The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is pleased to invite you to the

17th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

Transitioning the White House:
Challenges and Opportunities for Arab-U.S. Relations

October 30 - 31, 2008

Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.

About the Conference:

Since their inception in 1991, these annual one and a half-day Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conferences have convened distinguished American and Arab public and private sector leaders tasked with formulating and implementing an array of key policy objectives in the Arab and Islamic world. The Conferences have regularly received extensive media coverage. C-SPAN, America's premier satellite television network for educational and other national policy-related matters, provided live coverage of the entire 2006 Conference, enabling the proceedings to be viewed and analyzed by millions of Americans. Over 50 broadcast and print media representatives attended and reported on last year's Conference.

About the National Council:

Founded in 1983, the National Council is an educational, non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to improving American knowledge and understanding of the Arab world. The Council's vision is a relationship between the United States and its Arab friends that rests on a solid, enduring foundation. Such a foundation would embody strong strategic, economic, political, commercial, and defense cooperation in addition to heightened contacts and exchanges of American and Arab present as well as emerging leaders. The Council's mission is educational. It seeks to enhance American awareness and appreciation of the multi-faceted and innumerable benefits the United States has long derived from its relations with the Arab countries, the Middle East, and the Islamic world. It endeavors to do this through leadership development, people-to-people programs, academic seminars, the Council's Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference, specialized publications, a free electronic newsletter, and the participation of American students and faculty in Arab world study abroad and Arabic language learning experiences. In pursuit of its mission, the Council serves as a U.S.-Arab relations programmatic, informational, and human resources clearinghouse. In so doing, it provides cutting edge information, insight, and analyses to national, state, and local grassroots organizations, media, public policy research institutes, and select community civic, religious, business, and professional associations.

Special Keynote Address By:

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi ,Minister for Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates:

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi has been one of the most easily recognizable government officials of the United Arab Emirates, primarily because of her numerous groundbreaking achievements in both the public and private sectors.

Prior to serving as a high-ranking government official, Sheikha Lubna held important positions at the General Information Authority and Dubai Ports Authority, and was CEO of Tejari, which she guided to become the premier electronic business-to-business marketplace for emerging markets.

In November 2004 Sheikha Lubna was appointed Minister of Economy and Planning, a historic event for the UAE as she became the first woman ever in the country to assume a cabinet position. Sheikha Lubna led the UAE's Ministry of Economy during one of the country's most economically prosperous periods in history while also serving as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the UAE's Securities & Commodities Authority. In February 2008 Sheikha Lubna was appointed to another highly sensitive post as Minister for Foreign Trade.

Few if any Arab policymakers have as rich and varied firsthand experience dealing directly with Arab public and private sector trade and investment issues or sovereign wealth funds, of which her country has the world's largest. Few also can match her expertise regarding how best to navigate the legal and regulatory frameworks as well as other policy-related challenges stemming from Arab investments in the United States and elsewhere, and vice versa. For these reasons and the resultant global acknowledgement of her pioneering leadership in furthering the international commercial components of Arab modernization and development, Shaikha Lubna is one of the world's most sought-after speakers.

HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal

His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal served as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America from September 13, 2005 until February 12, 2007.

Prince Turki was appointed an Advisor in the Royal Court in 1973. From 1977 to 2001, he served as the Director General of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID), the Kingdom's main foreign intelligence service. In 2002, he was named Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz.

His Royal Highness is involved in a number of cultural and social activities. He is one of the founders of the King Faisal Foundation and is the chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. Prince Turki also serves as a member of the Boards of Trustees of the International Crisis Group and the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies.

H.E. Houda Ezra Nonoo - Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States

Her Excellency Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo was appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States of America by His Majesty the King of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, on July 3, 2008.

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. Ambassador Nonoo is one of the founding members of Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) established in November, 2004 and elected General Secretary in September, 2005.

With her involvement in the organizations of various campaigns, Ambassador Nonoo has worked to improve working conditions in factories, raise awareness of the rights of women and children, campaigned for family and domestic law, and raised awareness of the plight of domestic workers.

Recently Confirmed As A Conference Speaker:

Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.):

Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.), served as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs for Presidents Bush and Ford. A retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General, General Scowcroft served in numerous national security posts in the Pentagon and the White House prior to his appointments as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

He also held a number of teaching positions at West Point and the Air Force Academy, specializing in political science. He received his B.S. degree from West Point, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University. General Scowcroft serves as a Director on the boards of Qualcomm Corporation and the American Council on Germany. He also serves on the University of California President's Council on the National Laboratories. 

