Arab-US Policymakers Conference (AUSPC) 2006
Washington, DC -- October 30-31, 2006

Day One - Taking Stock of the Saudi Arabian-US Relationship: Examining the Implications for Interests and Policies

Session #2 - Regional Strategic Issues: Challenges and Opportunities

Moderator:  Dr. Hussein Al-Athel, Secretary General, Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry..  

Keynote Speaker: “Strategic Scenarios for the Energy Future” -- Dr. Daniel Yergin, Chairman, Cambridge Energy Research Associates; author of The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and more recently, Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy; former Chair, U.S. Department of Energy’s Task Force on Strategic Energy Research and Development; Board Member, U.S. Energy Association; Member, the National Petroleum Council; the sole foreign member of the Russian Academy of Oil and Gas; Trustee, The Brookings Institution; Board Member, the New American Foundation; Advisory Board Member, the International Institute for Economics. 

Panelists: 

• “Impact of Events in Iraq and Iran: Implications for Saudi Arabian Interests and Policies” -- Mr. Nawaf Obaid, Managing Director of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; co-author, National Security in Saudi Arabia: Threats, Responses, and Challenges.  

• “Assessing the Kingdom’s Efforts in Counter-Terrorism and Political Reform” -- Dr. Rachel Bronson, Director of Programs, Institute for Global Affairs, Chicago; former Director of Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Council’s Senior Associate for Near East Programs; author of Thicker than Oil: America’s Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia; and testifier before The Congressional Anti-Terrorist Finance Task Force; Congress’ Joint Economic Committee; and the 9-11 Commission. 

• “Oil Prices and the Financial and Investment Outlook for Saudi Arabia” -- Dr. Nahed M. Taher, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Gulf One Investment Bank, Bahrain, -- the first Saudi Arabian woman to head a bank in the Gulf region; and former Chief Economist, Saudi National Commercial Bank, where she was the first Saudi Arabian woman to hold such a position. 

• Questions and Answers