GRC Announcements

King Abdulaziz University, in cooperation with the Gulf Research Center, organized a seminar on Saudi-U.S. relations on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the meeting that brought together His Majesty King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 14, 1945.

The U.S. Consul General in Jeddah, Mr. Ryan M. Gliha, the Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, and the Executive Director of the Public Policy Program at the Faculty of Economics and Administration at King Abdulaziz University, Dr. Walid Nayef Al-Sudairy, participated in the panel discussion, moderated by the Head of the Political Science Department at the University, Prof. Saud Muhammad Al-Otaibi.

The workshop dealt with several major topics regarding Saudi-U.S. relations, including the historical context and importance of the meeting that brought together His Majesty King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which was the nucleus of the unique and distinctive strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the United States that has continued until this day. Furthermore, their relations that have developed since the historic meeting have become a basis for global security and stability. The seminar also touched upon Saudi and U.S. foreign policy and their common vision on various issues, such as military and security cooperation, their role in combating terrorism, and their economic partnership, in addition to having discussed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which will create even more opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in various sectors.

The seminar took place at the headquarters of the Faculty of Economics and Administration in the presence of His Excellency Prof. Abdul Rahman Obaid Al-Youbi, Director of King Abdulaziz University, in addition to a group of academics and students.
On the occasion of this important anniversary, the university president announced an initiative, with the participation of the Gulf Research Center, to establish an academic chair that will act as a knowledge and research reference for Saudi-U.S. relations, and which will enhance the understanding of this relationship at all levels.

Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated as a speaker in the second session entitled "Sustainable economics and game changers . The role of energy" at conference Arab geopolitics after the Caliphate.

How to exit the fragmentation trap, which was organized by the NATO Defense College Foundation in cooperation with NATO's Political and Security Affairs Division, in Rome, Italy on October 9.

On October 2-3, 2019, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, participated as a speaker in the session entitled "The future of Iraq and the region" at a workshop on Iraq Transition: Seeking New Approaches to State Building, organized by the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London, UK.

This session witnessed the participation of experts who presented Gulf, American, Iraqi, Iranian and international views on the recent regional developments in the region and the status of Iraq.

The GRC organized a workshop (Understanding Germany’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Orientation) during the period 21-22 June 2019 at the Regent Hotel in Berlin. The seminar addressed the political, economic, security and defense landscape of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In addition to its domestic policy, the seminar touched on Germany’s role in the international community and its foreign policy especially with regards to Saudi Arabia and the other GCC countries.