SUSRIS EXCLUSIVE
Saudi Arabian Students in America
A Conversation With Thomas Lippman
September 30, 2007

Well it was very interesting to talk to them. These are young men who, they�re not here as representatives of their government. They are here to get their engineering degrees and to master English. And they�re in Cookeville Tennessee, which is a little bit isolated. It�s not as if they were in Manhattan, you know. But they gave me an opportunity to think about the larger issue of Saudi students returning to the United States. As you well know in the year or two after 9-11 there was a very, very sharp drop-off, an alarming drop-off, in people to people contact between the two countries. Whatever was going on between the governments, the traditional way of Saudi Arabia sending students to the United States to come home educated in modern technology and modern sciences to work for the development of their country was really in jeopardy. At the time, I went to Saudi Arabia and I encountered quite a few people who simply said they were afraid to come here, and those who were not afraid to come were not coming because they could not get visas -- the sheer difficulty of it! 

SUSRIS EXCLUSIVE
Political and Economic Developments in Saudi-US Relations --
A Conversation With Thomas Lippman
September 29, 2007

"..The decision by President Bush to undertake a major new sale of military equipment and arms to Saudi Arabia and the other countries of the Gulf was accompanied by many statements of American officials including Secretary Rice and Under Secretary Burns to the effect that these arms sales represented new U.S. commitment to our relationship with Saudi Arabia and other friendly countries in the Arabian Gulf. And I think the Saudis took it in that spirit.."

The Celluloid Kingdom
September 28, 2007

"..The film presents a small piece of the generations old US-Saudi relationship but will inevitably provide a lasting image of for many theatergoers about the current complexities of bilateral efforts, such as law enforcement cooperation and the war on terror. As one correspondent who saw the sneak preview told us, 'This movie will be a cultural phenomenon,' noting, it 'introduces a Saudi hero for the first time in American movies.'.."

On War and Peace:
Prince Saud Al-Faisal Interview
September 27, 2007

"..Prince Saud al-Faisal has been the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia since 1975. His country is an American ally in the Middle East. It has also played a key role in the Israeli/Palestinian peace process. He was especially prophetic about the war in Iraq, warning in the year 2003 that it would destabilize the country and the region.."

New Cities to Contribute $150B to Kingdom's GDP
September 27, 2007

"..Saudi Arabia�s economy is booming and along with any boom comes development plans for the future. There are many ways in which countries can develop. According to SABB�s [Saudi British Bank] Q4-2007 report, for Saudi Arabia to continue its integration with the world economy, it must continue to expand its non-oil export options. As Saudi Arabia is trying to diversify its economy away from oil, it has embarked on a major plan to build economic cities which has generated a lot of foreign interest.."

Saudi Arabia National Day
September 23, 2007

"..National Day in Saudi Arabia is September 23, marking the unification of the country by King Abdul Aziz in 1932. This is the seventy-fifth national day and the third year the date was celebrated as a holiday. In an op-ed marking the event Khaled Almaenna, Arab News Editor-in-Chief wrote a personal reflection on the meaning of the day.."

Discovery! The Search for Arabian Oil
Wallace Stegner - Introduction
September 20, 2007

"..From Abqaiq, the center of Aramco�s gathering system, through Qaisumah, Rafha, Badanah, and Turaif, to Sidon, is a geography unfamiliar to most Americans yet important to them. For as each of those towns and stations was built, it became an outpost of the West and of America, a demonstration not only of American skills but also of American culture. Even the most trivial contacts and the most unthinking acts were significant, for the Saudi Arabs were then quite poor but very proud, and the partnership with the West, and all the landslide of change that it has since brought, were still very new. Thirty-five years ago there were few traces of westernization in Saudi Arabia anywhere outside of cities like Jiddah and Mecca, where pilgrims from outside the country had stimulated a relatively sophisticated mercantile class. The shock that oil riches have brought to Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Libya was particularly strong in Saudi Arabia, for of all the Arab states , Saudi Arabia beyond the Hijaz, was for a longer period the most isolated.."

Discovery! The Search for Arabian Oil
Wallace Stegner - Foreword by Thomas Lippman
September 18, 2007

"..Readers unfamiliar with the story of oil or the history of Saudi Arabia may not be aware of the grand and improbable drama that unfolded in the Arabian wasteland after the signing of the first oil exploration agreement in 1933. Stegner brings that drama to life with headlong prose and colorful characters, none of whom he had to invent. Even readers to whom that story might seem old news will find a wealth of new detail, crisply delivered. If nothing else, Discovery! is a tour de force of reporting, because Stegner spent only two weeks in the desert kingdom in 1955, yet through his interviews with oil company people and study of a substantial documentary record he produced a comprehensive narrative.." 

