Middle East Institute 62nd Annual Conference
"US Middle East Policy: Pathways to Renewal"
November 20-21, 2008
The National Press Club
529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor
Washington, DC 20045
BANQUET
Banquet Introduction
Michael Ryan, Vice President, Middle East Institute
Dr. Ryan joined the Middle East Institute as Vice President on January 2, 2008 after serving in the federal government for over 29 years. Before joining MEI, Dr. Ryan served as the Vice President for Administration and Finance in the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Dr. Ryan worked as a political military analyst specializing in the Middle East and North Africa for the Department of Defense. He made numerous high level presentations on regional security issues in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as published articles on US military assistance to the region. Dr. Ryan received the Defense Intelligence Agency’s highest civilian award for his analysis during the Iran-Iraq war. Dr. Ryan also served as Executive Director and Controller of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and acted as Deputy Assistant Secretary. He later joined the Environmental Protection Agency, where he served as Controller, Deputy Chief Financial Officer. While at State and EPA, Dr. Ryan received numerous awards including EPA’s Distinguished Career Award. He received his BA from St. John’s College in Annapolis and his PhD from Harvard University.
Banquet Address
Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, United Arab Emirates
Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash is the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Gargash also holds prominent political positions in the UAE government by serving as Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, and Deputy Chairman of the Permanent National Committee for Demographic Structure. Dr. Gargash has been a professor at United Arab Emirates University, a member of the Dubai Economic Affairs Council, and the CEO of Gargash Enterprises. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from George Washington University, and his PhD from Cambridge University.
Award for Aitzaz Ahsan
Introduction by William H. Webster, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP
Aitzaz Ahsan, President, Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association
Aitzaz Ahsan is a Barrister-at-Law by profession and a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He is also a writer, human rights activist, politician, and former Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Interior, Narcotics Control (1988-1990) and Education. Elected to the Senate of Pakistan in 1994, he eventually succeeded as the leader of the House and the leader of the opposition between the years 1996 and 1999. Currently he is President of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
Transcript
Keynote Address
Introduction by Marvin Weinbaum, Middle East Institute
Aitzaz Ahsan, President, Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association
CONFERENCE
Panel I: "Afghanistan & Pakistan: What is Victory? Where is Victory?"
Steve Coll, The New Yorker
Maleeha Lodhi, Harvard University
Shuja Nawaz, Author of Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within
Moderator: Wegger Chr. Strommen, Ambasssador of Norway to the US
Transcript I Summary
Panel II: "Economic & Political Developments in the GCC"
Nabil Ali Alyousuf, Vice Chairman of Board of Trustees and Executive President of Dubai School of Government
Amer Awadh Al Rawas, Managing Director, Oman Mobile; Member Board and Treasurer of the Sultan Qaboos Center
Aamir A. Rehman, Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute,
Author of Dubai & Co.: Global Strategies for Doing Business in the Gulf States
Moderator: Susan Bastress, Orrick, Herrington, Sutcliffe LLP
Transcript I Summary
Panel III: "The Future of U.S.-Egypt Relations"
Sameh Shoukry, Ambassador of Egypt to the United States
Francis J. Ricciardone, Guest Scholar, United States Institute of Peace
Michele Dunne, Senior Associate & Editor, Arab Reform Bulletin Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Moderator: Graeme Bannerman, Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute
Panel IV: "Moving Forward: Restoring American Credibility in the Region"
Ibrahim Helal, Deputy Managing Director, Al-Jazeera English
Max Rodenbeck, Chief Middle East Correspondent, The Economist
Ron Suskind, author of The Way Of The World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism
Moderator: Michael Ryan, Vice President, Middle East Institute
Transcript I Summary
Panelists
Amer Awadh Al Rawas, Managing Director, Oman Mobile; Member Board and Treasurer of the Sultan Qaboos Center
Amer Al Rawas is Oman’s top expert on the academic aspects of information technology. After receiving a PhD in computer science and artificial intelligence from Sussex University, he joined Sultan Qaboos University in 1998 as lecturer in computer science and information systems. The same year he was appointed Director, Centre of Information Systems of the university. His outstanding academic contributions led the university to elevate him to the position of Dean of Educational Services in 2001. In 2002, he took over as the Executive Vice President of Oman Telecommunications Company. At the Middle East level, he is member of Steering Committee of the Colleges of Computer Science of Union of Arab Universities, and the Permanent Steering Committee of the International Arab Information Technology Conference. In addition, Dr. Al Rawas was a visiting researcher at NASA’s software research lab, and a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Nabil Ali Alyousuf, Vice Chairman of Board of Trustees and Executive President of Dubai School of Government
Nabil Ali Alyousuf is Vice Chairman of Board of Trustees and Executive President of the Dubai School of Government and Chairman of the Dubai Institute for Human Resources Development. Throughout his career, he has focused on public sector development, human development and community development. Mr. Alyousuf led the strategy development team for Dubai Strategy 2015, and served as Vice-Chairman of the Arab Strategy Forum. In 2004 he helped to establish the Dubai School of Government, a research and teaching institution which aims to promote good governance through enhancing the region’s capacity for effective public policy. Mr. Alyousuf also helped to establish the Dubai Institute for Human Resources Development, as well as the Emirates Nationals Development Program, and managed the Mohammed bin Rashid Program for Leadership Development. He helped to establish the Dubai Cares campaign, which aims at providing education for one million children from the Muslim world, as well as the Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF). The first of its kind in the region, MBRF is the result of a ten billion US dollar endowment from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum, and aims to spur development initiatives in the areas of knowledge and education, culture, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy.
