REGISTRATION NOW OPEN: 19th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference Arab-U.S. Relations: Going Where? October 21 - 22, 2010 Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. A government-issued, photo identification is necessary to enter the Ronald Reagan Building. REGISTRATION FORM: http://www.ncusar.org/programs/19AUSPC-registration-form.pdf SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION: http://www.ncusar.org/programs/19AUSPC-sponsor-info.pdf If you have already registered for this event, you do not need to respond again. Please treat continuing e-mail announcements as reminders of the event, date, time, and place. Recently Confirmed Speakers Secretary William S. Cohen Secretary William S. Cohen is the former Secretary of Defense of the United States. In 2001, Secretary Cohen ended a 28-year career in government service and entered the private sector as Chairman & CEO of The Cohen Group, an international strategic consulting company. In addition to his work at The Cohen Group, Secretary Cohen remains an active public voice on issues of foreign affairs, business, and defense. In addition, Secretary Cohen is currently a member of the Board of Directors of CBS Corporation. Ambassador Shaun Donnelly Ambassador Shaun Donnelly is vice president for Middle East Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Ambassador Donnelly was formerly the senior director for International Business Policy at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Ambassador Donnelly was a career diplomat for over 35 years in the Foreign Service, where he rose to become U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, and later an assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Middle East and Europe, running the U.S. Trade Representative's largest regional office. Ms. Magali Rheault Ms. Magali Rheault is a Senior Analyst with the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. Ms. Rheault is a regular speaker at international conferences, symposia, and other events on issues of Muslim-West relations, governance, peace and security, and public diplomacy. She briefs opinion leaders and policy makers on Gallup research and has lectured at a wide variety of institutions in the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Rheault is also a Senior Consultant with the Gallup World Poll, a multi-year research initiative to survey public views and attitudes in more than 150 countries and areas. She focuses on the intersection of governance, job creation, entrepreneurship, and development in sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb. Dr. Herman Franssen Dr. Herman Franssen is currently a Senior Director of the Energy Intelligence Group (EIG). He is also the President of International Energy Associates Inc.; a Senior Fellow with CSIS; an Adjunct Scholar with the Middle East Institute; a Distinguished Associate of the FACTS (Fesharaki and Associates) Global Energy Group; a Visiting Fellow at CGES in London and a Senior Fellow with MEC in London. Dr. Franssen also serves on the board of a number of academic institutions and publications. Prior to establishing IEA Inc., Dr. Franssen was Senior Economic Advisor of H.E. the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals of the Sultanate of Oman (1985-1996) and in this capacity helped organize IPEC (Independent Petroleum Exporting Countries), an informal group of 14 oil exporting countries and provinces. Dr. John Sfakianakis Dr. John Sfakianakis is the Group General Manager and Chief Economist of Banque Saudi Fransi. He regularly contributes articles to international and local printed media and is frequently a commentator in major regional and international news channels, such as Al Arabiya, BBC, CNBC, CNN, and Bloomberg. Prior to his current position, Dr. Sfakianakis served for three years as SABB's Chief Economist in Riyadh where he issued the first business confidence index report by a Saudi-based bank. He was also the Chief Regional Economist for Samba Financial Group. Other Confirmed Featured Speakers Include Lieutenant General John R. Allen Lieutenant General John R. Allen is Deputy Commander of United States Central Command, a position he has held since July 2008. From 2006-2008, Lieutenant General Allen served as Deputy Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), and Commanding General, 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, deploying to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as the Deputy Commanding General of Multinational Force - West and II MEF (Forward) in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lieutenant General Allen was the first Marine Corps officer inducted as a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the first Marine Corps officer to serve as the Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Sa'ud His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Sa'ud served as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States from September 13, 2005 until February 12, 2007. From 1977 to 2001, he served as the Director General of the General Intelligence Directorate, the Kingdom's main foreign intelligence service. Prince Turki is one of the founders of the King Faisal Foundation and is the Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. Prince Turki serves as a member of the Boards of Trustees of the International Crisis Group and the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker is the Immediate past United States Ambassador to Iraq, and Dean and Executive Professor at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where he also holds the Edward and Howard Kruse Endowed Chair. Mr. Crocker joined the Foreign Service in 1971 and served in Iran, Qatar, Iraq, and Egypt as well as Washington, D.C. He was named Career Ambassador in 2004 and retired from the Foreign Service in 2009, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush for his valor, professionalism, and "masterful diplomacy." Dr. Mody Alkhalaf Dr. Mody Alkhalaf is currently Director of Cultural and Social Affairs at the Saudi Cultural Mission of The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington DC. She has written for Arab News on women's rights in Saudi Arabia and is currently Editor in Chief of Almubta'ath, a monthly magazine launched in 1978 by the Saudi Cultural Mission covering a range of topics of interest to Saudi students in the U.S. H.E. Ambassador Samir Sumaida'ie H.E. Ambassador Samir Sumaida'ie was appointed Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in July 2004. In April 2006, he moved to Washington DC to serve as Iraq's first ambassador to the United States of America in sixteen years. Ambassador Sumaida'ie has led a distinguished career in politics. In 2004 he served as Minister of Interior in Baghdad where he managed a domestic security force of over 120,000 and in 2003 he became a member of the Governing Council in Iraq where he was Chairman of the Media Committee and played a central role in founding Iraqi Telecoms and Media Commission and the Public Broadcasting Institution. Ms. Kathleen Christison Ms. Kathleen Christison was a political analyst with the CIA from 1967 to 1979 and has been dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict