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SAUDI-US RELATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE - ISSUE 28October
13-19, 2003
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PHOTO
OF THE WEEK
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Prince Sultan
receives former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi
Arabia, Robert Jordan.
Click
Here for
Photo Library
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WHAT'S NEW
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>
Saudi-US Relations Information Service
(SUSRIS) Launched
Visit the web site for more information on the
SUSRIS features.
[more]
> New
Saudi-American Forum Essays/Items of Interest:
"
'In Defense of the Nation': Terror and
Reform in Saudi Arabia," by James A.
Russell
"U.S.-Arab
Economic Forum: One World. Two
Cultures. Endless Possibilities."
"HRH
Prince Saud Al-Faisal Foreign Minister of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the U.S. - Arab
Economic Forum"
"Saudi-U.S.
Relations Information Service (SUSRIS) &
Saudi-American (SAF) Quarterly Summary"
"The
United States Must Not Neglect Saudi Arabian
Investment," by Tanya C. Hsu
"Saudi-American
Forum Interview with Ambassador Chas W.
Freeman: Part III - A Relationship in
Transition: What Is to Be Done?"
"Saudi-American
Forum Interview with Ambassador Chas W.
Freeman: Part II - A Relationship in
Transition, 9/11, Then What?"
"Saudi-American
Forum Interview with Ambassador Chas W.
Freeman: Part I - A Relationship in
Transition -- And Then 9/11"
"Saudi
Officials Take on
Challenges in the Media: Prince Saud
Al-Faisal and Prince Turki Al-Faisal Respond
to Charges"
"Flogging
the Arabs? The 2004 U.S. Presidential
Election and the Middle East," by David
T. Dumke
"Whither
Saudi Arabia? Three Authors Try to
Penetrate a Middle East Enigma," by David
Long
"At
Your Service: Future U.S. Service
Exports to Saudi Arabia," by Grant F.
Smith
"Saudi
Arabia: Current Issues and U.S.
Relations," by Alfred B. Prados,
Congressional Research Service
"The
Crucibles: 9/11, Afghanistan and the
Fashioning of a Foe [Part II]," by
Gregory J. H. Dowling
"On
Terrorism, Methodism, Saudi 'Wahhabism,' and
the Censored 9-11 Report," by Gary Leupp
"Saudis
Reject Bin Laden and Terrorism," by Dr.
James J. Zogby
"Saudi
Government Counterterrorism - Counter
Extremism Actions," by Anthony H.
Cordesman
"The
Crucibles: 9/11, Afghanistan and the
Fashioning of a Foe [Part I]," by Gregory
J. H. Dowling
"Internet
May Lubricate Politics and Economies in Arab
World," by Jim Landers
"Common
Enemy: U.S. and Saudi Arabia Unite
Against Terrorists," by John Duke Anthony
"Getting
Back on Track: Saudi Study in the
U.S.," by Grant F. Smith
"Saudi
Arabia: A Relationship in
Transition," by Hugh Renfro
"The
Children of Saudi-American Marriages," by
Muddassir H. Siddiqui
"Tribal
Traditions and Modern Culture: A Review
of The Belt," by Isabel Cutler
"Imagined
Kingdoms: Islamic Militancy and
Opposition in Saudi Arabia," by Gregory
J. H. Dowling
"Winds
of Change," by Massoud Derhally
"Pumping
Up Online Resources to Fuel Saudi-U.S.
Relations," by Molouk Y. Ba-Isa
"Remember
Khobar Towers," by Louis J. Freeh
"Saudi
Arabia: Don't Let Bin Laden Win!,"
by Anthony Cordesman
"The
Approaching Turning Point: The Future of
U.S. Relations with the Gulf States," by
F. Gregory Gause, III
"In
the Eye of Yet Another Storm: US-Saudi
Relations and the Iraq Campaign," by
Gregory J.H. Dowling
"Saudi
Arabia: Winds of Change in the Desert,"
by Sandra Mackey
"US-Saudi
Ties Prove Crucial in War," by Michael
Dobbs
"The
Prince," by Elsa Walsh
"Baer's
'Fall of the House of Saud' and the
Stakeholders in the Saudi-American
Relationship," by Kevin Taecker
"Wahhabism:
A Christmas Eve Talk," by Abdalla Musa
Tayer Mohammed
"Myths
and Realities About Unemployment in Saudi
Arabia,"
by Kevin Taecker
"Saudi
Arabs, Americans and Oil,"
by Robert L. Norberg
"The
Role of the Extended Family in Saudi
Arabia," by David E. Long
[more]
>
Saudi-US Relations Information Service
(SUSRIS) Current Discussion Topics
o US-Saudi
Relations...
o Defense
and Security...
o Business
and Economics...
o Regional
Peace Issues...
o Energy
and Resources...
