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Interview
- Developments in the Relationship: A Conversation with Gregory
Gause
[SUSRIS Interview -
March 31, 2005]
Professor Gause
discussed progress in the war on terrorism, municipal elections
and political reform, and the state of Saudi-US relations.
He includes insights gained during his January visit to the
Kingdom.
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Insight
on the Kingdom from the Author of Inside the Mirage -- A
Conversation with Thomas Lippman
[SUSRIS Interview -
March 30, 2005]
"..The good
news is that everybody has come through the spasm of the previous
year. That is not to minimize the threat that remains from
terrorism but it does seem that things are more or less under
control now, and you can get on with the business of running the
country.."
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Perspective
On Oil Pricing and Energy Policy
Dr. Herman Franssen
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - March 25, 2005]
"..Many oil
market analysts had ignored early warning signs in the market of
gradual tightening along much of the oil supply chain, from
exploration and production to transportation and refining. The
huge increase in demand in 2004 brought reality home and awareness
spread that the price for decades of under-investment in the
petroleum sector was higher prices in the end. Add to that supply
disruptions due to the war in Iraq and smaller disruption
elsewhere in a tight global market, and billions of dollars of
speculative investments in paper barrels to complete the
picture.."
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Arab
League Summit Concludes
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - March 23, 2005]
The Arab League
concluded its two-day summit in Algiers Wednesday agreeing, again,
to a 2002 Arab peace initiative put forth by Saudi Arabia. And,
just like in 2002, Israel has rejected the proposal.
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Arab
League Summit Convenes
[SUSRIS News In-Depth -
March 22, 2005]
The Arab League Summit starts
today with an air of seriousness and purpose as delegates from the
22-member group are expected to focus more on social and economic
issues than at earlier meetings, though Saudi diplomats hope to
restart the Arab peace plan.
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Overcoming
Mutual Apprehensions: Prince Saud Al Faisal on Relations with the
West
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
March 19, 2005]
"..Within
the Arab world, Saudi Arabia has always been a positive
participant in resolving conflicts and preventing discord. It has
the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and with a planet
still hungry for fossil fuel, Saudi Arabia must continue to play a
moderating role to the benefit of both producers and consumers. On
a per capita basis Saudi Arabia is the leading foreign aid donor
among the community of nations.."
[Complete
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Two Countries: Facing the
Challenges Ahead: UK - Saudi Conference
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
March 19, 2005]
The UK relationship with Saudi
Arabia is one which the Prime Minister, the whole Government and I
very greatly value. Saudi Arabia is at the political and economic
heart of the Middle East; a region that is central to the UK's
interests and to those of almost every other country in the
international community. With 25% of the world's reserves of oil,
Saudi Arabia has a pivotal role in the world energy market, which
is of such obvious and crucial importance for global growth and
prosperity. Indeed, without Saudi Arabia's stabilizing influence
over the last quarter of the century and more, the world economy
would have had a far rougher ride.
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From Conflict to
Cooperation - Writing a New Chapter in US-Arab Relations
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
March 18, 2005]
"CSIS
convened this study group in early 2004 not because there were too
few people examining U.S. policy in the Arab world, but because
perhaps there were too many. A remarkable focus in recent
years on discrete issues and immediate crises in the Arab world --
from the Arab-Israeli conflict to Iraq to terrorism to reform --
often meant that longer-term strategic issues were left
unaddressed. Too often, the high level of activity served to
mask the lack of an integrated vision for U.S. policy toward the
region.."
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President
Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz - The Meeting at Great Bitter Lake: A
Conversation with Rachel Bronson
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - March 17, 2005]
"Rachel
Bronson, Director of Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign
Relations and author of the forthcoming book, Thicker than Oil:
The United States and Saudi Arabia, recently spoke with SUSRIS
about the meeting. In this conversation she provided the
historical context of the meeting and perspective on the
relationship that resulted from FDR's and Ibn Saud's rendezvous at
Great Bitter Lake."
[Complete
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The
First Saudi American Interactive Dialogue: Building Bridges With
America
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - March 15, 2005]
Many observers who comment on
US-Saudi relations offer that the lack of dialogue between
Americans and Saudis contributes to misunderstanding of each
other's history, culture and aspirations. It was therefore
welcome news to hear of one group's effort to "build
bridges" between the two historic partners.
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U.S.
