Saudi-US Relations Information Service (SUSRIS) &
Saudi-American Forum (SAF) Quarterly Summary
A Review of April-June 2004 Production

Editor's Note:

This summary provides a compilation of SAF and SUSRIS essays, items of interest and special reports issued between April 1 and June 30, 2004.

The Saudi Effort and Its Aftermath - 
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - April 7, 2004]

This passage from Staff Statement No. 5 of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States provides background information on cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States prior to September 11, 2001.   [Complete Item - HTML]    [Terrorism Timeline]

On the Turquoise Coast:  
Memories of a Ras Tanura Boyhood
By William Tracy

"On my 11th birthday, in July 1946, I set out from southern Illinois with my mother and my younger brother and sister on the first stage of a journey by train, ship and two-propeller DC-3 to join my father halfway around the world in Saudi Arabia.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Sojourn in the Desert
by Jim Landers
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - April 14, 2004]

A little more than two months on the job as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, former Dallas oil executive Jim Oberwetter and his wife, Anita, have found themselves swept up by a whirl of official duties in one of their country's most sensitive diplomatic postings.  [Complete Item - HTML]

Evacuation Is Ordered for Most U.S. Diplomats in Saudi Arabia
[SAF Special Report - April 16, 2004]

The United States yesterday ordered the evacuation of most U.S. diplomats and all U.S. family dependents from Saudi Arabia, and "strongly urged" all American citizens to leave because of "credible and specific" intelligence about terrorist attacks planned against U.S. and other Western targets, the State Department announced.  [Complete Item - HTML]

International Energy Outlook 2004
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - April 20, 2004]

The International Energy Outlook 2004 (IEO2004), released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on April 14, 2004, provides worldwide energy growth forecasting through 2025.  It is an additional resource for understanding the importance of Saudi Arabia's role in meeting global energy demand now and in the future.   [Complete Item - HTML]

Terrorists Strike Riyadh
[SUSRIS Special Reports - April 21-24, 2004]
 
Terrorists Target Riyadh
At least four people, including two security officers, were killed and 148 injured when a powerful car bomb devastated buildings of special security forces and the traffic department.   [Special Report  #1]    [Special Report  #2]   [Special Report # 3]    [Terrorism Timeline]

Issues in Context: Prince Bandar Meets the Press
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - April 26, 2004]

On April 25, 2004 His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz appeared on "Meet the Press" hosted by Tim Russert.  Prince Bandar followed Bob Woodward, author of "Plan of Attack" which chronicled the Bush Administration's preparations for the invasion of Iraq.  Russert began with questions about the book's revelation that Prince Bandar was briefed on the plan for war and allegations about crude oil prices.  The interview moved on to cover a wide range of issues and developments in the US-Saudi relationship.  [Complete Item - HTML]

Examining the Relationship: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - April 28, 2004]

"..I raise these points about the relationship between our two countries with you today to sound the alert that the harmony of our long and fruitful relations is threatened. This relationship, which began with an oil well drilled in the desert of Saudi Arabia by an American company, and developed into a intricate web of economic, political and strategic partnership, is in need of clear sightedness, and tremendous efforts from both sides to reverse the trend towards alienation and suspicion, and to return to the trust and mutual understanding that existed before.."   [Complete Item - HTML]

US-Saudi Cooperation in War on Terrorism 
Lauded in State Department Annual Report
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - April 30, 2004]

The U.S. State Department annual report "Patterns of Global Terrorism" for 2003 was released April 29, 2004.  The report, mandated by the U.S. Congress, provides a snapshot of developments in the global war on terrorism focusing on a region by region overview.  This year's report provides a detailed discussion of Saudi-US cooperation in combatting terrorism and offers high marks for the Kingdom's efforts to fight Al Qaeda.   [Complete Item - HTML]    [Terrorism Timeline]

Gunmen Attack in Yanbu
[SUSRIS Special Reports - May 1-3, 2004]