Additional Confirmed Conference Speakers Include:

Ms. Muna AbuSulayman, Executive Director, HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Kingdom Foundation:

Ms. Muna AbuSulayman is a leading media personality in the Middle East. She is a co-host of Kalam Nawaem, a social television program broadcast on Middle East Broadcasting Company (MBC) over satellite to tens of millions of Arab households worldwide.

Ms. AbuSulayman also serves as Executive Director of the HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Kingdom Foundation. In this capacity she is developing and implementing the Foundation's mission, vision, and operations for strategic philanthropy and humanitarian assistance. She is responsible for philanthropic activities, projects, and donations that reach around the globe.

Since 1997, Ms. AbuSulayman has served as lecturer on American literature at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. In 2004, Ms. AbuSulayman was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2005, she became the first Saudi woman to be appointed by the United Nations Development Program as a Saudi Goodwill Ambassador. 

America's Global Oil and Gas Leaders:

America's global oil and gas leaders have once again agreed to address a featured session on the energy component of U.S.-Arab relations. Come experience this one-of-a-kind opportunity to interact with the most senior representatives of the world's largest energy companies.

The Hon. Clay Sell, United States Department of Energy; Dr. Mohammed Y. Al-Qahtani, Aramco Services Company; Mr. Michael J. Dolan, ExxonMobil; Mr. John D. Hofmeister, Shell Oil Company; Mr. Gary R. Heminger, Marathon Oil Company; and Mr. Sigmund L. Cornelius, ConocoPhillips;, discuss the energy dimension of the Arab-U.S. relationship at the National Council's 2007 Policymakers Conference

General Wesley K. Clark (USA, Ret.):

During thirty-four years of service in the United States Army Wesley K. Clark rose to the rank of four-star general as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. After his retirement in 2000, he became an investment banker, author, commentator, and businessman. In September 2003 he answered the call to stand as a Democratic candidate for President of the United States, where his campaign won the state of Oklahoma and launched him to national prominence before he returned to the private sector in February 2004.

General Clark's awards and honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, The State Department Distinguished Service Award, the US Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal (five awards), The US Army Distinguished Service Medal (two awards), The Silver Star, the Bronze Star (two awards), the Purple Heart, and Honorary Knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments. He is the author of the bestselling books Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo and the Future of Combat (Public Affairs, New York, NY 2001) and Winning Modern War: Iraq, Terrorism and the American Empire (Public Affairs, New York, NY 2003).  

Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, Center for Strategic & International Studies:

Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and is also a national security analyst for ABC News. His analysis has been featured prominently during the Gulf War, Desert Fox, the conflict in Kosovo, the fighting in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War. During his time at CSIS, he has been director of the Gulf Net Assessment Project and the Gulf in Transition Study and principle investigator of the Homeland Defense Project. He also directed the Middle East Net Assessment Project and was codirector of the Strategic Energy Initiative. He has led studies on the Iraq War, Afghan conflict, armed nation building and counterinsurgency, national missile defense, asymmetric warfare and weapons of mass destruction, global energy supply, and critical infrastructure protection.

Dr. Cordesman is the author of a wide range of reports on U.S. security policy, energy policy, and Middle East policy, which can be downloaded from the Burke Chair section of the CSIS Web site: www.csis.org/burke/. 

The Hon. Ford M. Fraker U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:

The Hon. Ford M. Fraker was sworn in on April 11, 2007 as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ambassador Fraker has served as a banker in the Middle East for more than thirty years. At the time of his nomination by President George W. Bush, Ambassador Fraker was serving as Chairman of the Trinity Group Limited, a private investment banking firm in the United Kingdom and as consultant for Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation in Boston, MA.

General Joseph Paul Hoar (USMC, Ret.):

General Joseph Paul Hoar retired from the United States Marine Corps in 1994 after a long and distinguished career. During the last three years of his active service, General Hoar was the commander in chief, U.S. Central Command, the unified command that has the planning and operational responsibilities for 19 countries of the Middle East, South Asia and the horn of Africa.

Following his retirement from the military, Hoar formed the consulting firm of J.P. Hoar & Associates, which is engaged in business development in the Middle East and Africa. He is a director of Quantum Group, Inc., in San Diego, Calif., and a trustee of Suffolk University in Boston and the Center for Naval Analysis in Washington, D.C. He is also chairman of the board of the national security studies program at the Maxwell School of Public Administration, Syracuse University. 

The National Council has been granted public charity status in accordance with Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. All contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by U.S. law.

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, 1730 M St., NW, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 1-202-293-6466 - Fax: 1-202-293-7770 , http://www.ncusar.org/

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is an American non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization dedicated to improving American knowledge and understanding of the Arab world. You can visit the National Council online at http://www.ncusar.org/.

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