NATIONAL COUNCIL ON U.S.-ARAB RELATIONS DELEGATION OF MODEL ARAB LEAGUE STUDENT AND FACULTY LEADERS VISITS QATAR
Outstanding participants from the Model Arab League Student Leadership Development Program take part in NCUSAR Qatar Exchange Fellowship Study Visit
Washington, DC: The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, founded in 1983, will lead a delegation of ten students and five university faculty members, all selected from the Council’s Model Arab League program, on a study visit to Qatar from November 28 – December 5, 2014. Council Founding President & CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony will serve as the primary escort for the delegation, and will be joined by deputy escorts Mr. Joshua Hilbrand, Council Director of Student Programs, and Mr. Nabil Sharaf, Council Public Relations Specialist. The visit will provide the American students and faculty members an opportunity to explore the dynamics of some of the major economic, political, and social determinants of Qatar’s culture as well as the country’s modernization and development.
The delegation is comprised of some of the most outstanding students and faculty advisors from the National Council’s Model Arab League Student Leadership Development Program. Model Arab League provides students a hands-on experience with the regional and international politics of the Arab World. A competitive academic activity, Model Arab League simulates meetings of the League of Arab States where students become diplomats for a weekend and represent one of the League’s 22 members in general and specialized councils. Model Arab League deepens students’ knowledge of the history, culture, religion, economics, and politics of both their assigned country and rest of the Arab world.
Through active participation in Model Arab League, students develop and sharpen skills in debate, consensus-building, writing, critical thinking, parliamentary procedure, and public speaking. By arguing for the positions and foreign policy objectives of the Arab countries, MAL participants gain personal insights and a meaningful understanding of the issues underlying U.S.-Arab relations. Nearly 40,000 students have participated in the Model Arab League program since its inception in 1983. The program has no peer in helping students learn about the politics and history of the Arab world, and the arts of diplomacy and public speech.
Many faculty advisors whose students participate in the National Council’s Model Arab League program are themselves alumni of another Council educational initiative – the Joseph J. Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies. The Malone Fellows Program, established in 1984, projects American professionals in academia, government, and business into the dynamics of Arab-U.S. relations and provides first-hand exposure to the region’s considerable cultural, economic, political, and social diversity pursuant to increased knowledge and understanding. Through a study visit to one or more Arab countries, the Malone Fellowship Program affords participants an educational experience that includes introductions to host-country government officials, businessmen, academics, and scholars, and the opportunity to discuss Arab world issues and Arab-U.S. relations with American and Arab scholars, policymakers, and other specialists.
The National Council’s upcoming student and faculty visit to Qatar will provide the participants with a wealth of information and insight that they will share with their home communities upon return. It is among the Council’s many efforts to prepare America’s emerging Arab-U.S. relations leaders of tomorrow, while building as many new bridges, and strengthening as many existing ones, as possible.
About the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations: Founded in 1983, the National Council is an American non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization dedicated to improving American knowledge and understanding of the Arab world. Information about the Council’s program, projects, events, and activities can be found at ncusar.org.