5, 2013
The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC
Participants include:
“Human Rights, Democratic Transition, and the New Constitution” — Mr. Eric Goldstein, Deputy Director, Human Rights Watch, Washington, DC
“Freedom of the Press in the New Tunisia Under the Islamist-Dominated Government” —Ms. Naziha Réjiba, Journalist, Human rights activist, 2009 Recipient of the International Press Freedom Award of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Tunis
“Islamists and Women’s Rights: The Need for Vigilance” — Dr. Nancy Okail, Program Director, The Freedom House, Washington DC
Moderator:
Dr. Nejib Ayachi, President, The Maghreb Center, Washington DC
March 5, 2013
The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC
Participants include:
“Overview of the Transitional Process in Tunisia Since the Revolution” — Ms. Alexis Arieff, Analyst, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Washington DC
“The Role of the Ennahda Islamist Party and of the Salafi Movement in the Transition” —Dr. Alaya Allani, Professor of History, Manouba University, Tunis
“The Constitutional Drafting Process and Challenges to a Democratic Transition in Tunisia” — Dr. Ghazi Gherairi, Law Professor, University of Tunis, Tunis; Secretary General, The International Academy for Constitutional Law, Tunis
“The Economic Demands of the Tunisian Revolution” — Dr. Ahmed El Hamri, Development Economist, Academia; Consultant, The World Bank
Moderator:
Dr. I. William Zartman, Professor Emeritus, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, Washington DC
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.
September 6, 2012
City Club, Washington, DC
Participants include:
Mr. Carl Kress, Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Europe Region, U.S. Trade and Development Agency
Ms. Randa Fahmy Hudome, President, Fahmy Hudome International
Ms. Laura Lombard, Director, Business Development, Sidar Global Advisors
Mr. Steven Mayo, Business Development Officer, Project and Structured Finance, Export-Import Bank of the United States
Ms. Deborah McCarthy, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Finance and Development, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Mr. Curtis Silvers, Executive Vice President, National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce
Moderator:
Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President & CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Member, U.S. Department of State Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy and its subcommittees on Sanctions and Trade and Investment
Remarks by Ms. Deborah McCarthy, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State
Press Release from the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce
GEOPOLITICAL DYNAMICS (II): Arab North Africa (The Maghreb) / Syria / Yemen
Chair:
Ms. Jennifer Salan – Senior Producer, The Stream, Al Jazeera English.
Speakers:
Dr. Néjib Ayachi – Founder and President, Maghreb Center. (Tunisia)
Dr. Michele Dunne – Director, Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East; former Member, White House National Security Council Staff and the Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff, as well as Bureau of Intelligence and Research; and service as a Diplomat in Cairo and Jerusalem. (Egypt)
Mr. Christopher Blanchard – Middle East Policy Analyst, Congressional Research Service. (Syria / Yemen)
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. (Libya)
Dr. Esam Omeish
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