It Is Time the Focus Shifted to the Saudi Peace Plan
Michael Saba

While attending a recent conference in Houston on US Arab relations, I joined a luncheon hosted by a group of prestigious, influential Texas women. They were hosting a luncheon for Dr. Selwa Al-Hazzaa, the chairperson of Friends of Saudi Arabia. One of the women asked me, "Whatever happened to the Saudi Peace Plan? It seemed to make so much sense when it was announced, but we never heard about it again."

This week, I spoke with the same woman. She said, "If there was ever a time to revive the Saudi Peace Plan, it is now. With the current situation in Lebanon and Palestine, we need a comprehensive peace plan now more than ever. We can�t keep offering these �stop gap� measures."

Almost every woman that I talk to emphasizes "peace" rather than "war" to settle international disputes. They ask why diplomatic means can�t be used more frequently to settle these disputes. They ask why military means come to the forefront when nations disagree. Could it be that men rather than women are usually making the decisions in almost all of these cases?

Many of these kind of issues were discussed at the recent luncheon held in Houston at the exclusive River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas with Dr. Selwa Al-Hazzaa serving as keynote speaker. The subject of the discussion was "The Role of Women in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East." The luncheon was hosted by the James Baker Institute of Public Policy at Rice University. The event was co-hosted by prominent businesswomen Paula Douglas, Esq. of Houston, Texas and Pat Kerr Tigrett of Memphis, Tennessee.

The James Baker Institute, founded in 1993 at Rice University of Houston, was established in honor of former Secretary of State, James A. Baker III of Houston. The Baker Institute has recently created the Kelly Day Endowment on the Status of Women and Human Rights in the Middle East. The institute and the Kelly Day Endowment, which show great concern for the stereotypes of women in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, will fund programs that will be hosted at Rice or an international setting and will assist Middle Eastern and American women in establishing dialogues to remove negative stereotypes in the media and establish cooperative programs.

Dr. Al-Hazzaa discussed the advancement of women in Saudi Arabia and the historical context of the role of women and women�s rights in the Kingdom. She pointed out that Saudi women have made great strides in their educational and professional advancement and presently produce more high school and university graduates than men in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Al-Hazzaa also highlighted the role of Friends of Saudi Arabia in helping correct negative stereotypes of Saudi women in the Western media.

Friends of Saudi Arabia (FSA) was established in Saudi Arabia in 2003. The originator was Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. It was founded in the United States in 2005 and has conducted over 20 cultural and educational events in the United States since its establishment in the US. FSA organized the recent trip to Saudi Arabia of three veterans of the USS Quincy and USS Murphy, the ships that brought together President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz in 1945 and Capt. Joe Grant, the pilot that delivered the DC 3 airplane that President Roosevelt gave to King Abdulaziz in 1945.

FSA also recently premiered its new video film entitled �First Impressions� in the US. First Impressions follows the footsteps of Janice Roosevelt, the wife of Delano Roosevelt, the grandson of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on a two-week visit to various regions of Saudi Arabia. This was her first visit to Saudi Arabia and the film focuses on the role of women in the Kingdom and presents a realistic view of their life and work. 

Dr. Al-Hazzaa indicated to the women at the gathering that polls show that American women have a significantly more negative opinion of Saudi Arabia and Saudis than American men. According to John Zogby of Zogby International, a major American polling group, American women place Saudi Arabia at least ten points lower on the positive scale than American men. Zogby also pointed out that neither American men nor American women see Saudi Arabia in a very positive light. Dr. Al-Hazzaa asserted that the women�s initiative being carried out by FSA has great potential for establishing joint programs with organizations such as the Baker Institute. Mrs. James (Susan) Baker, one of the discussion leaders for the Baker Institute, recommended that the institute establish a joint exploratory committee to pursue this option. She stated, �This is a unique opportunity for the Baker Institute. FSA offers us a singular chance to develop a cooperative program.� Further discussions will be held in the future between the two organizations.

All of these women attending this luncheon emphasized people-to-people programs to create better understanding between people of different countries. And now they are emphasizing the Saudi/Abdullah Peace Plan as a means toward ending the Middle East dispute. Wouldn�t it be different if women were in charge? 

>> Michael Saba, [email protected]

[Mr. Saba's op-ed originally appeared in Arab News on July 25, 2006]