Ramadan Begins
September 13, 2007

"The holy month of Ramadan is a special month. For over one billion Muslims worldwide, it is a time of inner reflection and devotion to God. It is the month of fasting.  Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The start of the month is based on a combination of physical sightings of the moon and astronomical calculations. The Islamic calendar itself is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. This year, Ramadan officially begins on September 13, 2007 in Saudi Arabia, according to the Supreme Judiciary Council.."

The Riyal�s Peg to the Dollar
Brad Bourland - Part 1
September 4, 2007

"There is a growing popular view that it is time to revalue (adjust upward) the Saudi riyal and possibly to follow Kuwait�s lead and end the currency peg to the US dollar. A weak dollar is being blamed for rising inflation and has made summer vacations more expensive. On top of this, oil prices are near all-time highs and the economy is booming, putting natural pressure on the riyal to strengthen. In our view however, the costs of changing the exchange rate far outweigh the benefits, particularly as imported inflation is an insignificant part of the current inflation story in Saudi Arabia.."

The Saudi Economy's Golden Era: Phase Two
Brad Bourland - Part 1
August 24, 2007

"..Saudi Arabia has enjoyed four years of strong growth driven by rising oil revenues. We now perceive the growth driver shifting to the private sector, marking a new phase in a period of sustained high growth in the Saudi economy. We expect the following themes to dominate the economic and investment environment in the years to 2010 .. Private sector growth .. Relatively low inflation .. No change to the riyal peg .. Spending not saving .. Steady share price gains .. The fundamental dynamics supporting the strong outlook for the economy have been set in motion by reforms that have already been enacted and an investment boom that can not be stopped in its tracks. While there are some risks to our view, we do not foresee anything that would significantly alter the positive underlying story.."

Weapons of Mass Preservation
Anthony H. Cordesman
August 20, 2007

"In an ideal world, arms sales are hardly the tool the United States would use to win stability and influence. America does not, however, exist in an ideal world, nor in one that it can suddenly reform with good intentions and soft power. Those pressuring Congress to kill the Bush administration�s proposed $20 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states need to step back into the real world. America has vital long-term strategic interests in the Middle East. The gulf has well over 60 percent of the world�s proven conventional oil reserves and nearly 40 percent of its natural gas. The global economy, and part of every job in America, is dependent on trying to preserve the stability of the region and the flow of energy exports.." 

Extremist Reeducation and Rehabilitation in Saudi Arabia
Christopher Boucek
August 17, 2007

"For the past three years, the Saudi government has been quietly engaged in an ambitious strategy to combat violent Islamist extremist sympathies through an innovative prisoner reeducation and rehabilitation program. Following the May 2003 Riyadh compound bombings, the regime adopted a series of security measures to fight Islamist terrorism. In addition to the aggressive counter-terrorism steps taken by the government, Saudi officials have also sought to combat the support of extremist ideology in the kingdom through a series of lesser-known "soft" counter-terrorism measures aimed at combating the appeal of extremist takfiri beliefs. These measures have included a sophisticated hearts and minds campaign consisting of a combination of state-sponsored education programs, coordinated public relations and media efforts and the deployment of the government's considerable religious resources. It is from this background that the reeducation program has emerged. While only three years old, the program was initially kept a secret in order to encourage its success away from media attention (al-Hayat, June 20, 2005). Thus far, it has generated some noteworthy results, and it is now discussed openly and frequently in the Saudi media. The program's structure, process and relative successes, however, are all but unknown in the United States.." 

The Future of the Middle East:
Strategic Implications for the United States
Part 5 - Wayne White
August 15, 2007

"One of the big questions is, of course, right now can the Maliki government get its act together? The government of Prime Minister Alawi didn't. The government of Prime Minister Jaafari didn't. And we have to point out that like his predecessors, he presides over a government in a shambles.. ..So what we're confronted with often are Iraqi politicians who beat their breast in public about the Iraqi cause, and the Iraqi this, and the Iraqi that, and then they go back in their smoke-filled rooms and act as Shi'a, act as Sunni, act as people who relate more to their own tribes or cities than they do to the central government. Iraqi identity at the present time is very much challenged inside of Iraq, part of a greater problem."

US Consulate in Jeddah Moving
Maha Akeel, Arab News
August 14, 2007

"The US Consulate in Jeddah is to be relocated within two to three years at a new site on the corner of King Road (Al-Malik Road) and Sari Street. Work is currently under way to prepare the new location, which will also serve as the consul general�s residence.." 

