Number 30 Summer 2007 BAKER INSTITUTE REPORT NOTES FROM THE JAMES A. BAKER III INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY OF RICE UNIVERSITY SHEIKHA MOZAH OF QATAR DISCUSSES WOMEN’S AND HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES IN MIDDLE EAST Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned of the State of Qatar delivered the keynote address at the Baker Institute on the eve of the inaugural conference of the Kelly Day Endowment on the Status of Women and Human Rights in the Middle East. The event represented the first conference supported by the Kelly Day Endowment at the Baker Institute and the formal inaugura- tion of this important research program. Support for the confer- Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned delivers the keynote address on the need to “deframe” the debate on women’s issues in the Middle East and instead focus on how to guarantee human rights continued on page 17 across the board. PROMINENT HISTORIAN BRINKLEY JOINS INSTITUTE The Baker Institute welcomes Kerouac to Hurricane Katrina. Warren Christopher, and provided Douglas Brinkley, the prominent He is a star among the historians testimony on the historian’s con- presidential historian and edi- from his generation. I am thankful cept of war powers throughout tor of the recent best seller, “The and proud that he has agreed to history. He will continue his work Reagan Diaries,” as its newest fel- join Rice University and the James as the official historian for CBS low on July 1. Brinkley also will be A. Baker III Institute for Public News. joining the Rice University faculty Policy. I have known Doug for a While at the Baker Institute, this fall. number of years and am certain Brinkley said, he plans to finish James A. Baker, III, honorary that this association will benefit editing a three-volume box set of chair of the institute, said that our school, our city, our state and the diaries of President Ronald Brinkley brings much to the table. our nation.” Reagan. “As one of the country’s foremost In May, Brinkley met with mem- Brinkley has a joint appoint- historians, Doug Brinkley possess- bers of the newly formed National ment between the department of es a remarkable ability to intelli- War Powers Commission, co- history and the Baker Institute. gently tackle a broad range of top- chaired by former U.S. Secretaries His particular area of expertise, ics, from Ronald Reagan to Jack of State James A. Baker, III, and continued on page 18 1 LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR After a very active academic Later in September, the In its first program on this sub- year which concluded with the Baker Institute and the Shanghai ject, the Baker Institute will host Baker Institute hosting President Institute of International Relations on November 9–11 a “Workshop Bill Clinton at Rice University and (SIIS) will hold in Beijing the on Current Nuclear Proliferation engaging world energy leaders third annual research workshop Issues.” The institute will assem- in Houston, Washington, D.C., on foreign policy and energy secu- ble the world’s leading experts on and Dubai at conferences on the rity relations of the United States, nuclear proliferation to increase changing role of national oil com- China, and the Middle East. understanding of these complex panies, we are looking forward to James A. Baker, III, will deliver and critical issues and work toward our future programs. a keynote address. The institute practical public policy recommen- The institute will organize sev- will present the Energy Forum’s dations. eral important events and confer- research results on national oil I am happy to welcome two new ences in Houston and abroad in companies and implications for fellows to the institute, Douglas the coming months, as it extends Sino–American–Middle East Brinkley, the prominent historian, its public policy collaborations energy security. These workshops, and José Antonio Ocampo, the with other institutions, expands its which alternate between Beijing, former United Nations under-sec- research programs, and welcomes Shanghai and Houston, have pro- retary-general for economic and new fellows. duced an exchange of research by social affairs. Douglas Brinkley This summer, we will hold fellows and scholars from Baker commands a national audience another session of our Israeli– Institute programs, faculty from and his views on public policy are Palestinian workshop in Jerusalem Rice, and scholars from other widely sought. He will contrib- and Tel Aviv. policy research institutes in China. ute to the work of the institute In September I will lead a On September 25, the Baker in important ways. José Antonio Baker Institute delegation to Institute has invited Jeb Bush, Ocampo brings to the institute Tokyo, Japan, where our energy the 43rd governor of Florida, to expertise on international finan- and Asian studies fellows will deliver the inaugural lecture of cial and monetary issues, eco- hold an inaugural meeting at the the Robert A. Mosbacher Global nomic development, international Institute of Energy Economics, Issues Series. He will be address- trade, and Colombian and Latin Japan (IEEJ), for a new study, ing U.S.