Twenty-Third Annual Oman Cultural Immersion Program – February 20 – March 6, 2019

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is pleased to offer, through its Joseph J. Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies Program, the Twenty-Third Annual Oman Cultural Immersion study visit to the Sultanate of Oman, February 22 – March 6, 2019. Fellows are required to participate in and complete a pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C. to be held on February 20-21. This unique opportunity will provide a privileged first hand exposure to one of the Arab world’s most demographically, geographically, and socially diverse countries.

The National Council is currently accepting applications to participate in this study visit. APPLY NOW!

MALONE FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION:
https://ncusar.org/programs/Malone-Fellowship-Application.pdf

American professionals in academia, government, the military, non-governmental organizations, business, religious institutions, the media, civic associations, as well as the fine arts, humanities, and the social sciences are invited to apply.

The Twenty-Third Annual Oman Cultural Immersion study visit will provide participants an educational experience that few Westerners and even fewer Americans have had. The program is choreographed to provide Malone Fellows an unparalleled diverse exposure to Oman – one of the most historically and culturally rich of all Arab and Islamic societies. Until relatively recent times, the Sultanate languished in its status as one of the most forgotten corners of all Arabia. Anyone in doubt about the extraordinary opportunity that being able to visit Oman in this manner presents need only consult any of the several National Geographic Magazine features on the country in the past two decades.

End Pictures: inlaid Islamic niches at the Grand Mosque in Oman’s Capital Territory; Middle Pictures: Bedouin Omani girls in the Sharqiyyah Sands.

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2018 Washington, DC Summer Internship Program Photos

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 2018 Washington, DC Summer Internship Program concludes today! Students in the program have spent the past 10 weeks working, reading, writing, and otherwise immersing themselves in the U.S.-Arab relationship. They have visited a range of institutions in the nation’s capital, including government agencies, think tanks, businesses, and foreign missions. Along the way, they have met with individuals working in media, NGOs, research institutes, defense and security offices, and other avenues of foreign policymaking. They leave the program now to return to school, to begin new jobs, and to pursue new opportunities in a variety of fields having gained a deeper understanding of policy analysis and advocacy processes as well as the beginnings of a network to guide them in their future careers.

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Dr. John Duke Anthony Recognized by Gulf Research Center

On July 31, 2018, Gulf Research Center Chairman & Founder Dr. Abdulaziz Sager and Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council H.E. Dr. Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani recognized National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President & CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony for his contributions to the Annual Gulf Research Meeting in Cambridge, UK, now in its ninth year.

Carolinas Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations Spring 2018 “NEWSLINES”

CCUSAR NEWSLINES NewsletterThe Carolinas Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations (CCUSAR), with Dr. Joe P. Dunn serving as Director, is an initiative of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Dr. Dunn is an alumni of the Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies Program, the coordinator of the Southeast Model Arab League, and the faculty advisor heading the Converse College Model Arab League program. CCUSAR recently published its Spring 2018 “NEWSLINES” newsletter featuring:

  • an essay on “My ‘Gateway’ to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” by Converse College student Laura Gill, summarizing a study visit to Saudi Arabia made possible by her participation in the Model Arab League program;
  • recaps from the 2018 Southeast and National Model Arab League debate forums where Converse College won top delegation awards;
  • a Model Arab League testimonial, “The Benefits of Debate: A Call to Support Model Arab League Participation,” from a South Carolina high school student;
  • a reflection from Dr. Dunn, titled “Planting Trees and Building Orchards,” about the educational community that Converse College’s Model Arab League program has fostered; and
  • a book review of Nadia Murad’s The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State.

The full issue of CCUSAR’s Spring 2018 NEWSLINES is available for download through the link below.