Gunmen have killed at least six people in an attack on a Western oil company office in the Saudi city of Yanbu on May 1, 2004.  Four gunmen struck at about 7:00 am (0400 GMT) Saturday, May 1, 2004.
Two Americans, two Britons, an Australian and a Saudi died in the attack.  Three attackers killed, the fourth was wounded.   Special Report #1   Special Report #2  Special Report #3

U.S.-Saudi Anti-terror 
Cooperation on the Rise -- 
An Interview with Ambassador Richard W. Murphy
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - May 3, 2004] 

"..Despite the very large royal family, the core leadership group that shapes Saudi policies has been working together for years. You can't really expect it to be speaking always with one voice; however, it is easy to exaggerate the differences of view and differences of approach.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

The United States and Saudi Arabia: 
A Relationship Threatened By Misconceptions 
Prince Saud Al Faisal, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - May 7, 2004]

"..Saudi Arabia and the United States have enjoyed a well known "special relationship" which, over a period of 70 years had developed and blossomed into a strategic alliance that benefited both countries. Recently this relationship has come under extreme strain. A critical juncture has been reached, and unless joint efforts are brought to bear to redress and rectify the underlying causes, the damage may be grave.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Saudi Arabia: Rethinking Its Soul
by Muqtedar Khan
[SAF Item of Interest - May 7, 2004]

"..The Saudi society is composed of two types of elite, the conservative-religious and the liberal-political/economic. For decades the latter has focused on retaining political power and exploiting the black gold. In exchange for freedom to become rich, this elite allowed the religious-conservative elite the freedom to preach. Without a culture of internal criticism, without an engaging alternate elite, without the emergence of self-critical and reflective voices within the religious establishment, the spectre of Wahhabism has grown and now is out of the hands of those who nurtured it.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

U.S.-Saudi Relations and Global Energy Security Conference
[SUSRIS Items of Interest - #1-7 - May 7-18, 2004]

"..remarks from an April 27, 2004 conference hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council.  The conference addressed U.S.-Saudi relations and global energy security with high-level speakers from the United States and Saudi Arabia.  The conference explored the link between affordable energy and economic growth. 

• Part 1 - Ali Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources
• Part 2 - Kyle McSlarrow, Deputy Secretary of Energy, U.S. Energy Department
• Part 3 - Guy Caruso, Administrator, Energy Information Administration 
• Part 4 - Abdallah S. Ju'mah, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco
• Part 5 - Rex W. Tillerson, President, Exxon Mobil Corporation
• Part 6 - Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of Finance
• Part 7 - James Wolfensohn, President, The World Bank

Restoring Saudi Visitor Flow: The American Stake
by Tanya Hsu and Hassan Elkhalil, Esq. 
Forecasts and quantitative analysis provided by Grant F. Smith
[SAF Essay #28 - May 13, 2004]

"..Striking the right balance between enforced visa application processes and efficiently approving the visits of the vast majority of Saudi Arabian citizens, who pose no threat to the United States, has been a challenge.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Saudis Out to Help the U.S., Not Push for Bush Re-election
by Frank Richter
[SAF Item of Interest - May 19, 2004]

"..The Saudi pledge to the United States to keep oil prices low has been a hallmark of the U.S.-Saudi alliance for decades. The Saudis pumped more oil to lower oil prices just before the Gulf War in 1991 and during the buildup to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. When two of America's major sources of imported oil, Venezuela and Nigeria, experienced political crises in 2003, the Saudis increased exports to the United States.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Fatal Friends: Our ill-conceived vendetta against the Saudis
by Patrick J. Buchanan 
[SAF Item of Interest - May 25, 2004]

"..Only Britain did as much to ensure an American victory. Why, then, the vendetta against Saudi Arabia among those who supported the war? .. Saudi-bashing makes for good politics. Even John Kerry has gotten in on the act. But there is a vital interest here. Can anyone believe that if the Saudi monarchy collapses in revolution the regime that rises in its place will be as friendly to this country.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Saudi Arabia's Oil Reserves
by Dr. Sadad Al-Husseini
[SAF Item of Interest - May 27, 2004]

"..The real issue is whether there is a real willingness and commitment by both producers and consumers to achieve political and economic cooperation in addressing the unyielding economic imperatives imposed by the global energy markets. Without such cooperation, energy-related volatility can only be exacerbated in the face of increasing demand for fossil fuels and the concentration of reserves in a few centers of operation.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Attack in Khobar
[SUSRIS Special Reports - May 29-30, 2004]

Gunmen attacked compounds housing oil workers in Khobar, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia at about 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT).  Hostages were being held at one compound.  Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility. 

