Editor's
Note:
As we mentioned in the introduction to the last SUSRIS interview with Robert Jordan, he served the United States during a remarkable period in US-Saudi relations:
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"As United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from October 2001 Jordan had responsibility as America's top diplomat in the Kingdom in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Ambassador Jordan arrived in Riyadh just as the bombing of Taliban and Al Qaeda targets in Afghanistan was beginning and coordination and cooperation between America and the Kingdom was essential in successful prosecution of the U.S. military's "Operation Enduring Freedom." He was thrust into an extremely sensitive post at a critical time in the history of both countries.
"There would be more challenges as US Ambassador -- presenting America's case to Saudi leaders that Arab-Israeli peace could only advance with someone other than Arafat representing the Palestinian position and that the US case was sound for overthrowing the President of Iraq. Ambassador Jordan pressed for Saudi accession to the World Trade Organization within the U.S. Government, which directly led to its completion after years of foot-dragging. He was the senior American official in the Kingdom when terrorists struck Western compounds in Riyadh in May 2003, resulting in 34 deaths, including 9 Americans. The stunning attack galvanized bilateral cooperation in the war on terror. In October 2003 he completed his posting and returned to Dallas to resume his work in the legal profession."
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We were fortunate to catch a few minutes with Ambassador Jordan on the sidelines of this year's
Arab-US Policymakers Conference in Washington. We want to again thank him for taking a few minutes to share his thoughts on the issues confronting US and Saudi policymakers, especially regional security issues.
[Ambassador Jordan was interviewed by SUSRIS at the Arab-US Policymakers
Conference, Washington, DC on October 26, 2007.]
Recalibrating the Saudi-US Relationship
A Conversation with Robert Jordan
SUSRIS: Thank you, Ambassador Jordan, for taking time to share your perspective on US-Saudi relations. Lets start with regional security issues � no shortage of topics to discuss there: trouble in Lebanon, the Middle East Peace process, the potential for an American clash with Iran and the ongoing conflict in Iraq.
Jordan: Well I think the furious round of shuttle diplomacy we have seen King Abdullah engage in along with his Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal would make Henry Kissinger proud. There has been more serious diplomatic efforts on so many of these fronts than I have seen in my recollection. I think the Saudis deserve tremendous credit for this.
The challenges are enormous. Clearly King Abdullah has a personal interest in Lebanon. I think he was personally outraged at the assassination of Rafik Hariri and it appears he holds the Syrians accountable for that. He is greatly concerned about the instability that continues to ravage that country and he has reached out to so many interests both in the region and beyond the region in a very intense attempt to bring some order to some of these problems.
His efforts behind the scene toward any meeting that might occur in Annapolis to work on Palestinian issues are not fully recognized yet. The Saudis as much as anyone want this to be more than a photo opportunity and if it is merely a public relations exercise I don�t think they will participate. We haven�t yet seen evidence that the groundwork has been laid properly for this conference and so the outcome still remains much in doubt.
As far as Iraq is concerned I think the Saudis recognize they have to play a role. They have in many ways recognized that they, and the rest of the Sunni Arab world, have increasing common interest with Israel, because they all now view Iran as a threat. To some,
Iran is more of a threat than others. The Saudis have also reached out to the other GCC countries in an important way to be sure they are all on the same page in recognizing this threat as well.
Looking back a little further, King Abdullah has also visited Turkey. He has reached out to Turkey in a way that I think is quite productive. So we are seeing in many ways a diplomatic surge from Riyadh that is perhaps overdue but is certainly welcome.
SUSRIS: Do you think the collection of critical issues on the table shared by Washington and Riyadh is pushing the two countries closer together or is it more likely to be straining the relationship?
Jordan: There is probably a little bit of both but I think that the net is that it is moving the countries closer together. In the two or three years following 9-11 we went through a lot of difficulties recalibrating the relationship. I think a lot of those difficulties have now been resolved. We now have a strategic dialogue. We have regular meetings, not simply the Secretary of State-Foreign Minister level but also working groups at lower levels that are continuing to focus on the relationship.
It struck me during my time as Ambassador, that we would parachute in Cabinet Members, and Senators and others and ask the Saudis to help us do X, Y or Z, but we rarely focused on the relationship -- and I made that sentiment known. I am pleased to see that there is now a conscious effort to actually focus on the relationship, what we expect of each other. That is very positive and I think we are seeing some evidence of that now.
SUSRIS: Riyadh has made it clear they don�t want military action as a way to resolve the nuclear program standoff with Iran while many in Washington seem to be posturing toward the use of force. Based on your experience in the region in the run-up to the Iraq war help us understand what would the dialogue between the two vis a vis Iran sound like at this point.
