The American Security Project

21st Century U.S.-Egypt Strategic Relations

Conference
7 May, 2014, 1pm -6pm
Four Seasons Hotel, Washington DC
Egypts political and economic success is important, of course, not only
for Egyptians, but its important for the region, for the United States,
and the international community.
John Kerry, Secretary Of State

Egypt is the most populous and traditionally, one of the most influential countries in the Middle East.
The United States has had long-term military, cultural, and economic links with the country. Recently,
due in part to lack of knowledge and understanding of political change in Egypt, that relationship has
faltered. Following an introduction lead by accomplished Egyptian diplomat, Amr Moussa, our first panel
of experts will discuss the importance of the US-Egyptian relationship, and the key issues both Cairo and
Washington will need to build upon to strengthen their partnership.
In addition to its relationship with the US, Egypt merits the attention and concern of all nations due to
its natural position as the leader of the Middle East and Africa; its counter-terrorism efforts; the
importance of securing its borders; the Suez Canal; and its key position on both the Red Sea and the
Mediterranean. The discussion of our second panel will touch on all these issues, as well as how US-
Egyptian joint efforts can aid security in the region.
The third and final panel will revolve around strategies towards building a better investment climate in
Egypt. Egypt is the largest economic market in the Middle East, with over 90 million people. An open
and competitive economy, a politically stable government, and the potential for investment from
nations around the world will be a key in the growth and the sustainability of Egypt. Not only will this
produce stability for the region, but it will also encourage entrepreneurship and the foreign investment
that Egypt needs to be a strong American ally.
We hope you will join us for this in depth look into the current state of Egypt, the challenges the nation
faces, and the future outlook for its government and people.

www.USA-Egypt.org

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Panel One: U.S. Egyptian Strategic Relations Moving
Forward
Egypt is the most populous and traditionally, one of the most influential countries in the Middle East.
The United States has had long-term military, cultural, and economic links with the country. Recently,
due in part to lack of knowledge and understanding of political change in Egypt, that relationship has
faltered.
This panel will discuss the importance of the relationship, and the key issues both Cairo and Washington
will need to build upon to strengthen the partnership.
Chair:
Lara Jakes is an award-winning correspondent for The Associated Press
in Washington, where she currently is a senior national security writer
and based at the State Department. Jakes worked for three years as a
foreign correspondent based in Iraq, including one year as AP Chief of
Bureau in Baghdad. She has covered war and sectarian fighting in Iraq,
Afghanistan, the West Bank, and Northern Ireland.

Jakes was a homeland security fellow at the Knight Center for Specialized
Journalism at the University of Marylands Phillip Merrill College of
Journalism. She is a 1995 graduate of the University of Missouris School
of Journalism and pursuing a masters degree in foreign relations at the
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Panelists:

Senator Norm Coleman is a Senior Government Advisor at Hogan Lovells

US LLP, counseling clients on a wide range of regulatory and government
affairs issues. He previously served as a U.S. Senator, representing
Minnesota from 2003 2009. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate,
Senator Coleman was the mayor of St. Paul, MN from 1994 2002.

During his six years in the U.S. Senate, Senator Coleman served on the
prestigious Foreign Relations Committee. He was Chair of the Western
Hemisphere subcommittee and ranking member of the Near East
subcommittee, working to foster closer ties with our hemispheric
neighbors and protect America's interests in the crucial Middle East
region. Senator Coleman also co-chaired the Senate Bio-Fuels Caucus and
served on the Senate Agriculture Committee. He currently serves as
Chairman of the Board of the American Action Network in Washington,
D.C.

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Gamal Helal is a former translator and advisor to the last four U.S.
Presidents and six Secretaries of State. Helal began as an Arabic
interpreter in the Department of State, and played a critical role during
talks with Iraq before the Gulf War. In 1993, he became the senior
diplomatic Arabic interpreter in the Department.

He was integral part of U.S relations with the Middle East, serving as the
senior Mideast adviser to every President since George H. W. Bush. He
was also involved as an Arabic interpreter in every recent major peace
talk, notably the 2000 talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak,
and Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat. Helal was also a key player
during communications with leaders in the Middle East after the World
Trade Center bombings in 2001.

He served as an interpreter in Arabic language communications with
Middle Eastern leaders to work through the difficult time and promote
cultural understanding.

Congressman Jim Kolbe is currently serving as a Senior Transatlantic

Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and as a
Senior Advisor to McLarty Associates, a strategic consulting firm.
Recently, President Obama appointed him to the Advisory Committee
for Trade Policy and Negotiations, where he provides policy advice on
trade matters. Jim Kolbe is also a co-Chair of the Modernizing Foreign
Assistance Network (MFAN), a reform coalition composed of
international development and foreign policy practitioners, policy
advocates and experts, concerned citizens and private sector
organizations.