for almost 40 years. Since leaving the CIA, she has been a free-lance writer on Middle East issues and has lectured around the country. She has authored or co-authored three books: Perceptions of Palestine: Their Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy, published in 2001; The Wound of Dispossession: Telling the Palestinian Story, published in 2002; and, co-authored with her late husband Bill Christison, Palestine in Pieces: Graphic Perspectives on the Israeli Occupation, published in 2009. She writes frequently for the web newsletter Counterpunch.org. Ambassador James B. Smith Ambassador James B. Smith was sworn in on September 16, 2009, as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Smith had served in a variety of executive positions with Raytheon Company involving corporate strategic planning, aircraft manufacturing, and international business development. Ambassador Smith spent a 28 year career in the United States Air Force. He was promoted to Brigadier General in October, 1998, and retired from the Air Force on October 1, 2002. Dr. Sara Roy Dr. Sara Roy is a senior research scholar at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University where she completed her doctoral studies in international development and education. Trained as a political economist, Dr. Roy is the author of The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-development about to be published in its third edition. Her most recent book, Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza: Engaging the Islamist Social Sector, is forthcoming from Princeton University Press. Dr. Roy has worked in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since 1985 conducting research primarily on the economic, social, and political development of the Gaza Strip and on U.S. foreign policy in the region. Conference Moderator And Facilitator Dr. John Duke Anthony President & CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Dr. John Duke Anthony is founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. He is also a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Adjunct Professor at the Department of Defense's Institute for Security Assistance Management, and Member of the U.S. Department of State's International Economic Policy Advisory Committee (ACIEP) as well as the ACIEP's Subcommittee on Sanctions. PUBLICATIONS FROM DR. JOHN DUKE ANTHONY All conference registrants will be eligible to enter a special drawing for two round-trip business class tickets on Qatar Airways good anywhere in the airline's network. Must be present to win. Some restrictions apply. Conference Sponsors Special Hotel Rates Doubletree Hotel Washington DC 1515 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005-5595 Phone # for Reservations: 1-800-492-5195 Hotel room block is set up for Thursday 10-21-10 - Friday 10-22-10, however the hotel will extend the rate based on availability for earlier arrivals for the  Policymakers Conference attendees at the Doubletree Hotel, 1515 Rhode Island Avenue, NW. The special room rate for single or double occupancy is $259/night plus tax (currently 14.5%). Complimentary internet access and full breakfast for one or two persons are included in the room rate. The Special room rate is available from Tuesday, October 19 - Friday, October 22, 2010. Weekend rates would apply on Saturday, October 23 and Sunday, October 24, 2010. To book one of these special room rates, call the Doubletree Hotel at 1-800-492-5195 and ask for group booking code # NCU or 'National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Room Block.' Please make room reservations as soon as possible. After September 21, 2010 this rate cannot be guaranteed and becomes subject to space and availability. Georgetown Suites Washington, DC 1111 30th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007 Phone # for Reservation: 202-298-7800 / 1800-348-7203 reservations@georgetownsuites.com Hotel rooms are available at a special room rate for NCUSAR Conference attendees at the Georgetown Suites, 1111 30th Street, NW. Special room rate for single occupancy is $195 / double or triple is $225 / per night plus tax 14.5%. Complimentary upscale continental breakfast, free local calls, and free wireless Internet access. Special room rate is available for Thursday October 21and 22, 2010. To make a booking for special group rates, please call Georgetown Suites Hotel at 1-800-348-7203 or our local phone number is 202-298-7800 and asks for the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Room Block. ROOM BLOCK CUT-OFF DATE: September 22, 2010. All rooms not guaranteed by 3:00 PM hotel time on this date will be released for general sale. Additional after this time will be subject to availability and subject to rate variance. Registration and Sponsorship Information REGISTRATION FORM: http://www.ncusar.org/programs/19AUSPC-registration-form.pdf SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION: http://www.ncusar.org/programs/19AUSPC-sponsor-info.pdf 2009 Policymakers Conference Highlights ∙   CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS - VIDEO, AUDIO, & TRANSCRIPTS ∙   COUNCIL CHRONICLE CONFERENCE RECAP (.pdf) ∙   2009 CONFERENCE HOMEPAGE About the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founded in 1983, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is an American non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization dedicated to improving American knowledge and understanding of the Arab world. The Council has been granted public charity status in accordance with Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. The National Council does not employ or retain a lobbyist. Vision The National Council's vision is a relationship between the United States and its Arab partners, friends, and allies that rests on as solid and enduring a foundation as possible. Such a foundation, viewed from both ends of the spectrum, is one that would be characterized by strengthened and expanded strategic, economic, political, commercial, and defense cooperation ties; increased joint ventures; a mutuality of benefit; reciprocal respect for each other's heritage and values; and overall acceptance of each other's legitimate needs, concerns, interests, and objectives. Mission The National Council's mission is educational. It seeks to enhance American awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the Arab countries, the Mideast, and the Islamic world. Its means for doing so encompass but are not limited to programs for leadership development, people-to-people exchanges, lectures, publications, an annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference, and the participation of American students and faculty in Arab world study experiences. As a public service, the Council also serves as an information clearinghouse and participant in national, state, and local grassroots outreach to media, think tanks, and select community, civic, educational, religious, business, and professional associations. In these ways the Council helps strengthen and expand the overall Arab-U.S. relationship. National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations 1730 M St. NW, Suite 503, Washington, DC Phone: 202-293-6466 | Fax: 202-293-7770 ncusar.org