Author Archives: NCUSAR

Founded in 1983, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR) is a non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization dedicated to improving American awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the Arab world.

Gulf in the News – January 22, 2014

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Saudi Arabia: Foreign fighters must leave Syria

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

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Speaking at the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Abdullah Al-Moallemi, the Kingdom’s permanent ambassador to the UN, slammed the UN Security Council for not issuing a statement condemning grave human rights violations in Syria.

He said the presence of foreign fighters in Syria was dangerous for the country. He called on the international community, led by influential countries, to pressure Assad’s government to stop its crimes against humanity.

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Summer Institute for Intensive Arabic Language and Culture at Lebanese American University

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The Summer Institute for Intensive Arabic Language and Culture (SINARC) is a multi-faceted language and cultural immersion program that welcomes students from all over the world. In operation for over 14 years, SINARC has quickly become a top choice for Arabic language learners looking not only to improve their language skills but also to gain an understanding of the cultural and social dynamics in the region.

The SINARC program is hosted each year at the Lebanese American University (Beirut Campus), one of the premier institutions of higher education and research in Lebanon and the region. The campus situated in the heart of the Lebanese capital provides students a unique perspective on Lebanese culture and daily life.

SINARC offers courses in Arabic language and culture at various levels of proficiency. Each level provides twenty hours per week of intensive classroom instruction, including five hours per week of Lebanese Dialect. Formal language instruction is enriched by immersion in an authentic cultural context. Cultural activities include weekly lectures on topics related to Arab and Lebanese politics, history, society, and culture. In addition, students partake in a series of excursions to historical, cultural and tourist sites throughout Lebanon and Syria.

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Summer Intensive Language Program at The Arab-American Language Institute in Morocco

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The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, in collaboration with The Arab-American Language Institute in Morocco (AALIM) for the summer of 2014, is pleased to announce its Summer Language Program in the Kingdom of Morocco. Students will spend six weeks in historic Meknes, Morocco taking part in intensive Arabic language instruction. Students at all levels of Arabic proficiency are encouraged to apply.

Students will spend four (4) hours each weekday in formal Modern Standard Arabic classes, as well as complete out-of-the-classroom assignments. The AALIM center is host to a community of Arabic learners throughout the summer, providing for a fully immersive program. Students may choose to take an additional three (3) hours of Moroccan darija dialect classes.

Those selected will also gain direct personal experience in Moroccan culture, history, and society through a variety of day excursions, local outings, workshops and demonstrations. Meknes is an ideal setting for students to focus on learning Arabic while exploring ancient and modern Morocco. The main AALIM center is located inside the traditional walled old city, called the Medina, an area which features heavily in the Western popular imagination of Morocco. Meknes is also a thriving modern metropolis of over one million residents. The AALIM center is just a short walk from the bustling town center in the New City.

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NCUSAR’s Summer 2014 Washington, DC Internship Program – Applications Due February 28

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Special Opportunity for Students:

The National Council Fellowships:
Washington, DC Summer Internship Program

June 2 – August 8, 2014

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ Washington, DC Summer Internship Program offers undergraduate and graduate students a ten-week professional, academic, and career opportunity internship in the nation’s capital. The program features a demanding mix of professional involvement, intellectual challenge, career exploration, and cultural encounters designed to provide interns with a rich and varied experience during their time in Washington.

  • Professional workplace experience: Interns are placed with one of over a dozen Near East and Arab world-related organizations in Washington, D.C., where they are expected to work 35-40 hours/week under the direct supervision of their host organizations.
  • Academic seminars: Interns take part in twice-weekly seminar sessions designed to provide them with greater depth of knowledge about the Arab world, to underscore the cultural, economic, and political diversity of Arab states, and to explore the intricacies of Arab-U.S. relations. There will be a particular emphasis, though not exclusively, on Arabia and the Gulf.
  • Site visits: Interns receive a behind-the-scenes look at many of the central institutions of federal government, national security policymaking, international diplomacy, and international business.

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Eighteenth Annual Oman Cultural Immersion Program — February 19 – March 5, 2014

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Applications Now Being Accepted for the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’

Eighteenth Annual
Oman Cultural Immersion Program

February 19 – March 5, 2014

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 Eighteenth Annual Oman Cultural Immersion study visit to the Sultanate of Oman February 21 – March 5, 2014. Fellows are required to participate in and complete a pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C. to be held on February 19-20. 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!

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 Eighteenth 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.

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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Listen to the 2013 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference

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Complete audio recordings from the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 2013 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference, “Navigating Arab-U.S. Relations: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,” are now available from the Council. Listen to and download each session below, or visit the National Council’s podcast feed through iTunes to access recordings from the conference as well as previous Council programs.

Visit the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations on iTunes.