Founded in 1983, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR) is an American non-profit organization dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of the Arab world. For more than half a century, the Arab world has been of vital interest to the United States and its allies. Yet the region and its people remain one of the least known and most poorly understood by Americans.

The National Council works to improve U.S.-Arab relations through people-to-people and leader-to-leader exchanges together with a wide variety of educational and informational programs in the United States.

No other organization takes as many American leaders, teachers, and students to the Arab World for firsthand cultural and educational experiences. No other organization works as closely with corporate, congressional, and defense leaders in providing valuable background, context, and perspective on U.S.-Arab relations. No other organization is as active on campuses, working with professors and teachers to provide student leadership development opportunities and enrich academic course offerings on the Arab world at high schools and universities across the United States. No other organization reaches as many American community leaders and the general public about the importance of building and maintaining strong U.S.-Arab relations for today and in the future.

The National Council’s story is about people, and how an Arab world experience, new knowledge, and better understanding have touched their lives. Through a multitude of programs, the National Council provides unique and enriching opportunities in the Arab world.

Since its inception, the National Council has played a special role in enhancing American awareness of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a unique Arab sub-regional forum grouping Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. National Council President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony is widely published on the roles of the Arabian Peninsula and the GCC countries in regional and world affairs.

For more than a decade, the National Council has served as the Secretariat for the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee, Inc., an association of major U.S. companies dedicated to improving private sector-to-private sector relations between the United States and the GCC countries. Members receive U.S.-GCC Issue Briefs and the Occasional Papers series in addition to regular updates and analyses in the Saudi-U.S. Relations Information Service electronic newsletter. The Committee conducts a year-round program of events and activities aimed at strengthening the U.S.-GCC relationship.

Additionally the National Council administers the Joseph J. Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies, which offers select university and high school faculty an opportunity to participate in intensive cultural immersion programs in Arab countries. The participants are provided with the tools to strengthen the Arab and Islamic world components of their institutions’ academic curricula and course offerings. Selected on the basis of their academic credentials and community service record, the educators attend lectures and briefings by their Arab counterparts, government officials, and noted specialists. They also visit cultural and historical sites, as well as centers for research and development.

The National Council has affiliate committees across the United States. These committees assist with the Model Arab Leagues and conduct conferences, teacher workshops, and speaker events on U.S.-Arab relations. Contact the National Council to ask about the Committee in your area. The Committee Director can be of great assistance to you in exploring your opportunities with the National Council.

The Model Arab League Program is the gateway to the National Council’s other Student Leadership Development Programs. These programs, provided for select alumni of the Model Arab Leagues, include:

Kuwait Studies Program: Students have the opportunity to interact with Kuwaiti students, attend briefings by university and government leaders, and visit cultural, historical, and oil industry sites.

Passage to Morocco: Featuring a home-stay with Moroccan families, this program is an excellent introduction to Arab North Africa. Participants study Arabic, attend lectures, and experience the culture with their host families.

Summer in Yemen Study Abroad Program: A new program from the National Council and Yemen Language Center, combines six weeks of formal Arabic study with exposure to the social, academic, political, and cultural richness of Yemeni society.

League of Arab States Exchange: Now in its fourth year, this exchange program is designed for outstanding Model Arab League delegates. Students travel to Cairo where they meet with Arab League officials and diplomats from Arab states and see the sights of the Arab world’s greatest capital.

Washington, DC, Internship Program: Interns gain valuable practical work experience at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Interns are engaged in the work of the Council and are immersed in many facets of the relationship between the United States and the Arab world.

Since 1982, the Model Arab League has offered high school, college, and university students an extraordinary opportunity to learn, practice, and develop leadership skills. In the process, the participants – students guided by faculty advisors – deepen their knowledge and understanding of Arab social, economic, cultural, and political issues. As representatives of the member states of the Arab League, students attempt to solve problems and achieve consensus on questions diplomats wrestle with on a daily basis. The dynamic and interactive nature of the Model’s emphasis on role-playing stimulates creativity, enhances learning, and cultivates understanding as no book, video, or coursework ever could.

Participation in a Model is of value to all students, regardless of their academic major or the subject matter of their courses. Participants gain valuable leadership training through the Model’s constant challenges in debating, writing, editing, public speaking, critical thinking, and interpersonal relations skills. All delegates come away having practiced the kinds of skills that will serve them well throughout their life. Year after year, delegates return to participate over and over until they graduate.

