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2. Q&A with Kristin Smith (MAAS ’14): A Day in the Life of Beirut’s Cultural Attaché
- Author:
- Vicki Valosik and Kristin Smith
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
- Abstract:
- For Kristin Smith, MAAS alum and Cultural Affairs Officer for the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, culture and diplomacy go hand-in-hand. “My job is really using culture and art to bring people closer together,” Smith told the Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star at a U.S. Embassy event celebrating the Lebanese writer Khalil Gibran. “It’s not just about deepening our ties and getting to know each other on a cultural level though. If we have these similarities in [the arts], then perhaps that will lead to future cooperation in other ways.” During her time in the MA in Arab Studies program, Smith—who holds a BA in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization from Harvard—pursued an academic concentration in Culture and Society, managed a yoga studio, and served as a Public Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Consulate General in Casablanca. Following graduation, she joined the Foreign Service, serving in Taiwan before beginning her current position in 2017. Her portfolio as Cultural Affairs Officer covers five primary issues: arts and culture, non-formal education, academic outreach, interfaith and minority outreach, and alumni programming.
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, Culture, Language, and Arabic
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Lebanon, North America, Beirut, and United States of America
3. Diplomacy and the Art of Storytelling
- Author:
- Isabel Roemer
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
- Abstract:
- A MAAS grad’s work at the intersection of diplomacy and cinematic arts is shaping American narratives and empowering storytellers around the globe. When people think about the tools of diplomatic engagement, narrative storytelling is not one that usually comes to mind. But for Rachel Gandin Mark, Program Director of the American Film Showcase (ASF)—the State Department’s film, television, and digital diplomacy program —the two go hand-in-hand. “I love thinking about how to incorporate entertainment, particularly story and character, into specific foreign policy strategies,” says Gandin Mark, who graduated from MAAS in 2003. “Some of our country’s biggest diplomatic challenges today stem from conflicting global narratives. Film and TV, when produced with authenticity and nuance, have the potential to complicate narratives and reveal a shared human experience.”
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, Culture, Media, and Film
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, North America, and United States of America
4. Refugees and Water Security
- Author:
- Skylar Benedict
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
- Abstract:
- Examining the historic roots of Jordan’s water management policy. First, Jordan deals with natural water scarcity arising from the country’s arid semi-desert climate and seasonally fluctuating surface water sources. Second, Jordan currently depends on costly water projects such as the Disi Water Conveyance Project and the King Abdullah Canal to meet its municipal, agricultural, and industrial water needs. Third, the sudden influx of refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war has led to an increased strain on water resources. While realistic, this narrative’s exclusive focus on the present hardships obscures a much longer history of water management in Jordan—one characterized by successive political conflicts and increasingly centralized and unsustainable water extraction policies—that has equally contributed to the country’s current scarcity challenges.
- Topic:
- Environment, Water, Refugees, and Syrian War
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Syria, Jordan, and United States of America
5. Mobilizing Memories
- Author:
- Carol Graham
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
- Abstract:
- Carol Madison Graham (MAAS ’81) was the first MAAS graduate to enter the United States Foreign Service. She reflects on how the 1984 embassy bombing in Beirut inspired her current work to strengthen the Foreign Service for future generations.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Violence, and Memoir
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Lebanon, North America, and United States of America
6. Reflections from Singapore
- Author:
- ONG Keng Yong
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
- Abstract:
- Ambassador ONG Keng Yong, who graduated from MAAS in 1983, remembers his time in Washington and sheds light on Singapore’s “price taker” approach to foreign policy.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, and Higher Education
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Asia, Arab Countries, Singapore, and United States of America
7. New Law Hinders Public Diplomacy and Penalizes Palestinian Students
- Author:
- Kaylee Steck and Mohammed Alhammami
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
- Abstract:
- Last fall, Congress enacted a law that indirectly led to 29 young Arab leaders losing their scholarships to U.S.-accredited universities and dealt another blow to educational and cultural exchange programming, a critical part of U.S. public diplomacy efforts.
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, Government, Law, and Higher Education
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Palestine, North America, and United States of America
8. Grassroots Diplomacy Matters More Than Ever
- Author:
- Kala Carruthers Azar
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
- Abstract:
- Alum Kala Carruthers Azar, who serves as Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, writes about the important role of people-to-people exchanges to American soft power.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Culture, and Soft Power
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, North America, Jordan, and United States of America
9. Q&A with Her Excellency Hunaina Al Mughairy
- Author:
- Isabel Roemer
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
- Abstract:
- Her Excellency Hunaina Sultan Al Mughairy has served as the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the United States since 2005. In this role, she has applied her extensive expertise in business and diplomacy to advocate for free trade between the U.S. and Oman. As the first Arab woman appointed to serve as ambassador to the U.S., Her Excellency also strives to dispel misconceptions of Arab women. Prior to this position, Ambassador Al Mughairy worked for the Permanent Mission of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Nations, the Omani Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Omani Center for Investment Promotion and Export Development. She also serves on the CCAS Board of Advisors and as Chair of the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., an organization that focuses on building bridges between the American and Omani peoples.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Regional Cooperation, Bilateral Relations, and Peace
- Political Geography:
- North America, Oman, United States of America, and Gulf Nations
10. A Unique Viewpoint on Diverse Landscapes
- Author:
- Uma Mencia
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
- Abstract:
- MAAS alum Uma Mencia shares how her career as an endurance horse racer has introduced her to new landscapes and peoples and given her a deeper connection with the natural world
- Topic:
- Environment, Sports, and Arabic
- Political Geography:
- North America, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, and Gulf Nations
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