The Gulf Research Center hosted a dinner discussion in Washington D.C. on Tuesday evening, September 13, 2011, to discuss Gulf regional developments and the impact on US policy. The dinner brought together leading policy officials including the Honorable Thomas Graham, former senior proliferation negotiator for United States; the Honorable Theodore Kattouf, former US Ambassador to Syria and the UAE; officials from the State Department and Vice-President’s office; think tank specialists and the media. GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager provided an overview from a Gulf perspective arguing that there was no such thing as regional exceptionalism. Other issues discussed included the outlook for Egypt, Afghanistan, and Pakistan; the view of the Gulf towards the Iranian nuclear program and internal Saudi politics.