Ambassador Sketches the Issues
Arab News Talks with James
C. Oberwetter
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - March 12, 2005]
"In an
interview published today in Arab News on-line, the top US
diplomat in the Kingdom reviewed a number of areas of interest to
Americans and Saudis. Ambassador Oberwetter, who has been in
the post for about 14 months, discussed cooperative academic
efforts including student visa availability, economic progress and
WTO accession, political reform developments, cooperation in the
war on terrorism and the historic relationship between the United
States and Saudi Arabia.."
[Complete
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What
the World is Saying..
About Democracy in the Middle East
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - March 10, 2005]
"..From
elections in Palestine, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia to popular
demonstrations in Lebanon, events across the Middle East have
provoked a lively discussion on the political future of the
region. While some are confidently proclaiming the dawning of new
era of democracy in the Middle East, others are far more cautious
and skeptical in their predictions. Newspapers from across the
globe are weighing in on both sides of the debate.."
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News
In Depth:
Campaign in the War on Terrorism Announced
[SUSRIS News In-Depth -
March 8, 2005]
�The bottom
line is that no Saudi citizen will be able to escape the clear
message that intolerance, violence and extremism are not part of
our Islamic faith or Saudi culture or traditions..�
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Saudi
Municipal Elections - Round Two
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
February 25, 2005]
The second phase of voting in
Saudi Arabia's municipal elections is set for today in Eastern
Province, Asir, Jizan, Najran, and Baha Regions. The
Eastern Province elects its municipal representatives after a
two-week campaign that was largely split down sectarian lines.
Doctors, lawyers, engineers and other highly educated
professionals are among the candidates vying for municipal council
seats.
[Complete
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The
Saudi Economy: 2004 Performance, 2005 Forecast
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
February 27, 2005]
The Saudi Economy enjoyed the
best year of balanced performance in its history in 2004, with oil
sector strength supplemented by strong growth in most segments of
the non-oil private sector. In many areas -- oil sector capacity
expansions, major petrochemical, power, water and refining
projects; and capital markets activity -- momentum is just
beginning, so we expect the robust economic performance to
continue through 2005.
[Complete
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Saudi
Economic Performance:
A
Conversation with SAMBA Chief Economist Brad Bourland
[SUSRIS Interview -
February 27, 2005]
In the 1970s the boom really was
just government spending of oil revenues, and the last period of
exceptionally high growth, 1990-1991, was war-driven. So 2004
really stood out as a year of across the board strength in the
economy, which, by the way, looks set to accelerate in 2005 and
perhaps beyond.
[Complete
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Saudi
Vote Stirs New Enthusiasm
By Steve Coll
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - February 25, 2005]
"..energized participants
are debating platforms and campaign strategy, renewed in their
belief that something important may be at stake in the municipal
elections.."
[Complete
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Reforms
and Relations: Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Discusses
Developments in the Kingdom
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
February 24, 2005]
"'Our educational reforms
have created a new generation of highly educated and
professionally trained Saudi women who are acquiring their
rightful position in Saudi society. I am proud to mention here
that this year we shall have women working in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs for the first time,'.."
[Complete
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Why
I Welcome Municipal Polls
Dr.
Khaled Batarfi
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - February 21, 2005]
"Yes, it is not as much as
they hoped for. Yes, it isn't 100 percent democratic for all
members, since half are appointed. And yes, it is not for the
Shoura Council, or even regional councils. But if this step went
smoothly and worked well; if people chose wisely and their
representatives acted as promised; and if candidates campaigned in
a civilized, professional way, and accepted the results in
sporting fashion, then the government would be encouraged to
expand the experiment further."
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Jeddah
Economic Forum 2005
Update
[SUSRIS News In-Depth -
February 20, 2005]
Makkah Governor Prince Abdul
Majeed yesterday called for overcoming the challenges confronting
the nation. �The challenges that face us are not just
economical, but ideological and intellectual as well,� he said
formally inaugurating the 6th Jeddah Economic Forum at the Hilton.
�Our mission should not be confined to only building material
things, but also include building the minds for shaping our
destiny,� he said and expressed his gratitude and appreciation
for all those who were honored for their efforts in making the
previous JEF events a success.
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Jeddah
Economic Forum 2005 Opens
Capacity building: Developing people for sustainable growth
[SUSRIS News In-Depth -
February 18, 2005]
The prestigious Jeddah Economic
Forum (JEF) opens at the Hilton this morning for a daylong
session, followed by the formal inauguration by Makkah Governor
Prince Abdul Majeed at night.