Graeme Bannerman, Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute
Dr. Bannerman is an adjunct scholar at The Middle East Institute and the founder of Bannerman Associates, an international consulting firm. He was a former analyst for the US State Department Policy Planning Staff and worked as a staffer on the Middle East and South Asia on US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has previously taught at several universities, including Georgetown University, the George Washington University, and the American University of Beirut. He has also been an international observer of elections in Georgia, the Philippines, Haiti, Pakistan, West Bank/Gaza, Mongolia and Yemen.
Susan Bastress, Orrick, Herrington, Sutcliffe LLP
Susan Bastress is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and is a member of the Real Estate Group. For over 25 years, she has represented foreign governments, private and public companies, government agencies, developers and contractors, municipalities and non-profit organizations in real estate acquisition, sale, financing and property management matters as well as public and private development projects. She has substantial experience in alternative dispute resolution and founded the Virgin Islands Mediation Service (VIMS), personally mediating more than 150 civil cases. Prior to joining Orrick, Bastress was a partner and Chair of the Real Estate Group at Patton Boggs in Washington, DC. She established the Doha office of Patton Boggs and was admitted as the first non-Qatari attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Qatar.
Steve Coll, The New Yorker
Michele Dunne
Michelle Dunne is an expert on Arab politics and U.S. policy. Formerly a specialist at the State Department and White House on Middle East affairs, she has also been a visiting assistant professor of Arabic language at Georgetown University. Dunne's research interests include political, economic, and social reform in the region and U.S. policy toward the Middle East and the Muslim world. Her recent publications include "Incumbent Regimes and the 'King's Dilemma' in the Arab World: Promise and Threat of Managed Reform" (with Marina Ottaway) and "The Ups and Downs of Political Reform in Egypt" (with Amr Hamzawy), which appears in Beyond the Facade: Political Reform in the Arab World (January 2008).
Ibrahim Helal, Deputy Managing Director, al-Jazeera English
Ibrahim Helal has more than 18 years of experience in international journalism, including roles with Egyptian TV, BBC Arabic TV, the BBC World Service Trust and the Al Jazeera Arabic Channel. Ibrahim joined Al Jazeera English in 2006 as Deputy Managing Director of News and Programs. Prior to this, he worked for the BBC World Service Trust, where he was Project Director for the Middle East and North Africa, responsible for the training and development of Arab media organizations. Before working for BBC, Ibrahim served as Editor-in-Chief of the Al-Jazeera Arabic Channel. Jump to Transcript
Maleeha Lodhi, Harvard University
Maleeha Lodhi is a fellow at Harvard and former Pakistani ambassador to the United States and England.
Shuja Nawaz, Author of Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within
Shuja Nawaz is a political and strategic analyst and author of the book, Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within. He writes for leading newspapers and The Huffington Post, and speaks on current topics before civic groups, at think tanks, and on radio and television. He has also advised governments in Asia and Africa. He is currently working with RAND, the United States Institute of Peace, The Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University, the Atlantic Council, and other leading think tanks on projects dealing with Pakistan and the Middle East.
Aamir A. Rehman, Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute,
Aamir A. Rehman is an expert in global corporate strategy. He was formerly the global head of strategy for HSBC Amanah, a business unit of the world's third largest bank serving over 300,000 customers in major markets worldwide. As an advisor to Fortune 500 and other leading businesses, Mr. Rehman has helped develop strategies for multinationals across the globe, including the United States, Europe, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the broader Middle East. Previously a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. Mr. Rehman is author of Dubai & Co.: Global Strategies for Doing Business in the Gulf States (McGraw-Hill 2007), a guide to corporate strategy in the GCC region. He is also author of "Islamic Finance: The New Global Player" (Harvard Business Review, February 2008 ) and of several other articles. His commentary has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Wharton Leadership Digest, US News and World Reports, and other leading media outlets.
Francis J. Ricciardone, Guest Scholar, United States Institute of Peace
Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr. is currently a guest scholar at the United States Institute of Peace. He has served as U.S. Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt (2005–2008), the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Palau (2002–2005). Ambassador Ricciardone also has extensive diplomatic experience with Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Italy and Jordan. Prior to his ambassadorships, he was Director of the Task Force on the Coalition Against Terrorism and a Senior Advisor to the Director General of the Foreign Service. He has also served as the Secretary of State's Special Coordinator for the Transition of Iraq (1999-2001).
Max Rodenbeck, Chief Middle East Correspondent, The Economist
Max Rodenbeck is The Economist's Chief Middle East Correspondent, a job he has held since 2000, where he covers issues across the broader Middle East, including politics, conflict, culture, and art. Mr Rodenbeck started writing for The Economist in 1989, he also is a contributing writer to the New York Review of Books and wrote his own book Cairo: The City Victorious (1998).
Sameh Shoukry, Ambassador of Egypt to the United States
Wegger Chr. Strommen, Ambassador of Norway to the U.S.
Wegger Chr. Strommen has a distinguished career in the Norwegian Foreign Service including positions as Deputy Foreign Minister and representing Norway in the United Nations Security Council. Ambassador Strommen has also practised law as a judge and as an attorney.
Ron Suskind, author of The Way Of The World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism
Ron Suskind is an author and journalist based in Washington, D.C. He is the author of The Way Of The World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism, The One Percent Doctrine, The Price of Loyalty, and A Hope in the Unseen. From 1993 to 2000 he was the senior national affairs writer for The Wall Street Journal, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. He lives in Washington, D.C.