The original Model Arab League began 24 years ago at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. An idea conceived by Dr. Michael Nwanze, the MAL was based on the same general structure as the Model United Nations, a similar student leadership program that had been in existence for several decades. The National Council, under the guidance of Dr. Anthony, was the first sponsor of the program and has coordinated, organized, and run the Models ever since. Originally a mock simulation, the National University MAL (as it came to be known) became a competitive simulation the very next year. Dr. Nwanze was honored with the First Annual Model Arab League Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. He has also been responsible for the creation of other simulation leagues modeling the Organization of American States (OAS), the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

As word of the Models spread to university faculty across the United States, regional models began to be formed. Emulating the National UMAL, they took shape as either practice sessions for schools that would later attend the National or self-contained models that allowed smaller schools and schools without travel means the opportunity to participate in the program. In 1991, the first high school Model Arab League was established in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2005 there were 16 total models, 14 of them regional, with 11 university models and 5 high school models. Upwards of 200 universities, colleges, and high schools now participate, with over 2000 total participants. The National Council oversees the coordination of all the Models and remains the primary sponsor.

The use of alcohol or drugs at any official Model event or activity is absolutely unacceptable. Conference attendees found in violation of these policies will be asked to leave the Model immediately and dismissed from the program without further warning. Smoking is only permitted in designated areas.

It is expected that all conference attendees dress and behave in a professional manner throughout the Models. For men, a dress shirt, tie, slacks, and jacket are appropriate. For women, dresses, suits, or slacks and blouses are acceptable. Under no circumstances are jeans, t-shirts, tennis shoes, sweats, baseball caps, shorts or suggestive clothing to be worn during Model Arab League sessions. Any person at any time may be asked to leave a session, step down as an officer, or leave the entire Model by the National Council representative or the Local Coordinator. It is important to note this decision will be final, and does not require any vote, motion for impeachment, or other measures by a committee, student body, secretariat or faculty. This is regarded as an administrative decision, not a procedural matter.

Certificates of Participation, upon request from the Faculty Advisor, will be mailed after the model to the delegates who successfully complete the Model Arab League conference.

Faculty Advisors are asked to support all delegates in the committee they happen to be observing, and shall not be limited to advising their own delegates. Faculty Advisors are encouraged to respond to student questions, but should not participate or direct in any way the flow of the committee.

When participating in the MAL Program, please remember that you are role-playing. It is important that you weigh the issues and represent your country’s best interest. Remember that the respective leaders’ public speeches may not accurately reflect the countries’ actual policies and League votes. Strive for a comprehensive portrayal of the country and its policies. When being judged, you will be awarded points for your accuracy in portraying your country’s actual positions.

If you feel that one of your fellow delegates is not performing according to these guidelines, refrain from calling them ‘out of character’ during committee session. If you feel that the problem is significant, speak to your faculty advisor. Do not bring the problem up with other members of the committee or with the delegate in question; being undiplomatic is always out of character.

If a faculty member is informed by a student that another student is out of character, the faculty member should decide whether it is a serious issue, and if so speak to the National Council representatives, who will then approach the offending student’s faculty advisor and ask him or her to address the student on the issue.

Faculty Advisors circulate among all committees and vote for one Outstanding Chair at the final Faculty Advisors’ meeting. Faculty should observe each committee, even if they do not have delegates on each, in order to make an informed decision. Chairs should be evaluated for their ability to run the committee efficiently and smoothly, as well as their ability to facilitate and aid in the work of the work of the committee. All Chairs as well as the Chief Justice of the ACJ and Editor of the Press Corps are eligible to receive the Outstanding Chair award. Each school may cast one vote for the Outstanding Chair award.

The students participating in their respective committees decide upon awards for Outstanding Delegates. Each school (not each delegate or each delegation) in a committee receives one ballot on which they select three delegations in that committee they feel deserve a Best Delegate Award for excellence in preparation, constructive debate, effective representation of their country, teamwork and overall contribution to the work of the committee.

Schools may not vote for their own delegations. If they do, those votes will not be counted.

When votes are collected, Chairs are encouraged to submit in writing their views on award recipients. This is an opportunity for Chairs to explain why they believe delegates should or should not receive consideration for awards. In special circumstances, this may be taken into consideration by the National Council Representative.

For each committee and for overall delegations, all efforts are made to award two outstanding and one honorable mention award, though situations such as ties may prevent this. Such decisions are at the full discretion of the National Council Representative.

To decide awards, the National Council Representative shall count and record all votes cast in committee and choose awards based on these tabulations. At the National MALs, individuals in the field of Middle Eastern studies and MAL alumni from the Washington, DC area are invited to serve as judges, and the National Council Representative will factor in their evaluations equally with the delegate voting tabulations in determining awards.

Overall delegation awards shall be determined by the National Council Representatives based on the number of committee awards. They shall tabulate two points for an Outstanding committee award and one point for an Honorable Mention committee award. Awards for Chairs are not included in this tabulation.

To register for each model, submit an online form to the National Council at http://www.ncusar.org/modelarableague/pages/register.html, indicating country preferences and model. In order to reserve a country, however, your account must be up to date for the current year. If your account is not up to date, you will need to remedy this prior to registration for any future Models.