The three-day 2005 JEF is set to
attract more than 2,000 delegates from within and outside the
Kingdom. �The forum will discuss national, regional and
international economic issues and highlight the achievements of
countries that have pursued strategies for human resource
development as a prerequisite for sustainable growth.�
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Letter
From Riyadh
Are we witnessing a Saudi glasnost?
By Peter Bergen
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - February 17, 2005]
"In the sprawling desert
city where Osama bin Laden was born almost half a century ago,
last week the Saudis held their first international counter
terrorism conference. A couple of days after the conference ended,
Riyadh was the first city to vote in the only nationwide elections
that have been held since the modern Saudi kingdom was founded
three quarters of a century ago."
[Complete
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Sailor
was the piper of history
60th Anniversary of Historic Meeting between King Abdulaziz and
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - February 13, 2005]
It was the first time a president
had met the king, leader of a poor, clannish country without much
developed oil. With the close of World War II, that was about to
change.
That 1945 Valentine's Day meeting
of the two leaders established an international relationship that
would help satisfy this nation's diet for oil and set in motion
events that reverberated most notably in the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
[Complete Item - HTML]
60th
Anniversary of Historic Meeting between King Abdulaziz and
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
February 12, 2005]
"..February 14, 2005, marks
the 60th anniversary of the historic meeting between Saudi
Arabia's King Abdulaziz and then U.S. President Franklin D.
Roosevelt aboard the cruiser USS Quincy at Great Bitter Lake in
Egypt. These two visionary leaders forged an enduring relationship
that has weathered many challenges from the Cold War to the
terrorism we face today.." [Complete
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Saudi
Municipal Elections
[SUSRIS News In-Depth -
February 11, 2005]
"February 10 will go down in the books as the day Saudi
citizens exercised their voting rights. In the first-ever
elections held in the country, citizens over 21 headed to polling
centers early in the day to choose their representatives for the
Riyadh Municipal Council.."
At stake were half the seats on
38 municipal councils throughout greater Riyadh, politically
powerless positions responsible for the nuts and bolts of city
government. But the mix of exuberance and solemnity inside many
polling places suggested that the unusual act of voting was more
important than the results.
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The
Elections in Saudi Arabia
by John Duke Anthony
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - February 10, 2005]
Many American and Saudi Arabian
leaders rightly believe that "all politics are local."
As such, large numbers, but by no means all, regard Riyadh's
decision to begin the country's national experiment in electoral
politics at the municipal level as only appropriate and prudent.
Not least among the reasons is that it is at this most basic unit
of governance and political representation that matters of public
policy affect the citizenry most directly. Further, while many
Americans and Saudis would prefer to see a more rapid
reconfiguration of the country's political dynamics, many others
beg to differ. In doing so, they emphasize that there is inherent
wisdom in not being rushed and that there is potentially much
merit in being able to study at length the results of electing
leaders to municipal councils first.
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Saudi
Municipal Elections Open
[SUSRIS News In-Depth -
February 10, 2005]
Saudi citizens are
set to cast their first ballots in history when Riyadh region goes
to the polls in the first of a landmark municipal elections.
Today�s polls in
Riyadh and surrounding areas are the first of three rounds that
will eventually see elected representatives take up half the seats
on 178 municipal councils across Saudi Arabia.
The remaining seats will be filled by government appointees. The
rest of the country will vote in March and April.
[Complete
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Saudis
Confront Extremist Ideologies
By Craig Whitlock -
Washington Post Foreign Service
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - February 6, 2005]
This week, in another sign of
shifting attitudes in the country that produced al Qaeda founder
Osama bin Laden and 15 of the 19 hijackers in the attacks of Sept.
11, 2001, the Saudi government is hosting a major anti-terrorism
conference, attended by delegations from more than 50 countries,
including the United States.
The official goal is to share
information about better ways to catch terrorists, but Saudis are
also using the event to try to convince the world that they are
serious about addressing the problem, both at home and abroad.
[Complete
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Counter
Terrorism International Conference Opens
[SUSRIS News In-Depth -
February 5, 2005]
Foreign delegations as well as
speakers participating in the event arrived in the capital from 50
Asian, Arab, and Western countries. Several international
organizations such as the Interpol also participated in the
four-day event.
Organized by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the conference hosted many workshops. Key
speakers addressed several issues such as the roots of terrorism,
money laundering, strengthening international cooperation in the
fight on terror, and learning from other countries� experience
in dealing with terrorism as well as sharing information and
intelligence.