[more]
Click to visit... then sign in as a New
User to join the dialogue.
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SUSRIS
is an Amazon Associate. Linking
from here to the Amazon site when making
purchases helps support this effort.
Thanks !
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| AN
ITEM OF INTEREST FROM SAF |
| Saudi
Arabian Crown Prince
Abdullah Discusses
Relations Between Muslim
and Non-Muslim Nations
"...The immediate
duty that awaits Muslims
in every Muslim country is
of two parts: The first
part is deepening and
strengthening national
unity within each Islamic
state, and the second part
is the establishment of
relations between Muslims
and non-Muslims on a
healthy and sound base.
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"Please permit me to
mention with some details these
two issues which represent a
serious challenge to all Muslims.
We cannot establish real progress
in an Islamic society that is
burdened with differences and torn
by quarrels and dissension. I
believe, with a little reflection
we can daresay that the reasons
for these differences and
contradictory views in every
Islamic country lies in the plague
of fanaticism which the Holy
Qur'an repudiated totally.
Fanaticism leads to extremism
which in turn breeds terrorism and
that threatens the social order
all together..."
[more]
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| A
MEDIA ADVISORY FROM SUSRIS |
Kingdom
on Edge: Saudi Arabia
National
Geographic Magazine
MEDIA
ADVISORY
"Kingdom
on Edge: Saudi Arabia," in
the October 2003 issue of National
Geographic Magazine, now on
newsstands.
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| "At
3 a.m. miles of freeways and
boulevards are locked in a traffic
jam of gas-guzzling, mostly
American, cars headed for shopping
malls that remain open until
sunup. Macho sport utility
vehicles are the ride of choice
among affluent young men, Lincolns
and Chevys among their parents. In
the malls, store aisles throb with
music videos blasting out techno
and rap as salesmen hawk
subscriptions to satellite
television�technically illegal
in Saudi Arabia�with a success
rate that has made satellite
dishes ubiquitous on the rooftops
of Saudi cities. If not for the
neon signs in Arabic, the streets
of Jeddah tonight could pass for
downtown Los Angeles or Dallas or
Houston..."
An
excerpt from Kingdom on Edge:
Saudi Arabia, National
Geographic Magazine.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0310/feature1/index.html
National
Geographic & Film Special on
PBS
On the Road to Mecca
TV crew documents Islam's holy
pilgrimage
The
show airs on October 22 at
8 p.m. ET/PT on PBS stations
nationwide (check local listings).
Source:
National Geographic Magazine,
October 2003
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| REMARKS
FROM ARAB-U.S.
POLICYMAKERS CONFERENCE |
Pressure on the Press
Majlis
Ash-Shura Member Responds
to Questions about the
Press in Saudi Arabia |
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The
following "Q&A" was
part of the 12th Annual Arab-U.S.
Policymakers Conference, September
7-8, 2003. Dr. Abdulmuhsin
Al-Akkas, Member and Immediate
Past Chairman, Foreign Relations
Committee, Majlis Ash-Shura
[National Consultative Council] of
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
was a panelist in the
"Regional Political Dynamics
- Political Reform, Human Rights,
Women, Foreign Policy"
session.
Question:
"...for Dr. Akkas,
regarding freedom of the press in
Saudi Arabia.
Recently, editors and
columnists advocating reform have
been removed by the government.
How does this contribute to
the reform process in Saudi
Arabia?
Dr.
Abdulmuhsin
Al-Akkas: I think
we all know that freedom of the
press in Saudi Arabia in
particular, but also in the Arab
world in general, leaves a lot to
be desired.
It is not the sort of thing
that is helpful to a public debate
on public policies and reformation
of informed public opinion.