For 22 years, Jim Kolbe served in the United States House of
Representatives, elected for eleven consecutive terms, from 1985 to
2007. He represented the Eighth (previously designated the Fifth)
congressional district, comprising the southeastern part of Arizona with
Tucson as the main population area. While in Congress, Jim served for
20 years on the Appropriations Committee of the House of
Representatives. He was chairman of the Treasury, Post Office and
Related Agencies subcommittee for four years, and for the last six years
in Congress, he chaired the Foreign Operations, Export Financing and
Related Agencies subcommittee.

www.USA-Egypt.org
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Key Note Speaker: H.E. Amr Moussa

Amr Moussa is a leading Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the Secretary-
General of the Arab League from 2001 to 2011. Moussa has played an active role
in formulating Egypts foreign policy ever since obtaining his law degree from
Cairo University in 1957. From 1991 to 2001, he served in the government of Egypt
as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 2001. He has also served a total of 21
years combined as Egypts ambassador to the United Nations, India, and
Switzerland.

Last September, he was elected president of the committee of 50 representing all
segments of Egyptian society that authored the new constitution, which was
subsequently approved in a referendum in January 2014.

The Egyptian Constitution may be viewed here: http://www.egyptembassy.net/roadmap-to-
democracy/constitution/.

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Presentation Terrorism and the Sinai

Zack Gold is an accomplished researcher and writer on U.S. Middle
East policy, specifically concerning threats to Egyptian and regional
security from Sinai and Gaza. He is the author of recent analysis
papers on Sinai terrorism and security cooperation for the Brookings
Institutions Saban Center for Middle East Policy and the International
Centre for Counter-Terrorism - The Hague.

Previously, Gold was a research associate at the Institute for Foreign

Policy Analysis where he wrote papers for the Defense Threat
Reduction Agency and US Marine Corps. He also conducted counter-
terrorism research at the International Policy Institute for Counter-
Terrorism in Israel. Gold obtained his M.A. in law and diplomacy from
The Fletcher School at Tufts University and twice received the
Department of States Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic in
Oman and Egypt.

www.USA-Egypt.org

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Panel Two: Counter-Terrorism & Regional Security

Egypt merits the attention and concern of all nations due to its natural position as the leader of the
Middle East and Africa; its counter-terrorism efforts; the importance of securing its borders; the Suez
Canal; and its key position on both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
This panel will discuss the recent terrorism spike in Egypt, its implications for the region, and what key
issues both Cairo and Washington can focus on to overcome this terrorism threat.
Chair:

Lieutenant General John Castellaw USMC (Ret.) is a retired Lieutenant

General of the US Marine Corps. As a Marine Aviator, he flew more
than two dozen different aircraft including the CH-46E SEAKNIGHT, the
TAV-8B HARRIER and the MV-22A OSPREY. During his 36 year career,
he held several commands including Marine Medium Helicopter
Squadron 264, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, the
3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, U.S. FORCES EAST TIMOR, and the 2d
Marine Aircraft Wing.

As a staff officer, he served on several high level military staffs in
Europe, the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

As a veteran, he is a member of the Marine Corps League, The Marine
Corps Association, and The Naval Institute and is beginning his first
term as the National Commander of the Marine Corps Aviation
Association.

Panelists:
General Carter F. Ham USA (Ret.) is the former Commander of U.S.
Africa Command and Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe and
7th Army.

He has held a variety of positions to include Recruiting Area
Commander; Battalion Executive Officer at the National Training
Center; Advisor to the Saudi Arabian National Guard Brigade;
Commander, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry; Chief of Staff, 1st Infantry
Division; Commander, 29th Infantry Regiment; commander, Multi-
National Brigade, Mosul, Iraq; Commander, 1st Infantry Division;
Director for Operations, J-3, The Joint Staff, Washington, DC.
General Hams military education includes the Armor Officers Advanced
Course, Naval College of Command and Staff, graduating with
distinction, and the U. S. Air Forces Air War College.

His awards and decorations include Army Distinguished Service Medal,
Defense Superior Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Legion
of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Joint
Service Commendation Medal.


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H.E. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba has been the United Arab Emirates
Ambassador to the United States since July 2008. Before being
appointed as Ambassador, he served seven years as the Director of
International Affairs for the court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi,
where he was a senior advisor to the Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
During that time, Al Otaiba helped strengthen the UAEs security and
economic relations throughout the region.

Most recently, Ambassador Al Otaiba has helped guide Abu Dhabis
leadership in multinational discussions on best practices for sovereign
wealth funds. This activity was an extension of Ambassador Al Otaibas
efforts to promote and deepen trade relationships between the UAE and
other government, commercial, and private sector entities. For several
years, Ambassador Al Otaiba has facilitated meetings between the UAE
and other foreign economic interests, which have resulted in numerous
mutually beneficial cooperative and partnership agreements.

www.USA-Egypt.org

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Panel Three: Investment Climate, and Entrepreneurship
Egypt is the largest economic market in the Middle East, with over 90 million people. An open and
competitive economy, a politically stable government, and the potential for investment from nations
around the world will be key in the growth and the sustainability of Egypt. Not only will this produce
stability for the region, but it will also encourage entrepreneurship and the foreign investment that
Egypt needs to be a strong American ally.
This panel will discuss the key economic changes Egypt will need to go through, as well as the vast
business opportunities that Egypt can offer.
Chair:
Nelson Cunningham is President of McLarty Associates, the international
strategic advisory firm headed by former White House Chief of Staff and
Special Envoy for the Americas Thomas F. Mack McLarty III.
Cunningham was also Special Advisor to President Clinton for Western
Hemisphere Affairs and previously served as a counsel at the White
House and as General Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee under
Senator Joseph Biden. Prior to that, he was a federal prosecutor in New
York under then-U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani and also served as a
foreign policy and trade advisor to the 2004 Kerry campaign.

