Washington Report, April 2006, page 21

Special Report

For 24 Years, Two Men from America “Sing” with “the Arab Flock”

By Abdel Rahman M. Al-Sadhan

ANDREW Killgore and Richard Curtiss are two American citizens I have known for about a quarter of a century. They used to work for their country’s diplomatic and information agencies before they hopped on the retirement wagon that took them out of the gate of diplomacy to a field exciting and dear to them: to establish a substantive periodical magazine in Washington that propounds an Arab point of view—in news, analysis and commentary.

The two men have many things in common: each of them is in his late seventies or early eighties. But that’s not the most important thing in their biography.

Each of them lived in uncommon circumstances from the beginning of his official career—reading, witnessing, hearing positions most of which, one way or another, harbored no good intentions toward the Arabs. They were saddened to see their country’s involvement, from beginning to end, in the series of Arab-American crises, both old and recent, under the influence of certain Zionist (or zionized) circles within and outside the corridors of American decision-making. But, again, that is not the most important thing in their biography.

Each of them belongs to the school of political, social and philosophical moderation, eschews extremism in any direction and believes in tolerance, cooperation and justice among peoples. But, for a third time, I say this is not the most important thing in their biography.

What is the most important is that both men are supportive of the Arabs—a support that is devoid of hypocrisy, blackmail or ulterior motive. Their support is rooted in knowledge and respect for the religion, history, economy, society and human conditions of this region of the world. Both men are “angry” at the dominance of the tribe of Zion—an anger framed by love for their country, by concern and enthusiasm for it.

They believe that not everything that satisfies Israel’s goals is in accord with American interests. They fear that, because of Israel, America will lose its credibility and prestige in the balance of world powers—and that, in the long run, will make it play the perpetual role of “loyal guard” at the gate of Israeli interests inside and outside Washington, whether through the use of veto power in the Security Council, or through the channels of economic, cultural and technological influence over the will of other nations, in favor and support of those (Israeli) interests.

Finally: two decades ago Killgore and Curtiss together established, through their own efforts, a substantive periodical magazine called the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs that focuses on news and events of Middle Easterners, both Muslim and Arab.

The two men succeeded in attracting material and moral support for their magazine inside and outside America through annual subscriptions and financial contributions. They were also able to penetrate America’s political and academic barriers so that their magazine became a permanent “guest” (i.e., presence) at the tables of the minds (!) in both houses of Congress, in addition to American universities, institutes and area political research centers inside and outside the U.S.—not to mention the numerous individuals and foundations.

However, this achievement did not come about without suffering burdens from the very beginning of this magazine as it tried to ensure the funding necessary for its continued publication. One year those burdens reached a climax that compelled one of its founders to mortgage his own house in order to obtain a loan from a local Washington bank that would eliminate the financial deficit in the magazine’s resources.

Thus, the “big American edifice” still contains a remnant of good that serves the interest of our region of the world—its people and cause—even if in that edifice there remains nobody but Andrew Killgore and Richard Curtiss. And the latter’s daughter, Delinda Curtiss Hanley, who is following in the footsteps of her elderly father to supervise the publication and manage its affairs.

Abdel Rahman Al-Sadhan is secretary-general of the Council of Ministers in Saudi Arabia. This article was first published Feb. 6, 2006 in Al-Jazirah, a Riyadh-based daily newspaper in Saudi Arabia. Reprinted with permission.

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