When ranking your country preferences, please keep in mind that you will not be allowed to represent the same country in consecutive years. The countries represented by your school in the last three years should be ranked lowest on your registration form.

When participating in the National UMAL in Washington, DC, the National Council will facilitate briefings with representatives of the Embassy of your country if possible. The purpose of the briefing is to give your delegation your country’s official stance on various topics and to fill in the gaps in your research. Whether via telephone or an actual visit to the Embassy, you will want to use the opportunity to obtain information unavailable in your research. The more research your delegation does beforehand, the more you will benefit from the briefing. Faculty should feel free to assist the National Council in any way arranging these meetings.

Before you have actual contact with the Embassy, prepare a list of specific questions. When phrasing questions, give the representative an indication of what you know already. This will allow you more time for addressing issues with which you are not so familiar. If the representative does give you historical background, listen carefully to the manner in which he/she presents it – it may differ from the interpretations you have already read.

In addition, listen carefully to the phrasing and rhetoric the representative uses so that you can discern nuances in positions and emulate them when you debate. A lesson in diplomatic style and speech can be just as helpful as one on substantive matters. Keep in mind that if a position seems different from what you understood as a result of your research, it may mean that there is an inconsistency with respect to interpretation. This kind of inconsistency is a good indicator of a multi-level political agenda with respect to that issue.

Bring a gift from your school for the Embassy briefers on behalf of your delegation. Also bring a camera. The event is a terrific photo opportunity, which will enhance coverage of your delegation in local and school news as well as in National Council publications.

When the MAL moves into Plenary Session at the outset of the Model, it will set the Provisional Agenda. At this time and only at this time may topic additions and deletions be made to the draft agenda. This is also the only time when changes in the assignments of topics to committees can be made. Be prepared! If you have an issue that you want to add to your committee agenda, this is the only time to make the motion to do so. Be aware that others are also likely to want to alter the agenda. This procedure can be finished quickly if delegates understand the procedures and rules and have caucused with other delegates to gain support for their motions ahead of time. Please prepare your additions or amendments legibly beforehand to submit to the Secretary General or Assistant Secretary General during the opening plenary session.

The Plenary Session does not decide the order of the topics within the committees; this is to be decided by the committees when their meetings come to order.

All member states belong to the Model Arab League Council in Plenary Session and Summit Session as well as the following standard committees: Joint Defense Council, Council on Palestinian Affairs, Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers, Council on Political Affairs, Council of Arab Environmental Affairs Ministers, Council of Arab Economics Ministers and Special Arab Summit on the Promotion of Women. Not all of these committees are present at every model; check with your Local Coordinator to determine which committees will be held. The committees shall consider the agenda topics assigned to them by the MAL Council at the Plenary Session and pass draft resolutions on the topics. Each member state shall have only one vote. In each of these Councils, all draft resolutions must pass by a majority vote. These Councils shall also fully participate in the Summit Sessions by sending up to two draft resolutions per topic for consideration.

At the National University MAL and select Regional and High School MALs, the Arab Court of Justice (ACJ) will convene as a Specialized Committee. The ACJ will not participate in the Plenary or Summit Sessions, although its decisions will be presented at Summit. It will consider the agenda topics assigned to it by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, but will not have the option to modify, add, or delete from its agenda. At the National University MAL, a Press Corps is added. Please refer to the Appendices for details on the Press Corps and ACJ.

Debate is your opportunity to voice your country’s views on the topic at hand. The two forms of debate are formal and informal.

Caucuses, which may take place outside the committee room at any time or inside the room when a motion to suspend the meeting for the purpose of a caucus has been approved, are often the best forum for combining and/or amending draft resolutions because input from many parties can be considered simultaneously.

After the final committee session, all delegates convene for the final session, the Summit. As draft resolutions are passed in committee, the authoring delegate(s) are responsible for putting the passed draft resolution into its proper final format.

Copies of passed and corrected draft resolutions should be copied and compiled into packets for Summit as they arrive from committee. This is the Vice-Chair’s responsibility, in coordination with the Secretariat. It is the Committee Vice-Chair’s responsibility to check for omitted or incorrectly submitted draft resolutions before they are sent to Summit.

Each represented country will receive one packet containing each passed draft resolution at the Summit Session. The Summit Session will conduct a vote on each draft resolution passed by committee. Normal voting procedure will be followed.

c. Be concise (every clause must have a purpose), and

d. Be accurate (observe this format and the rules of grammar).

