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One could not help but notice the tepid response that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair got during a panel session on Sunday. There was little cheering from the local attendees when he addressed the session on global risks. “People have not forgotten what Blair has done in this region,” said the same Saudi journalist who lavished fulsome praise on Clinton. “He went to war in Iraq on the basis of lies and now it is very difficult to change people’s perception. He is not seen as credible by the common masses in this part of the world.”
 
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On Tuesday, Clinton spoke on global challenges and solutions. Much of what he spoke appears in our front-page report today. The novel way in which he was introduced by SAGIA Gov. Amr Al-Dabbagh was as interesting. He described his first meeting with Clinton and how impressed he was by his warmth and how many have similar stories about their first encounters with him. “However,” Al-Dabbagh said, “let two people who know him very well introduce him.” Suddenly chandeliers dimmed and on screen were US President Barack Obama talking about Clinton followed by Nelson Mandela who called him “the good man.” There was another round of applause.
 
 
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During a Q&A session, event manager Asmaa Al-Hamad got a chance to ask Clinton a question. “I am a Palestinian and I want to thank you for all your efforts in trying to solve the Palestinian issue,” she said. “Are you still continuing to make an effort?"

“Someone else in my family has taken that responsibility," quipped Clinton, indirectly referring to his wife, Hillary, US secretary of state. The audience burst into laughter.
 
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Talking about Q&A sessions, one of the moderators, clearly ruffled by long and unending statements from some members of the audience, said: “When it comes to Q&A, remember that a question consists of a single sentence which ends with a question mark.” There was laughter followed by silence — and a reduction in raised hands.
 
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Jake Eberts, yes the man who made that stunning film screened here on Monday, “Journey to Mecca,” shared a profound experience he had on a late-night walk in Riyadh. “The silence of the night was indescribable — just as the best moments in a film are those that are silent. I looked up and saw a beautiful moon hanging in the sky, and there were these twinkling stars,” he said. “I then remembered that Ibn Battuta, on whose travels the film is based, must have walked down this road under this very moon and these very stars 700 years ago. That thought made me so happy.” It is this eye for detail and narration that makes him such a wonderful filmmaker.
 
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Later in the evening Eberts was having problems connecting his iPad. Since hundreds of delegates with iPads, laptops, mobile phones were using the Wi-Fi, the wireless technology was being pushed to the limit. “I can’t connect,” complained the filmmaker. And then someone who was close by remarked: “An iPad without a data connection is like a nail without a hammer!” On that quip, we end these notes from the Fifth Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh, which has been a great success with great participation.