Cunningham is an active member of the boards of the Institute of the
Americas, the American Security Project, the Atlantic Council, and the
U.S.-India Business Council, and is a member of the Yale President's
Council on International Activities, the Department of States Advisory
Committee on International Economic Policy, the Council of the Americas,
and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Panelists:

Dante Disparte is Managing Director at Clements Worldwide, a leading

risk management firm and insurance brokerage serving customers in
more than 180 countries. He is a specialist in risk reduction through the
design and delivery of comprehensive insurance solutions of worldwide
scope. He is credited with designing the worlds first card-based life
insurance program for the United Nations, a plan that has placed more
than a half billion USD of risk with the markets in more than 140
countries in 12 months. This innovation was heralded as one of the top
product innovations of 2011 by the MENA Insurance Review.
Disparte serves as the President of the Harvard Business School Club of
Washington, D.C., where he provides strategic and operational oversight
delivering value to more than 3,500 HBS alumni in D.C., Maryland and
Virginia. He was formerly the Managing Director of Land Rovers
activities in 32 Sub Saharan African markets and held numerous general
management roles in Denmark, where he developed applied skills in
social entrepreneurship.

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Khush Choksy is vice president for Turkey, Middle East, and North Africa
Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he leads the activities of
the department in developing and implementing policies and programs
to promote U.S. trade and investment with markets in the region. Choksy
manages a team of program and policy experts focused on working
closely with Chamber member companies and business and government
leaders to advance and broaden commercial relationships between the
United States and the region. In addition, he serves as executive director
of the U.S.-Egypt Business Council and the U.S.-Bahrain Business Council.
He is actively involved in the Chambers efforts to lead a Middle East
Commercial Dialogue to foster intra-regional trade and investment.

Before joining the Chamber, Choksy was a director at Chemonics
International where he led teams in developing economic ties between
the United States and the Middle East. He lived and worked in Jordan for
seven years, establishing relations with private- and public-sector leaders
at a critical time in the U.S.-Middle East relationship on behalf of several
USAID programs. He also worked in India, overseeing U.S. government
and World Bank-funded projects that helped liberalize the capital
markets and financial sectors.

Basil El-Baz is the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Carbon

Holdings. He has successfully developed and financed two major
industrial greenfield projects in Egypt; Egypt Basic Industries Corporation
(EBIC) and Egypt Hydrocarbon Corporation (EHC). EBIC represents
and still is the only project to receive a comprehensive loan guarantee
from the Export Import Bank of the United States. Furthermore, EBIC
is one of a select number of projects in Egypt to be financed entirely by
consortium of international banks. The project has an approximate
value of US$650 million. Carbon Holdings second project, EHC, with a
transaction value of approximately US$500 million is widely considered
as the first major industrial project to close in post-revolution Egypt.
Construction of the second project commenced in August 2011 with
commercial operation scheduled to commence during the fourth quarter
of 2014. In December 2012, Carbon Holdings concluded its US$114
million acquisition of the Egyptian polypropylene producer, Oriental
Petrochemicals Company (OPC).

Most importantly, Carbon Holdings is developing a US$6.75 billion
Naphtha Cracker and Polyethylene Complex project named Tahrir
Petrochemicals that is currently in an advanced stage of financing. The
project is anticipated of being financed entirely by the Export Import
Bank of the United States, the Export Import Bank of Korea, the Korea
Trade Insurance Corporation and SACE, the export credit agency of Italy.
Mr. El-Baz is a graduate of Harvard University.

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Mustafa Abdel-Wadood oversees The Abraaj Groups investment

activities across the various geographies. He is a Board Member of The
Abraaj Group and Chairman of the Management Executive Committee.
He joined from EFG-Hermes, where he was Chief Executive Officer for the
UAE. Before this, he co-founded Sigma Capital and served as its
Managing Director.

Prior to that he spent eight years at Orascom Group as Director of
Development and Investments. Mr Abdel-Wadood has served on the
Boards of several publicly listed and private companies.
In 2002, the World Economic Forum named Mr Abdel-Wadood a 'Global
Leader for Tomorrow' and in 2007 named him a Young Global Leader.

He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization.
He graduated in Business Administration from American University and
holds an MBA from Georgetown University.

www.USA-Egypt.org


21st Century U.S.-Egypt Strategic Relations

Conference
7 May, 2014, 1pm -6pm
Four Seasons Hotel, Washington DC

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