US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4527

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004527 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/PPD (CWHITTLESEY), IIP/T/IS (DBENCHENER), 
IIP/G/NEA-SA (TSCOTT), 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OEXC, OIIP, SCUL, XF, KU 
SUBJECT: FY05Q4 IIP SPEAKER EVALUATION: PATRICK CLAWSON; 
U.S. FOREIGN POLICY EXPERT CAPTIVATES KUWAITI AUDIENCES 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  October 1-2, 2005, U.S. Speaker Dr. Patrick 
Clawson, Deputy Director for Research at the Washington 
Institute for Near East Policy, conducted a speaking tour in 
Kuwait focusing on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. 
Addressing diverse audiences, Dr. Clawson spoke at Kuwait 
University, the Executive Board of the National Union of 
Kuwaiti Students, American University of Kuwait's American 
Corner, and a dinner attended by liberal columnists 
accompanied by Kuwaiti executives, professors, and authors. 
The speaker explained U.S. policies on Israel, Palestine, 
Iraq, Syria, Iran, and addressed the topic of 
democratization.  END SUMMARY. 
 
FEMALE STUDENTS IN KUWAIT DEBATE U.S. POLICIES 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
2.  DR. CLAWSON BEGAN HIS TWO-DAY PROGRAM IN KUWAIT ON 
OCTOBER 1 WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED TALK BEFORE AN INTERNATIONAL 
RELATIONS CLASS OF 25 TRADITIONALLY CLAD FEMALE KUWAIT 
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS.  THE WOMEN GRILLED THE POLICY EXPERT ON 
U.S. FAIRNESS IN THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT AND 
STRENUOUSLY CRITIQUED THE U.S.'S CONFRONTATION WITH IRAN ON 
NUCLEAR ISSUES GIVEN THE FAILURE OF WESTERN INTELLIGENCE ON 
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN IRAQ. 
 
SECTARIAN RELATIONS 
------------------- 
 
3.  NEXT, DR. CLAWSON VISITED KUWAIT'S CENTER FOR STRATEGIC 
AND FUTURE STUDIES.  DURING HIS MEETING WITH DR. SHAMLAN AL- 
ESSA, THE CENTER'S LIBERAL DIRECTOR AND COLUMNIST AT PRO- 
GOVERNMENT AL-SEYASSAH ARABIC LANGUAGE DAILY, THEIR TALK 
FOCUSED ON IRAQ AND REGIONAL SHIA-SUNNI RELATIONS. 
 
PALESTINIANS - REWARDS IN THE AFTERLIFE 
--------------------------------------- 
 
4.  THAT EVENING, DR. CLAWSON MET WITH FOUR MEMBERS OF THE 
NATIONAL UNION OF KUWAITI STUDENTS' EXECUTIVE BOARD, WHO 
REPRESENT ISLAMIST POLITICAL PARTIES.  THE MEETING TOOK 
PLACE AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF ISLAMISTS SWEEPING THE RECENT 
STUDENT ELECTIONS.  THREE MEMBERS OF LEBANESE ISLAMIST 
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS OBSERVING THE KUWAITI ELECTIONS ALSO 
ATTENDED.  DR. CLAWSON FACED TOUGH QUERIES ABOUT ISRAEL AND 
PALESTINE.  QUESTIONS ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM EVOKED 
DISCUSSION OF ISRAEL'S.  LEBANON'S POLITICAL CRISIS CALLED 
UP SHARON'S ROLE IN SABRA AND SHATILA.  ONE KUWAITI NOTED 
THAT ALTHOUGH PALESTINIANS HAVE HAD LITTLE SUCCESS IN THEIR 
STRUGGLE, THE REWARD IN THE AFTERLIFE IS GREATER THAN ANY 
EARTHLY VICTORY. 
 
U.S. FOREIGN POLICY -- LOFTY GOALS, SLOW SUCCESS 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
5.  DR. CLAWSON ENDED THE DAY SPEAKING AT A DIWANIYA 
(GATHERING) HOSTED BY KUWAITI EXECUTIVE AMER AL-TAMEEMI, 
FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE KUWAIT ECONOMIC SOCIETY, FREQUENTED 
BY LIBERAL KUWAITI WRITERS, PROFESSORS, AND BUSINESSMEN. 
DR. CLAWSON STATED THAT THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION IS SATISFIED 
WITH PROCLAMATIONS OF LOFTY POLICY GOALS, WHILE ACCUMULATING 
SLOW, INCREMENTAL PROGRESS.  INDICATING EGYPT DEVELOPMENTS 
AND OTHER TRENDS AS POSITIVE STEPS, CLAWSON ARGUED THAT 
DEMOCRATIC CHANGE MUST BE EVOLUTIONARY RATHER THAN 
REVOLUTIONARY, CITING IRAQ AND IRAN AS EXAMPLES. 
 
