Study with a capital S

Richard Pretorius, Correspondent

• Last Updated: March 29. 2009 9:30AM UAE / March 29. 2009 5:30AM GMT

Dr Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Foreign and Federal National Council Affairs, fondly recalled his days as a student at George Washington University, telling an alumni gathering in Abu Dhabi last week that his years at the school in the US capital were invigorating, both intellectually and socially. He said that experience was very much a part of who he is today.

He then listened as the dean and a professor at GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs talked about what the Emirati diplomatic leader’s professional life has been all about – foreign policy.

Both the school’s dean, Michael Brown, and Prof Edward Grehm, a former US ambassador to Jordan and Kuwait, said they had high hopes for the Obama administration and its policies in the Middle East

“There has been a huge increase in the level of activity,” Prof Brown said, citing Mr Obama’s outreach to the Iranian people and his naming of George Mitchell as special envoy.

“[The president] has been very proactive, much more so than the Bush administration was” at a similar stage in his presidency.

“They are doing a much better job of listening and consulting.”

On Iran, Mr Obama has shown “he is not timid in charting a new course”, Prof Brown said.

In extending an invitation to Iran to participate in a conference on Afghanistan this month, Prof Grehm said, Mr Obama has made a significant move, telling the Iranian leaders that they share “common interests” with the US.

The longtime US diplomat said Mr Obama has shown he will be “very forward-looking and engaged” on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“He made clear his commitment was to a two-state solution,” Prof Grehm said.

The Obama administration has “already defined what they expect a Palestinian state to look like – viable, at peace, accountable. … If it is not … for the benefit of both [sides] it won’t be lasting.

When asked about Jordan’s involvement, Prof Grehm cautioned: “Jordan will play a role in a two-state solution.

“But the Jordanians do not want to be involved in Palestinian politics. They are not going to be involved institutionally.”

He said Mr Obama has built a strong foreign policy team for the region, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Mr Mitchell, Richard Holbrooke as special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and Dennis Ross as a special adviser to Mrs Clinton for the Gulf and South-west Asia.

They will be sure to voice their opinions, Prof Grehm said, but “the president is his own man. He will be making the decisions. People are going to have to follow where he wants to go”.

Fair go on healthy habits

Like dozens of others with booths at the recent Abu Dhabi Book Fair, Mohammed al Abbar was eager to talk to people about the publications he had for sale.

With such titles as Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality, Cancer Control: Knowledge into Action, Health in Prisons, and Integrating Poverty and Gender into Health Programmes, he knew the average fair-goer would be likely to give his offerings a quick glance and walk towards the next booth.

At an event that featured discussions with best-selling Arabic authors and cooking shows, Mr al Abbar realised he could not compete for the attention of the masses.

Instead, he said, his target audience was the other booksellers at the fair, hoping that they would look through the publications catalogue of his employer, the World Health Organisation, or browse some of the 150 titles he brought with him and see the value in putting at least a few of his offerings on their shelves.

“The aim for us being here is to get the word out about what we do and promote health in the region,” Mr al Abbar said.

He added that he hoped to sell at least a few books to medical professionals and parents concerned about their children’s health.



rpretorius@thenational.ae