A Regional Force for Stability
A Conversation with Afshin Molavi
Part 2
August 13, 2007

"The Saudi Arabian-Iranian relationship is more complex than we sometimes think it is. There is a caricature view of Iran as the Shia bulwark and Saudi Arabia as the Sunni bulwark and that there is a Shia-Sunni Cold War taking place across the region, or Iran as the radical and Saudi as the moderate and a radical-moderate proxy war taking place.. The view holds that Saudi Arabia and Iran will be engaged in proxy wars across the region. This view, however, doesn�t account for the very robust relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran.."

"The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself"
Michael Saba
August 10, 2007

"..Delano also spoke about Saudi Arabia and the legacy of FDR�s relationship with the Kingdom and King Abdul Aziz. He consistently pointed out the tremendous business opportunities that American business is missing in the current Saudi economic boom. He noted that Saudi Arabia is South Dakota�s 10th largest export market and buys more from South Dakota than France. He also made mention of the almost 15,000 Saudi students who are studying in the United States and the benefits of both business and educational exchanges to both countries. He stated that these exchanges lead to better understanding of each other and the subsequent knowledge to not �fear� one another.."

Arms for Diplomacy in the Middle East
John Duke Anthony
August 8, 2007

"..it�s important to underscore the fact that Saudi Arabia and the United States are involved in this together. One can hardly deny that Saudi Arabia is situated in a dangerous neighborhood. Indeed, this is the one area of the planet to which our country has mobilized and deployed more of its people, and expended more of its troops and treasure, in the last twenty years than any place else on earth. For us not to do the necessary, not to enhance our and Saudi Arabia and its fellow GCC countries� deterrence and defense capabilities would be more than reckless. Doing so would send a dangerously irresponsible message not only to the neighborhood in which Saudi Arabia and other important Gulf countries are situated, but also to our friends, partners, and allies further afield who expect us to do the right thing, at the right time, and in the right way for our interests and for theirs as well.."

Determined to Remain Friends
A Conversation with Thomas Lippman
August 7, 2007

"..The results of the Rice/Gates trip can be assessed in three parts. The first part is the bilateral US-Saudi relationship where things came out pretty well. Remember, this was not a really propitious moment in US-Saudi relations because there have been policy disagreements about Iraq, about Iran, about Palestine, and each side has been bruised a little bit by remarks made by the other side. There was what the King had to say at the Arab Summit conference about the �illegal occupation� of Iraq. And on the other side the Saudis were upset by what American officials including, most recently Ambassador Khalilzad said about Saudi cooperation in Iraq, or lack of cooperation in Iraq. Based on the public comments of Secretary Rice and Prince Saud al Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister, it appears they managed to work around that. Both sides acknowledge there are disagreements between friends, and they are determined to remain friends.."

The Rocky Road Ahead in US-Saudi Relations
A Conversation with Afshin Molavi
August 6, 2007

"..Washington has been fairly explicit in its statements about these arms deals. It is to support their, quote, moderate Arab allies, unquote, against what they view as encroaching Iranian hegemony. It�s also important to note that, in some respects, this is simply business as usual. While the news has captured headlines and has elicited some criticism from Democrats, Washington has a long-standing security relationship with its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf and with Egypt and Jordan, and that security relationship often means selling arms. So, it�s not a new story; however, the timing of it � amid statements by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of the Iranian threat, and as the Bush Administration�s democracy agenda seems to unravel -- has raised some questions. It also sends a message to their Arab allies who have been frustrated with them in many ways, particularly over the direction of events in Iraq. They have also been frustrated, especially in Saudi Arabia, by Washington�s handling of the Middle East peace process.."

Secretary Rice, Secretary Gates, 
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Press Conference
August 1, 2007

"..I am glad to welcome Dr. Condoleezza Rice the U.S. Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense Mr. Robert Gates. The two Secretaries have met with the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques (King Abdullah) and we have had talks about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the peace process in the region, the situation in Iraq, the crisis in Lebanon, the issue of nuclear weapons in the area, and the general disturbances in the region in general.."

Saudi Arabia Pledges to Support Iraq, 
Promote Regional Stability
August 1, 2007

"..Saudi Arabia promised today to continue working with its Gulf neighbors to support Iraq�s new government and promote stability in the region. Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faysal made the pledge here during a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The news conference followed the secretaries� meeting last night with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and other top Saudi officials to explore ways to build closer ties between the two countries and encourage greater support for Iraq. That session and today�s meeting between Rice and the foreign minister covered the watershed, the leaders told reporters.."