[Special Report #1Complete Item - HTML]   [Special Report #2 Complete Item - HTML]

Novak: Bandar, Bush and "Plan of Attack" 
by Robert Novak
[SAF Item of Interest - June 1, 2004]

"..Publicity about the book has overlooked Woodward's account of the Saudi connection. While the Israeli government and its ardent American supporters have waged a disinformation campaign against the kingdom, Prince Bandar bin Sultan -- a senior member of the Washington diplomatic corps -- actively collaborated in preparing for war. Early in 2003, he went to Paris to try to bring around an obdurate French President Jacques Chirac.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Who Authorized the Flights? Clarke Claims Responsibility
by Alexander Bolton
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - June 2, 2004]

Ex-counterterrorism czar approved post-9-11 flights for bin Laden family. Richard Clarke, who served as President Bush's chief of counterterrorism, has claimed sole responsibility for approving flights of Saudi Arabian citizens, including members of Osama bin Laden's family, from the United States immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.  [Complete Item - HTML]

U.S. Group Gets Positive View of Kingdom
by Roger Harrison
[SAF Item of Interest - June 3, 2004]

"..The reactions of a group of visiting American civic and elected officials to the "real" Saudi Arabia focused on the similarities of the peoples rather than the differences or the damage done to Saudi-U.S. relationships since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Economic Reform in Saudi Arabia Summary of Remarks by Usamah Al-Kurdi
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - June 4, 2004]

"..On the issue of anti-Americanism in Saudi Arabia, Al-Kurdi said he believes this is "only a phase" that the Kingdom is going through.  He sees this sentiment as a reaction to the deteriorating situations in Palestine and Iraq, as well as a backlash against tough U.S. policies fashioned after the attacks of September 11, 2001.  It is his opinion that only a very small minority of Saudis have given up on the United States and that, over time, the special relationship will be restored. ."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Joint U.S. and Saudi Action in the Financial War on Terror
Remarks of Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Juan Zarate
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - June 4, 2004]
 
"..The terrorist attacks this past weekend in the Kingdom demonstrate again that we are engaged in a global battle against terrorism -- a battle that affects Saudi Arabia directly on a daily basis.. ..Continued collective efforts by Saudi Arabia and our international allies, like today's, will lead to further successes in the financial war on terror.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

"A Diplomat's Call for War"
Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - June 6, 2004]

"..I think ..the [Saudi] state and citizens have not yet reached that important, basic and necessary stage ..to win the war. This means general mobilization for war in thought and in deed, as individuals and as a whole, in the media and in the culture -- a mobilization of all 
state institutions and the private sector towards this goal, and viewing everything in life based [on the premise that] we are at war.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Prince of a Guy or Al Qaida Spy? 
by John Eisenberg
[SAF Item of Interest - June 9, 2004]

"..'not a single, solitary government official or media source has ever come forward with any evidence linking Prince Ahmed to any criminal activity. But that fact has not stopped [the authors] and media from accepting the outrageous claims at face value.'"  [Complete Item - HTML]

(Photo by Tor Eigeland/Aramco/PADIA)

The Attack in AlKhobar, Saudi Arabia: Reflections on Tolerance
By John Duke Anthony
[SAF Essay #22 - June 10, 2004]

"..In these and other population centers, the day-to-day practice of interpersonal respect and tolerance among millions of Saudi Arabians towards citizens from other countries and backgrounds has been present for more than half a century.  It is deeply ingrained in the overall fabric of the Kingdom's society.."   [Complete Item - HTML]

Homemade Oil Crisis
by David Ignatius
[SAF Item of Interest - June 11, 2004]