[Complete
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Interview With Saudi Arabia's
Prince Waleed Bin Talal
[SUSRIS Interview -
January 30, 2005]
Saudi Arabia is a traditional
monarchy with a rather homogeneous society, both religiously and
ethnically. You can't compare this with Iraq. As muddled as the
situation in Baghdad is, elections could be a way out -- by no
means a guaranteed but certainly a potential way out.
Attempting to implant western
models of democracy into the Middle East is a tricky strategy. I
am a strong supporter of freedom of expression and of the press,
but I doubt that the German or the American model could be applied
in Saudi Arabia. Look at countries like Singapore and China: Are
they what Washington would call democracies? Is America trying to
change their political systems?
[Complete
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International
Counter Terrorism Conference
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
January 30, 2005]
Delegates from 49 countries,
including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Russia,
as well as representatives of several international organizations
participated in the first global anti-terror conference in Riyadh
from Feb. 5 to 8.
The conference discussed ways to
eradicate the root causes of global terrorism and measures to help
tackle money laundering as well as drug and arms smuggling.
The discussions focused on four
topics: Roots of terrorism; relation between terrorism and drugs;
the culture of terrorism; and the relation between terrorism and
arms smuggling and money laundering.
[Complete
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Top
World Leaders to Address Jeddah Economic Forum
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - January 29, 2005]
..The Jeddah Economic Forum has
become one of the Middle East's most important annual gatherings
of world leaders, government officials, prominent businessmen,
financiers, economic strategists, academics and other influential
figures..
"This year's forum focused
on creating a vision for sustainable development building on
previous theories that took a purely economic approach emphasizing
hard dimensions such as the availability of capital and the
adequacy of infrastructure."
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Women's
Employment Initiative
by Maha
Akeel
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - January 27, 2005]
"In a move meant to get as
many as 200,000 women into the Kingdom�s labor force, the
Ministry of Labor is launching an ambitious registration and
employment campaign during the next six months.."
[Complete
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Shoura
Council Expansion
by Javid Hassan
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - January 26, 2005]
"Members of the Shoura
Council, Saudi citizens and Arab intellectuals have welcomed the
Saudi government�s decision to expand the membership of the
Shoura Council. They said the move underlines the Kingdom�s firm
commitment to implement economic and political reforms and enable
the citizens to participate in the decision-making process.."
[Complete
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Hajj
Draws to a Close
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
January 25, 2005]
"Hundreds of thousands of
pilgrims bade Makkah farewell yesterday as this year�s Haj ended
without major incidents despite an unusual heavy downpour in the
holy sites on Saturday.."
[Complete
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The
Hajj in Perspective:
A Conversation with David Long
[SUSRIS Item of
Interest - January 23, 2005]
The Hajj is one of the five
pillars or the foundation of Islam and therefore it is the
obligation of everyone who is physically and financially able to
do so to make the Hajj once in their lifetimes. Pilgrimages to
Makkah actually predate Islam, but the Hajj is considered by all
Muslims to be divinely inspired by God as set down in the Qur'an
and the Sunna.
..the Hajj creates an opportunity for non Muslims and people who
don't know much about Islam -- particularly those who have a
totally negative view of Muslims.. that this is a gathering of two
million faithful people in a joyous time in the 21st century..
[Complete Item - HTML]
Time
to Bring Home Arab Human Development
By
Rami G. Khouri
[SUSRIS
Item of Interest - January 21, 2005]
The United States government and
the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), are locked in a
delicate diplomatic tango over the contents of the UNDP's third
annual Arab Human Development Report (AHDR).
The U.S. State Department has
made it clear to UNDP that American funding will drop
precipitously if the report in its present form is published.
Washington last year cut its funding to UNDP by $12 million (down
to $89 million) to signal its annoyance with the AHDR pointing out
the obvious reality that Arab extremism and anti-Americanism often
are a consequence of American, Israeli, and Arab government
policies in the region.
[Complete
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Saudis
Cleared in 9/11 Cases
by Barbara
Ferguson
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - January 20, 2005]
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
three Saudi princes, several Saudi businessmen and Saudi financial
institutions were dismissed as defendants on Tuesday in lawsuits
accusing them of supporting Al-Qaeda before the Sept. 11 attacks.
[Complete
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The
Hajj and Its Impact on Saudi Arabia and the Muslim World
By
David E. Long
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - January 19, 2005]
Each year, 2 million Muslims
perform the Hajj, or Great Pilgrimage to Makkah. One of the Five
Pillars of Islam, the Hajj is required of all believers once in
their lifetimes provided they are physically, mentally and
financially able.