–Latin American trade American economic history. He “The Global Energy Market: issues. will be a valuable asset as the insti- Comprehensive Strategies to Meet The Baker Institute will host on tute continues to expand its public Geopolitical and Financial Risks, October 4–7 the Americas Project policy initiatives involving Latin the G8, Energy Security, and Fellows Reunion, marking the America. Global Climate Issues.” The Baker 10th anniversary of this joint effort In addition to these new Institute–IEEJ study is the latest of the Organization of American appointments and programs, we collaboration in an ongoing joint States and the institute. The are preparing to inaugurate our venture with prominent Japanese event, “Building Opportunities state-of-the-art conference center think tanks. It will analyze critical and Managing Challenges in the this year which will enhance the geopolitical and financial trends Americas,” will reunite past fellows institute’s capabilities for our new in world energy markets in a pol- and emphasize the constructive communications and media out- icy report to be released ahead of role for civil society in fostering reach initiatives. the 2008 G8 Summit in Hokkaido, democratic practices. Japan. Edward P. Djerejian 2 SPACE MEDICINE SUMMIT GATHERS WORLD EXPERTS FROM SPACE-FARING NATIONS The inaugural and unprec- edented International Space Medicine Summit was held at the Baker Institute May 4–6, 2007. Leading space biomedical scien- tists, physicians and researchers from the space-faring nations of the world gathered for high-level discussions on the medical and biomedical challenges astronauts and cosmonauts experience in long-duration space flight. The primary goals of the par- ticipants were to foster increased communication, cooperation and collaboration among the world’s top physicians and scientists in the space life sciences in order Summit organizers Bobby Alford, chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine (left) and George Abbey, Baker Institute senior fellow and former head of the Johnson Space Center (far right). Pictured with Patricia to facilitate successful human Reiff, professor and director of the Rice Space Institute (center). space exploration by promoting solutions that protect the health Administration, the Astronaut preparations for exploratory space and wellbeing of the flight crews and Cosmonaut Corps, and flights.” The comments from a before, during, and after long- the National Space Biomedical Canadian participant reinforced duration missions in space and to Research Institute were also well Kozlovskaya’s observations: “To enhance life on earth by apply- represented at the summit, which gather many of the world’s leading ing the resultant advances in was jointly sponsored by the Baker experts has achieved a large step human knowledge and technology Institute and Baylor College of in promoting communication and acquired through living and work- Medicine. fostering collaboration that will ing in space. In assessing the success of the be vital to the fulfillment of future Invitations to the summit summit, Inessa Kozlovskaya, one objectives for human space explo- were extended to nations that of the senior Russian representa- ration.” have flown humans and/or con- tives, expressed the sentiments of A second summit is being ducted biomedical research in virtually all the participants when planned for next year with the space. Astronauts, cosmonauts she stated, “The idea to provide a intention of ensuring the partici- and leading experts from a vari- free and broad discussion of spe- pation of China and India. ety of nations and organizations cialists on [an] international level including Canada, Japan, the was great, but to tell you truly, European Space Agency (repre- all of us doubted that it could be senting 16 European countries), fulfilled and fulfilled so success- Russia, and the United States fully. ... I hope that this event will participated in the summit. The lay a base for future international National Aeronautics and Space discussions on the way to make 3 BAKER INSTITUTE STUDIES RISING U.S. GAS PRICES Energy Forum fellows Amy gasoline demand by 20 percent Myers Jaffe and Kenneth Medlock by 2017,” the article notes. “This GASOLINE FAQS have launched a new public educa- will prove difficult given the fact Is the United States still the largest tion series as part of their advisory that the government predicts that market in the world for road vehicle role to the American Automobile about 97 percent of the increase use? Association (AAA) in which they in American oil use between now Yes, there are about 250 mil- are helping the motor club fash- and 2030 will come from the trans- lion vehicles on the road in the ion a voice for the American portation sector.” United States, close to a vehicle for every person in the country.