DOWNLOAD “CCUSAR NEWSLINES (Spring 2018)” [PDF]

Dr. Anthony Honored by the Sultanate of Oman

SULTANATE OF OMAN RECOGNIZES NATIONAL COUNCIL ON U.S.-ARAB RELATIONS PRESIDENT AND CEO DR. JOHN DUKE ANTHONY AT A SPECIAL EVENT IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL

 

Washington, DC: Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President and CEO of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, was recognized by the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Washington, D.C., on May 24, 2018, at their Fifth Annual Ramadan Iftar Celebration (an Islamic dinner marking the end of a day’s fasting observed by devout Muslims worldwide). The recognition singled out Dr. Anthony’s special contributions as an educator and practitioner of public diplomacy regarding the Arab countries, the Middle East, and the Islamic world.

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony with Her Excellency Hunaina Al-Mughairy, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the United States and Vice-Dean of the Arab Ambassadors to the United States, and Embassy of Oman Information Attaché Ms. Hanan Al Kindi. Photo: National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

Included among the event’s distinguished guests were the highest-ranking U.S. Department of State official responsible for America’s relations with the Arab region, Arab government officials, including the Arab world’s first-ever Minister for Human Rights, current and recently retired U.S. Ambassadors, additional representatives of the U.S. Departments of Defense and State, members of the international diplomatic corps, representatives of Fortune 100 Corporations, international media networks, and numerous foreign affairs specialists, together with political and religious leaders.

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Furthering U.S.-GCC Trade, Economic Cooperation, and Investment Opportunities

On May 21, 2018, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, the Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce, and the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee hosted a public affairs briefing exploring how to “Furthering U.S.-GCC Trade, Economic Cooperation, and Investment Opportunities” in Washington, DC.

Mr. Patrick Mancino, Executive Vice President of the National Council, opens the discussion of U.S. economic relations with the Gulf countries at the Council’s May 21, 2018 public affairs briefing.

The featured specialists were:

  • Christopher Johnson, Chairman, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce, and Chairman, American Business Group of Riyadh
  • Fred Shuaibi, Vice Chairman, American Business Council of Kuwait, and Secretary, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce
  • Matthew Kirkham, Board Member, American Business Group of Jeddah, and Finance Chairman, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce
  • Robert Hager, Member, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations International Advisory Committee, and Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
  • Timir Mukherjee, Board Member, American Business Group of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
  • Anne Jaffery, Chairman, American Business Council of Dubai
  • Michael Jones, Washington Representative, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce
  • Nahlah Al-Jubeir, Senior International Affairs Fellow, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, and Director of the Center for Career Development, Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission
  • Dr. Karl Petrick, Associate Professor of Economics, Western New England University; Coordinator, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce/Western New England University Gulf Region Trade Project

Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, served as context provider and moderator.

A podcast recording of the program is available below.

 

 

“Furthering U.S.-GCC Trade, Economic Cooperation, and Investment Opportunities” podcast (.mp3)

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Upcoming Visit to America: Implications and Opportunities for the US-Saudi Arabian Relationship

On March 15, 2018, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee hosted a public affairs briefing exploring “Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Upcoming Visit to America: Implications and Opportunities for the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Relationship” in Washington, DC.

Mr. Khush Choksy, Senior Vice President for Middle East and Turkey Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, discusses U.S.-Saudi Arabia trade and investment relations at NCUSAR’s March 15, 2018 public affairs briefing.

The featured specialists were:

  • Mr. Nawaf Al Thari, Distinguished International Affairs Fellow, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, and Political Adviser and Counter-Terrorism & Counter-Piracy Focal Point, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Permanent Mission to the United Nations;
  • Mr. Fahad Nazer, International Affairs Fellow, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, and Consultant, Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC;
  • Mr. David Des Roches, Senior International Affairs Fellow, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, and Associate Professor, Near East/South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, U.S. Department of Defense;
  • Mr. Khush Choksy, Senior Vice President for Middle East and Turkey Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce;
  • Mr. Mike Ryan, Strategic Markets Advisor, U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council; and
  • Colonel Abbas K. Dahouk, Former U.S. Defense and Army Attaché in Saudi Arabia (2013-2017).

Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, served as context provider and moderator.

A podcast recording of the program is available below.

 

 

“Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Upcoming Visit to America: Implications and Opportunities for the US-Saudi Arabian Relationship” podcast (.mp3)