​Critical Perspectives on U.S. Concessions for the Abraham Accords:Saudi Arabia-Israel-United States

October 5, 2023
As widely reported, the Biden administration appears to be pursuing a grand bargain in the Middle East to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel that may come with new defense commitments from the United States, significant transfers of arms and other security assistance, and the development of uranium enrichment and construction of a nuclear plant for Saudi Arabia. Bipartisan Abraham Accords caucuses in both the House and Senate have formed in recent years aiming to expand the Accords approach that have seen the United States offer legal, political and military concessions to MENA governments, often ignoring repression and severe human rights concerns.
While the details of what an ultimate agreement might look like remain unclear, there is a need to be clear on what the ramifications of the approach might be with regards to Israel and Saudi Arabia. Those who see more danger than positives need to be included in the conversation, to talk not only about the harm of this approach to U.S. interests in the region, but also to those of citizens within it. This event aims to do that, bringing together experts from and focused on the countries in the region.
This event was co-organized by the Center for International Policy, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), and the Forum on the Arms Trade, and hosted by the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Welcome: Nader Hashemi, Director, Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Panelists:
Abdullah Alaoudh, Saudi Director for the Freedom Initiative and Secretary-General of the National Assembly Party of Saudi Arabia
Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
Dylan Williams, Vice President for Government Affairs, Center for International Policy
​* Nancy Okail, President and CEO, Center for International Policy (moderator)
Video also available at www.forumarmst...