‘I found some new optimism about the possibility of positive reform’
KUWAIT CITY, Nov 23: Reconnaissance Research’s Deputy CEO Yousef Alghusain welcomed former US ambassador to Kuwait and Iraq Douglas A. Silliman at the onset of the latter’s five-day visit to Kuwait, where he is expected to meet with some Kuwaitis.
Alghusain said: “Ambassador Silliman played a major role in the launch of Reconnaissance Research. He is a key figure in our portfolio of close friends.” He added: “Ambassador Silliman last visited Kuwait in 2019, when he inaugurated the center’s maiden event (the US role in Kuwaiti-Iraqi Relations), where he along with a number of ambassadors, businessmen and academics, had a fruitful discussion.”
Alghusain commended Ambassador Silliman as being an active expert in the region’s affairs and challenges, thanks to his long practical experience of working in Kuwait and Iraq, and his career at the US State Department since 1984, as well as his current work as president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW).
For his part, Silliman said: “It was my great pleasure to return to Kuwait after three years to renew old friendships and make new ones. In
Kuwait I found some new optimism about the possibility of positive reform following elections and the formation of the new government.
I hope that we will see cooperation between the government and parliament to put in place laws and policies that will position Kuwait well to deal with the most serious issues of the future —regional security, climate change, and sustainable development.”
Strong attachment
He continued: “I have a strong attachment to Reconnaissance Research, and have met its founder, Abdulaziz Al-Anjeri, numerous times while in Washington D.C. just few weeks ago”
He added “The last time I was in Kuwait in 2019 I had the honor of being a keynote speaker at their inaugural event. It was an enlightening and very well executed event by an excellent institution.”
Amb. Silliman concluded: “Reconnaissance Research has succeeded in establishing itself as an independent voice of Kuwait to many Americans and members of the international community. They have put together a number of well-researched analytical reports as well as high quality events. We will continue to work together.”