WHAT'S GOING ON IN SYRIA? 
------------------------- 
 
6.  DR. ABDUL-REDHA AL-ASIRI, HEAD OF KUWAIT UNIVERSITY'S 
POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, TACKLED SIMILAR THEMES WITH 
DR. CLAWSON.  THEIR DIALOG REVOLVED MOSTLY AROUND IRAN, 
WHILE BROACHING OTHER REGIONAL THEMES, INCLUDING SUCCESSION 
IN SYRIA.  CLAWSON ARGUED THAT THE U.S. HAS LITTLE IDEA OF 
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ASSAD WERE TO FALL.  HE ADDED THAT THE 
ADMINISTRATION IS WORKING TOWARD REGIME BEHAVIOR CHANGE IN 
SYRIA, RATHER THAN TOWARD REGIME CHANGE, AS MANY SUSPECT. 
HE SURMISED THAT SYRIA IS THE MOST LIKELY COUNTRY IN THE 
REGION TO EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. 
 
LIVELY DIALOG ON DEMOCRACY 
-------------------------- 
 
7.  DR. CLAWSON CONCLUDED HIS PROGRAM IN KUWAIT WITH A VISIT 
TO AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF KUWAIT (AUK) WHERE HE ADDRESSED A 
GROUP OF 30 STUDENTS AND JOURNALISTS AT THE AMERICAN CORNER. 
AUK STUDENTS PRESSED CLAWSON ON HOW THE U.S. CAN PROMOTE 
DEMOCRATIZATION IN THE REGION, CONFRONT IRAN'S NUCLEAR 
PROGRAM, AND MANAGE THE REFERENDUM ON THE IRAQI 
CONSTITUTION.  FOLLOWING THE AMERICAN CORNER EVENT, DR. 
CLAWSON MET WITH UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DR. SHAFIQ AL-GHABRA. 
 
ENGAGING KUWAITIS ON REGIONAL ISSUES 
------------------------------------ 
 
8.  THIS SPEAKER ADVANCED THE EMBASSY'S GOAL TO ENGAGE 
KUWAITIS ON U.S. FOREIGN POLICIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND TO 
DESCRIBE THE U.S. POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.  FACING 
EXTREME CRITICISM, DR. CLAWSON CLARIFIED U.S. MIDEAST 
POLICIES, DEFENDED THE U.S. POSTURE TOWARD ISRAEL AND 
PALESTINE, IRAQ, IRAN, AND SYRIA.  HE ADEPTLY HANDLED THE 
TOPIC OF TRANSFORMATIONAL DEMOCRATIZATION AND THE EXPANSION 
OF FREEDOM IN THE REGION.  TARGET AUDIENCES INCLUDED 
CONSERVATIVE ISLAMISTS AND LIBERAL KUWAITIS.  THIS PROJECT 
ADDRESSED KEY MPP THEMES, INCLUDING "CLOSE TIES WITH ALLIES 
AND FRIENDS," "PREVENTION AND RESPONSE TO TERRORISM," 
"DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES," "RESOLUTION OF REGIONAL 
CONFLICTS," AND "AMERICAN VALUES RESPECTED ABROAD." 
 
WIDE-RANGING IMPACT 
------------------- 
 
9.  THE COINCIDENCE OF DR. CLAWSON'S VISIT WITH THE KUWAITI 
STUDENT ELECTIONS WAS SIGNIFICANT.  THE TENOR AND WEIGHT OF 
QUESTIONS FROM THE AUK STUDENTS WERE IN STARK CONTRAST WITH 
THOSE OF THE KUWAIT UNIVERSITY STUDENTS.  KUWAIT UNIVERSITY 
STUDENT LEADERS, MOSTLY ISLAMISTS, FOCUSED ENTIRELY ON THE 
ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT.  AUK STUDENTS, WHO TEND TO BE 
MORE LIBERAL, SHOWED GREATER INTEREST IN IRAQ AND REGIONAL 
DEMOCRATIZATION.  DR. CLAWSON DEFTLY ADDRESSED ISSUES 
PERTAINING TO U.S. FOREIGN POLICY IN THE REGION, RESPONDING 
APPROPRIATELY TO DIVERSE VIEWPOINTS PREVALENT WITHIN KUWAIT, 
ON BOTH THE LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE SIDES.  MEETINGS AT THE 
UNIVERSITIES AND THE DIWANIYA WERE IMPORTANT BECAUSE MOST 
PARTICIPANTS PLAY DUAL ROLES IN KUWAITI SOCIETY, AS 
PROFESSORS AND MEDIA COMMENTATORS, ENSURING THAT DR. 
CLAWSON'S FOREIGN POLICY MESSAGE WILL REACH AN EVEN BROADER 
AUDIENCE THOUGH THEIR COLUMNS OR COMMENTARIES IN THE 
NEWSPAPERS AND ON LOCAL TELEVISION.  THESE POLICY 
PERSPECTIVES WILL ALSO BE SHARED BROADLY WITH LIBERAL AND 
CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS IN THEIR LECTURES. 
 
Positive, Plentiful Press 
------------------------- 
 
10.  Dr. Clawson's visit received excellent print coverage, 
particularly considering the sensitive topics addressed: 
 
--Al-Qabas, 10/3/05, p. 20, Arabic, full page interview, 
circ. 65,000 
--Al-Rai Al-Aam, 10/3/05, p. 5, Arabic, 1/8 page, circ. 
70,000 
--ARAB TIMES, 10/3/05, P. 5, ENGLISH, 1/4 PAGE, CIRC. 40,000 
--THE DAILY STAR, 10/4/05, P. 19, ENGLISH, 1/4 PAGE, CIRC. 
15,000 
 
LEBARON