"..Bush administration officials who talked blithely in the run-up to the Iraq war about replacing Saudi Arabia as the locus of the oil market should be forced to drink a barrel of crude. As things have turned out, events have underlined the inevitability of Saudi Arabia as the supplier of last resort. An administration that set out to transform the Saudi-dependent status quo has ended up reinforcing it -- at the very time that terrorist attacks are showing the kingdom's vulnerability.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Remembering President Ronald Reagan 
and the U.S.-Saudi Relationship
[SUSRIS Special Report - June 11, 2004]

The friendship and cooperation between our governments and people 
are precious jewels whose value we should never underestimate. The positive nature of our relations demonstrates that cultural differences, 
as distinct as our own, need not separate or alienate peoples from one another. President Ronald Reagan                   [Complete Item - HTML]

Threats to U.S.-Saudi Ties
by Dr. James J. Zogby
[SAF Item of Interest - June 15, 2004]

"..The attacks of 9-11 exposed a deep rift in the U.S. understanding of Saudi Arabia and its people. Because enemies of the U.S.-Saudi relationship were quicker to respond and because the need for information was so great, it was they who were able to drive the media and policy debate -- defining the country of Saudi Arabia, its people, and its religion.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Terrorism Update
[SUSRIS Special Report - June 18, 2004]

Q&A with former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Wyche Fowler:  
"I think [the US State Dept warning that Americans leave Saudi Arabia] is a mistake.  I think you've got to fight terrorists where they are.  Under the President and the Administration they are certainly firm that we're not going to let terrorists run us out of Iraq or dictate any of our decision making processes there helping the Iraqi people.  I had hoped that in light of the attacks of the last few weeks that we would go to the aid of the Saudis, put in more resources, help them militarily, with our intelligence, and with actual manpower if necessary.  Because the last thing in the world we're going to do is let terrorists run us out of Saudi Arabia.."  [Complete Item - HTML] 

Dad Loved Saudi Arabia and Its People: 
Frank Floyd Jr.
by Barbara Ferguson
[SAF Item of Interest - June 18, 2004]

"The son of Frank Floyd, the American who was among the 22 people who lost their lives in the terrorist attack in Alkhobar on Saturday [May 29, 2004], told Arab News yesterday [June 2, 2004] that his father had a tremendous affection for Saudi Arabia and its people.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

Terrorism Update
[SUSRIS Special Report - June 20, 2004]

"Paul Johnson, U.S. Worker Kidnapped in Saudi Arabia, Beheaded
Paul Johnson Jr., a Lockheed Martin Corp. engineer abducted in Saudi Arabia, has been beheaded, images posted on the Internet showed.."  [Complete Item - HTML]

U.S. Advice to American Citizens in Saudi Arabia
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - June 22, 2004]

The State Department issued a travel advisory warning Americans to defer travel to Saudi Arabia and urged Americans living in the Kingdom to leave. On June 18 Secretary of State Colin Powell told an interviewer, "If they (American expats) leave, then the terrorists have won."  [Complete Item - HTML]

The Crisis Within
by Thomas W. Lippman
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - June 24, 2004]

"..Saudi Arabia has been afflicted by an escalating wave of terrorist violence aimed at bringing down the regime, purging the country of Western influence and choking off the nascent liberalization of Saudi society. Scores of people have died in bombings and shootings at housing compounds where foreigners live and at oil industry facilities, including the May 29 attack in Khobar that claimed 22 victims.." [Complete Item - HTML]

"The Saudi Arabia I remember" by John R. Bradley
[SAF - Item of Interest - June 27, 2004]

"..The kingdom is, we are told, a hotbed of religious fanaticism. Many of its people, we hear, hate foreigners and unconditionally support Osama bin Laden. There is some truth to that. But there is another side to the life and people there, which represents the best Islamic traditions of generosity, kindness and hospitality. And during the nearly three years I spent living and traveling throughout Saudi Arabia, from its remotest cities to its most inaccessible mountainous areas, it was that other side that was overwhelmingly in evidence.."  [Complete Item - HTML]