U.S. Aid and Military Support to the Middle East Region
R. Nicholas Burns Press Briefing
July 31, 2007

"..As Secretary Rice and Secretary Gates head for the Middle East this week, we wanted to send a strong signal of support for the security concerns of all of our partners in the region, of Israel, of Egypt, of Saudi Arabia, and of the other Gulf states, the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. And we see this announcement this morning about our future security assistance over the long term to support our broad strategic interest in the Middle East, and that is to maintain a very strong American presence and influence in the region. It is to give specific support to those partners that need it and that's all of them, of course. And it's also a comprehensive step by the United States to address our overall policy objectives in the region.."

Rice, Gates Travel to the Middle East
Press Briefing
July 31, 2007

"..I am glad to welcome Dr. Condoleezza Rice the U.S. Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense Mr. Robert Gates. The two Secretaries have met with the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques (King Abdullah) and we have had talks about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the peace process in the region, the situation in Iraq, the crisis in Lebanon, the issue of nuclear weapons in the area, and the general disturbances in the region in general.." 

The Future of the Middle East:
Strategic Implications for the United States
Part 4 - Afshin Molavi
July 30, 2007

"..In some respects we almost have two Middle Easts forming. When you look at the region today, you see, this sort of arch of crisis/instability - potential instability - from Egypt through Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran - Northern tier of countries in the region. And then, when you're in the GCC countries in particular, it's almost if you're in a different Middle East.."

U.S. Assistance Agreements with
Gulf States, Israel and Egypt
US Secretary of State - Condoleezza Rice
July 30, 2007

"..In advance of my trip to the Middle East with Secretary Gates, I am pleased to announce a renewed commitment to the security of our key strategic partners in the region. To support our continued diplomatic engagement in the region, we are forging new assistance agreements with the Gulf States, Israel, and Egypt. This effort will help bolster forces of moderation and support a broader strategy to counter the negative influences of al-Qaeda, Hizballah, Syria, and Iran. During our visits to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Secretary Gates and I will meet with our counterparts to discuss ways to advance security and stability in Iraq. I will also meet the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt, and Jordan to discuss regional issues in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Later, I will travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah to continue discussions on the development of a political horizon with Israeli and Palestinian officials. Through our Gulf Security Dialogue, we are helping to strengthen the defensive capabilities of our partners, and we plan to initiate discussions with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States on a proposed package of military technologies that will help support their ability to secure peace and stability in the Gulf region.."

The Future of the Middle East:
Strategic Implications for the United States
Part 3 - Fareed Mohamedi
July 23, 2007

"..The basic line is that if you have weak capacity, you're not going to get democracy. Destroying states doesn't work. In fact, usually, it's the other way. [Developing] state capacity and then you'll most likely get up more rapidly. I see that is what is happening in the Gulf. That is what makes me optimistic. It's not the buildings that are going up. It's not the snow slide, or whatever, the snow mountain in Dubai. It's the public-private partnerships that I think that the Gulf governments have discovered, and they, in a sense, discovered this 10 years ago in the crisis years of 1990 to 1995 when Saudi Arabia effectively went bankrupt and the Gulf was in the doldrums of lower prices.."

Saudi Petrochemical Industry:
The Heart of Investment
Mohamed A. Ramady
July 22, 2007

"..In the era of market openness and fierce globalized competition, both multinationals and nations are once again reassessing their core competitive advantage. What is it they are good at and which makes them stand out from the crowd? For the Gulf nations, embarking on massive investment and infrastructure projects, this is an important question to ask, the alternative being lumbered with �white elephant�, uncompetitive and uneconomic projects down the road.."

The Future of the Middle East:
Strategic Implications for the United States
Part 2 - F. Gregory Gause, III
July 21, 2007

"..These more secular regimes have tied themselves to us to some degree or another. They accept our view of how the Middle East should work. The Islamists on the other hand do not accept American foreign policy goals in the region. This is, of course, true of the Islamists who want to kill us, like al Qaeda, but it is equally true of the wide spectrum of Islamist organizations, from the radicals to the moderates; from the gradualists to the violent. None of them accept our idea of what an equitable Arab-Israeli solution would look like. None of them like the idea of American military bases in the region. None of them accept that we should have the kind of influence in the Middle East that we want to have. So what is to be done? "

The Future of the Middle East:
Strategic Implications for the United States
Part 1 - Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr.
July 21, 2007

"..The subject we are talking about today, which is the future of the Middle East and its implications for the United States, is a subject that wasn't of interest to many people not so long ago, but quite tragically, it's now become almost a national obsession in the United States. The Middle East is frankly not a pretty picture for American foreign policy.."