The
problem with the press in Saudi
Arabia is not just governmental,
it's really social groups that
more than volunteer their time,
effort and pressure to censor
newspapers.
An editorial writer
produces something and the
Ministry of Information will have
no comment about it.
Then you have ten or
fifteen people going to judges,
ulamas and senior princes
complaining and wanting this and
that.
That's really the dilemma
of Saudi press.
They have to somehow deal
with the government and the
government is reasonably tolerant
� not exactly liberal but
reasonably tolerant � but then
they have to deal with those
larger social and sometimes
powerful issues.
For
example, we had an editor fired
because he published a statement
quoting somebody from a news
agency basically cursing an Arab
leader.
That Arab government made
it a point that they wanted
revenge, so they fired him.
So, it was not really the
Saudi government, not even the
Saudi public, it's also pressure
from the region.
The level of freedom today
is much better than it was last
year or six months ago, but it
still leaves much to be desired.
Dr.
Abdulmuhsin
Al-Akkas
is a member of Saudi Arabia's
Majlis Ash-Shura, or Consultative
Council. He is also Assistant to
the Chairman and Board Member of
the Saudi Research & Marketing
Group (SR&MG) and Director of
SR&MG�s subsidiary�s
boards in Riyadh, Jeddah, and
London. Dr. Al-Akkas also served
as SR&MG�s Managing
Director.
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| FROM
THE HISTORY OF SAUDI-U.S. RELATIONS |
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President
Bush Remarks on U.S.-Saudi Relations
July 3, 2003
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President
George W. Bush meets with Saudi
Arabian Ambassador Prince Bandar bin
Sultan at the Bush Ranch in
Crawford, Texas in 2002.
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President
Bush Remarks on U.S.-Saudi Relations during
an Interview with African Print Journalists
July 3, 2003
President
George W. Bush: We've got good
relations with Saudi. I gave a speech--just
to put it in context, I gave a speech--I
swore in some folks the other day to
reenlist in our military. I pointed out that
the relationship with Saudi Arabia, when it
comes to tracking down terrorists, is
strong. I reminded our citizens that Abu
Bakr, who is a key operative, and
"Swift Sword" are no longer issues
for America and Saudi Arabia because of the
cooperation that is an ongoing cooperation
inside the Kingdom.
Source:
U.S.
Government Printing Office
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| DISCUSSION
FORUM |
| Look
Who's Talking... The
Saudi-US Relations Information
Service web site features a
discussion forum for you to post
your ideas, opinions and questions.
To sign on and speak up
Click
Here. Among the
posts in current threads:
"I
talked with a friend, who happens to
be Muslim, about Ramadan. He said
that the purpose of the fast is to
help all people, of whatever station
that they are, in life, to begin to
understand what it is like, to be
poor. To know, first-hand, the pangs
of hunger. To imagine what it must
be like, for those whose empty
bellies are never full, those who
literally starve to death. My friend
said that this practice of fasting
during Ramadan helps to fuel, within
Muslims, the natural compassion that
is part of what it means to be
human."
Sign
up for the forum and contribute
to the dialogue.
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Healthcare
Development Strategies in
the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia
by
Mohammed Hassan S. Mufti
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Book
Description
Due to
inefficiencies, under
utilization, and
diminished resources, the
delivery of healthcare
worldwide is a major
issue. Health Care
Development Strategies in
the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia acquaints readers
with the current health
policy environment,
organization and delivery
of health services in the
Kingdom. Present financing
means, both government and
private, and future
financing methods such as
a proposed national health
insurance program and
user-changes are presented
and reviewed. Important
strategic issues are
discussed in regard to
cost effectiveness,
quality of services,
utilization management,
certificate of need, and
the necessity for
integration and
cooperation among health
sector agencies. Providing
information on the Saudi
health system and any
planned or proposed
reformation in the health
sector is beneficial to
healthcare directors,
planners and strategists
and will be of interest to
experts and international
investors in health system
reorganization.
[more]
Ordering
Information
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Saudi-US Relations Information
Service
A Public Service of the National
Council on U.S.-Arab Relations
1140 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036
eMail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.Saudi-US-Relations.org
Photo
Credits
Patrick W. Ryan,
Saudi Embassy online, White House photo by Eric
Draper, SPA
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