Jordan: Well, certainly there are some parallels. I suspect that, as in the Iraq case, we are looking to the Saudis to propose solutions short of a military result, if that�s what they are urging us to do. We are probably saying to them, �If you don�t want us to strike, then what alternatives do you suggest and how are you prepared to assist in those.�
We had similar conversations with them regarding Saddam Hussein and Iraq. They probably are engaging in back channel discussions. I know they know many of the Iranian senior governmental officials rather well and while they don�t get along on all that many issues there is a channel of communication there which I think is very important.
SUSRIS: A major arms deal was announced this summer for American allies in the Middle East, that reportedly included
$20 billion in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and
other GCC countries. What are your thoughts on the timing of such a large arms sale and the outlook for Congressional debate, given the history of controversial arms sales deliberations especially in an election season?
Jordan: Deals like this obviously deserve scrutiny and Congress is entitled to exercise that scrutiny. But it would be very shortsighted of Congress to deny Saudi Arabia the capacity to defend itself, particularly in the midst of this gathering threat.
Clearly the Saudis are going to buy arms somewhere and if it�s not from the Untied States then it will be from some other source. I think it is to our advantage to maintain interoperability with them in weapon systems. It would also obviously involve the presence of advisors and trainers and others who will follow through on providing this equipment.
Lets also bear in mind that as Undersecretary [of
State Nicholas] Burns said, this is a sale of defensive weapons, we are not arming the Saudis to go out and conquer the world. They need to be able to defend themselves. They have aging systems and this is a sale that will likely take place over a number of years. It�s time for them to have the modern systems that are appropriate to the changing nature of defensive warfare, and I see that�s where this is heading.
SUSRIS: Let�s talk about the business-to-business ties. After 9-11 the business community wasn�t very engaged with Saudi Arabia compared with the levels of opportunity for trade, investment and contracting. Do you see
that changes have occurred in the last year or two?
Jordan: There are some slight positive changes I think in that regard. We are certainly seeing a lot of American business interests renewed in the Kingdom and in the Middle East in general. We are seeing an improved security situation in Saudi Arabia, which I think makes it more attractive to American investors, business people.
On the reverse side I don�t think we are seeing a sufficient flow of Saudi investment and business activity in the United States. The visa situation has greatly discouraged Saudi businessmen from seeking to come to the United States. We still only have one place in Saudi Arabia where you can go to apply for a visa. That�s inconvenient for a lot of them, so I think that�s going to take some time to resolve. I know down the line there is a plan to have more visa issuing stations at consulates at Saudi Arabia but that is several years off. I think the Saudis are going to want to feel more welcomed in the United States, be able to travel more easily, but that�s a long-term effort as well. But they have a lot of liquidity and a lot to offer in the area of investments and my hope is that the American business climate will be attractive to them.
SUSRIS: Do you have any final thoughts on the current relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States? What are the prospects for the near term?
Jordan: The US-Saudi relationship is the best it has been in seven or eight years. There is an increasing sense of mutuality of interests. We both want the same outcomes throughout the Middle East. We have varying views on how to get to those goals, but I think the end point is something we agree on. So I am pretty upbeat right now on where the relationship is at this stage.
About Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan was selected by President George W. Bush to serve as the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia at the most critical point in the history of the relationship between our two countries. After Senate confirmation, he served as ambassador from October 2001 through October 2003.
Mr. Jordan took charge of his Mission in the wake of the September 11 attacks that radically affected U.S.-Saudi relations. He worked closely with senior Saudi and American leaders to enlist Saudi support for removing the Taliban from Afghanistan, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein, and promoting the Middle East peace process. As ambassador, he worked closely with President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell in matters such as the historic presidential summit meetings in Crawford, Texas, and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Mr. Jordan vigorously pursued stronger Saudi collaboration in the war on terrorism and terrorist financing, and advocated promotion of American business, human rights, democracy, and economic reform in the Kingdom, including reforms needed to qualify for Saudi accession to the World Trade Organization.
Resuming his law career at Baker Botts in 2004, Mr. Jordan currently engages in an international business, government relations, and dispute resolution practice. He has served as personal attorney to President George W. Bush and also has advised major corporations in shareholder litigation and in antitrust, corporate governance, and dispute resolution matters. He has participated in engagements involving international transactions in the transportation, security, educational, mining, financial, and energy sectors.
Mr. Jordan is a member of the American Arbitration Association Commercial Panel of Arbitrators, the National Panel of Distinguished Neutrals of the CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution, and The London Court of International Arbitration. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he serves as president of the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations and as vice chairman of the board of directors of the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies. Mr. Jordan also serves on the executive committee of the board of directors of the Center for American and International Law and the advisory board of the Center's Institute for Transnational Arbitration.
Mr. Jordan serves as Diplomat in Residence and adjunct professor of political science at Southern Methodist University. In 2007 he received the Fellows Award presented by the Dallas Bar Foundation.
Mr. Jordan frequently shares his in-depth experience in international relations in interviews with the major international news media. He has given speeches before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and Committees on Foreign Relations in Washington, Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, and Chicago, as well as before audiences in London, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Beirut, and Rome.
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