Although many religions have pilgrimages, the Hajj is virtually
unique in its worldwide participation and sheer size. It is hard
for anyone who has not been in the Kingdom during the Hajj to
appreciate its full scope. How can a country with a relatively
small population such as Saudi Arabia maintain such a good record
in administering it each year?
[Complete Item - HTML]
Saudi
Candidates Learn Politics
By
Faiza
Saleh Ambah
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - January 17, 2005]
The polls are intended to fill
half the seats in 178 municipal councils spread out across the
country. The other council members will be appointed by the
government. In Riyadh, where registration for the three-stage
polls started in November, turnout has been low. Voter
registration ended with only 150,000 of an eligible 600,000 voters
registered.
"We've been asking for
reforms for years. If we don't participate in these elections,
however minor they are, the government will think all our demands
were just blah blah blah,".
[Complete Item - HTML]
Tsunami Relief
Javid Hassan
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
January 14, 2005]
"Arab financial institutions
and funds concluded their three-day meeting here with a pledge to
raise over $1 billion in funds and grants for the victims of
tsunami disaster in South and Southeast Asia.."
[Complete Item - HTML]
The
World Needs Information
International
Response to the South Asia Disaster
By
Khaled Al-Maenna
[SUSRIS
Item of Interest - January 13, 2005]
Saudi Arabia has a long history
of being at the forefront of efforts to aid those in need. Finance
Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf has stated on many occasions that
although we are a developing country ourselves, since the
mid-1970s the Kingdom has given more than $75 billion in
assistance to developing nations. That is nearly four percent of
Saudi Arabia's GNP. Internationally, many developed countries have
not met the suggested target from many aid agencies of 0.7 percent
of GNP in overseas development assistance. So we can hold our
heads high.
[Complete
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Let's
Rescue a Once Beautiful Word from its Captors
By
Anisa Mehdi
[SUSRIS
Item of Interest - January 12, 2005]
As a Muslim of Arab descent, I
feel the wrath of one particularly abused word every day: jihad.
News reports about "jihad" or "holy war," bear
the unspoken insinuation that because of my background I am
connected with the terrorism that abounds; that my way of
worshipping God is a threat to our national security; that it's
okay to go after others with my background -- before they come
after us. So let me clarify. I'm not. It isn't. And it's not
okay.
[Complete
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Unfurling
"The Unfurling"
[SUSRIS Item of Interest -
January 10, 2005]
"It looked like a scene from
the Western literary world when book lovers made a beeline to get
the copies of a newly published book signed by its author.
The groundbreaking event took place at Jarir Bookstore on Sary
Street here on Thursday night when Saudi writer and poet Nimah
Ismail Nawwab presented herself to sign her book of poetry
entitled �The Unfurling�."
[Complete Item - HTML]
Wahhabi
Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad - Excerpts
from Chapter Six and the Conclusion
By Natana J. DeLong-Bas
[SAF Item of Interest - January 9, 2005]
The
Saudi-American Forum has been pleased to present excerpts from the
new book Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad by
Natana J. DeLong-Bas. Today, we provide the final
installment of this series with extracts from Chapter 6 and the
Conclusion.
[Complete
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Engaging
the Antagonists of Change
Khaled al-Maenna
[SUSRIS Item of Interest - January 7, 2005]
"The word �change� is
very much in vogue. While it has been used for sometime by many in
the Arab world, this time there was a determined effort to drive
the point and give a macro interpretation of that word.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and
UAE defense minister, illustrated it when he did not mince words
and called for fundamental Arab reform. It was a critical speech
and in an era in the Arab world where self-criticism is a rare
commodity, his words were well received. �Change or be
changed,� he said. And his words echoed across the forum for the
entire three days of the conference.."
[Complete
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North
Carolina, Saudi Arabia and the WTO
By Grant F. Smith
[SAF Essay January 6, 2005]
Some analysts believe upcoming
Saudi tenders for new infrastructure development and government
projects will reach US$600 billion. However, half a decade of US
foot-dragging on Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO has stripped
billions of dollars of potential service and manufacturing export
opportunities away from North Carolina and other American
exporters. A savvy North Carolina export promotion strategy to the
Kingdom and a nudge to the US Trade Representative could not only
secure but increase the estimated 6,000 jobs now supported by
exports to the Kingdom and restore Saudi Arabia's place among top
importers of Tar Heel state products.
[Complete
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