The following is a sample of a complete resolution:

DRAFT RESOLUTION

COMMITTEE: Council on Palestinian Affairs

SPONSOR: Tunisia, Qatar, Egypt

Concerned with the lack of long-term aid given to our Palestinian brothers,

Recognizing that Palestine’s fragile infrastructure weakens its ability to support itself,

Noting that it is imperative to Palestine’s future and to Palestinians that aid be given immediately, and

Deeply disturbed by the number of unskilled and unemployed workers in Palestine,

DRAFT RESOLUTION

COMMITTEE: Council on Palestinian Affairs

Concerned with the lack of long-term aid given to our Palestinian brothers,

Recognizing that Palestine’s fragile infrastructure weakens its ability to support itself,

Noting that it is imperative to Palestine’s future and to Palestinians that aid be given immediately, and

Deeply disturbed by the number of unskilled and unemployed workers in Palestine,

The Head Delegate should be someone who is familiar with parliamentary procedure, well acquainted with the various committee offices, and is fast on his or her feet. It is the responsibility of this individual to:

Additionally, the Head Delegate, in conjunction with the Faculty Advisor, is ultimately responsible for:

The Head Delegate should also coordinate delegation meetings at the Model in order to keep each delegate informed about the other committee sessions and to formulate a strategy for the Summit Session. It is important for Head Delegates to communicate with the Secretariat and the National Council via e-mail. E-mails should be directed to Mark Morozink (mark@ncusar.org), the MAL Coordinator.

The Faculty Advisor and Head Delegate work together to organize the delegation and recruit new members. Once the delegation is formed, preparation is the next phase. Recruiting for new delegation members should not stop, however, especially if the delegation has only the minimum number of members. It is always preferable to have extra delegates just in case! It is ideal to have one or two members per committee representing each country. (Regardless of the number of delegates, each country only has one vote on a committee.)

Posters and brochures will be made available for the models online. Please take advantage of these resources! The most consistent feedback we get from delegates is the need to increase the publicity of the MAL. Post them on bulletin boards, give brochures to faculty, and so on.

Publicity can increase support and funding from your school, as well as assist in recruiting new members. Contact the News or Assignments Editor of your local and school newspapers, explain who you are, what the MAL is, and the date and venue of the MAL. For maximum publicity, this should be done at least one month in advance. Your objective is to have the editor assign a reporter to interview you or your delegation, so be aware of what aspects would make an interesting story.

When you schedule an interview for your delegation, the most important thing to remember is to have an idea of what you would like to discuss before the reporter arrives. When you speak to the reporter, keep the basics in mind: who you are, what you are studying, and why you are interested in the MAL. Once the interview is printed, be sure to send a copy to the National Council.

It is also easy to get publicity once you return. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight awards that you or your delegation received. You may also choose to do a summary of the event as a reflective piece for publication. Many local and school newspapers would appreciate an article from someone with first-hand knowledge of an event. We recommend selecting one student to be your Publicity Officer in order to keep all requests for interviews and photos current.

Also please contact Mark Morozink (mark@ncusar.org), the MAL Coordinator for the National Council, with the contact information for any area news outlets you know of. The National Council wishes to promote the MAL program and would appreciate being made aware of local media outlets who they can contact.

Be sure to bring your camera to the MAL, and especially to your embassy briefing if you attend the National Model. This is a terrific photo opportunity that will enhance coverage of your delegation in local and school news as well as in National Council publications

Note: Students participating in the MAL should be aware that sessions are often photographed or videotaped and may, at times, be broadcast live. Participation in the Model is voluntary, and the National Council will take this to denote consent to being photographed, videotaped, or filmed.

During the research and preparation phase, it is important for all delegates to meet regularly to share and discuss information they have learned, and to establish a consensus of positions on the issues. The establishment of consensus is vital because so many issues overlap in the committee agendas.

It is important to:

Read, read, read! Listed below are suggestions for your research. Keep in mind that this list is not intended to be mandatory or all-inclusive. These sources may not be available at all libraries, but your school library should have a number of them. Additionally, some of these sources may not contain relevant information for your particular country. Keep looking. Remember, there is a wealth of information out there.

Do not overlook the reference librarian at your school’s library. They can help you find indices and resources, both paper and electronic, quickly and easily. They can also help you with sources such as LexisNexis, FBIS, or other databases of information. If you have not already done so, take a class in the library on using its many resources. A separate session may also be an option for the entire delegation. Speak with your Faculty Advisor and the reference librarian at your school for more information on this.

Keep copies of important information, such as dates, articles, documents, the Model Arab League Handbook, maps, and other reference materials in a three-ring binder. You should maintain the binder with both general information and information specific to the committee on which you will serve. Bring the binder with you to the MAL. By having well-organized information at your fingertips, you will be better able to respond when an unfamiliar issue is introduced, or when you need to prove a point or support a position.

Be aware of daily events that may affect your country’s positions and relationships. Read newspapers, such as The Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and translations of newspapers from the Arab world, and the best local paper. Reading more than one paper will provide you with different perspectives and help foster critical-thinking skills. Journals, such as Middle East Policy, Middle East Journal, Journal of Palestine Studies, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, U.S. News and World Report, The Economist, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy will better assist your countr