معهد الشرق الأوسط
 معهد الشرق الأوسط، بالقرب من دوپونت سيركل في واشنطن العاصمة | |
| الاختصار | MEI |
|---|---|
| التشكل | 1946 |
| النوع | Public Policy مركز تفكر |
| المقر الرئيسي | 1763 N St. NW (Washington, D.C.) |
| الموقع | |
الرئيس | Susan E. Saxton |
الميزانية | $4.1 million (2015)[1] |
| الموقع الإلكتروني | www |
معهد الشرق الأوسط Middle East Institute -MEI هو مؤسسة غير ربحية أسسها عام 1946 الباحث المختص في الشرق الأوسط جورج كامپ كايزر ووزير الخارجية السابق كريستيان هرتر. ويقع المعهد في واشنطن، دي سي، بالقرب من دائرة دوپونت. ومهمة المعهد "نشر المعرفة عن الشرق الأوسط في أمريكا وتقوية فهم الولايات المتحدة من قِبل شعوب وحكومات المنطقة." بدأت المنظمة كجزء من مدرسة الدراسات الدولية المتقدمة في جامعة جونز هوپكنز.
معظم أبحاث زملاء المعهد تتم في مكتبة جورج كامپ كايزر بالمعهد، التي تضم أكبر مجموعة مواد باللغة الإنگليزية عن الشرق الأوسط خارج مكتبة الكونگرس. منذ 1947، يقوم المعهد بنشر ميدل إيست جورنال، الفصلية المرموقة للدراسات المعاصرة عن سياسة وثقافة وتاريخ الشرق الأوسط.
عدد الأعضاء المسددين للاشتراكات يبلغ 2000.
السفيرة سوزان ساكستون هي الرئيس الحالي لمعهد الشرق الأوسط.
التاريخ
سنوات التأسيس
In 1946, architect George Camp Keiser[2] strongly believed that the Middle East, a region he had traveled through prior to World War II, should be better understood in the United States, so he brought together a group of like-minded people to form the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.[3]
– Annual Report 1969, "Background on the Institute's history"
His colleagues on the original Board of Governors included Halford L. Hoskins, Director of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS); Christian A. Herter, then-congressman from Massachusetts and later Dwight Eisenhower's Secretary of State; Ambassador George V. Allen; Harold Glidden, Director of the Islamic Department at the Library of Congress; and Harvey P. Hall, the first Editor of the Middle East Journal, professor at the American University of Beirut and Robert College. Keiser was also MEI's chief source of financial support. In 1946, the Institute found a temporary home at 1906 Florida Avenue NW at SAIS. At the time, they have linked administratively through the Diplomatic Affairs Foundation, the parent organisation of both SAIS and MEI.
In its early years, MEI concentrated on establishing a library, publishing the Middle East Journal, holding annual conferences and sponsoring formal courses in Middle East studies at SAIS. Keiser and his group recognised the need for studying the Middle East using the framework of area studies. This interdisciplinary approach to training diplomats and businesspeople was a new phenomenon and closely linked to foreign policy initiatives in the United States.
During its founding years, the Institute was small, its membership resembling that of a club. The annual conference, held at the Friends Meeting House on Florida Avenue, brought together a close-knit group of approximately 150 people accustomed to writing short articles for the Institute's newsletter to inform fellow members about their trips to the Middle East.[4]
George Camp Keiser: founder of the Institute
George Camp Keiser was born on November 2, 1900, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After graduating from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1924, he went to Columbia University to complete his graduate degree in Architecture by 1930. Over the following years, he worked as a draftsman for David Hyer and James Gamble Rogers until he opened his own practice in 1938. Following his younger brother's career path, Keiser also became director of the Cuban-American Sugar Company and the Guantanamo Sugar Company.
George Keiser built his family home inspired by Islamic architecture, showcasing his fascination with the Middle East and Middle Eastern architecture in particular. In 1947, he founded the Middle East Institute.
During World War II, Keiser was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Signal Corps. Further positions held over the course of his life include trustee of the Foreign Service Educational Foundation, the American Research Center in Egypt, and the Visitors Committee of the Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He was also a member of the American Institute of Architects and president of the Symphony Orchestra of Central Florida. On March 23, 1956, he died after a brief illness and was buried in Wilton, Connecticut.
ع1950
MEI continuously built its reputation by creating a language and a publications program; St John Philby's Arabian Highlands was published for MEI by Cornell University Press in 1952.[5] MEI also increased the number of lectures, art exhibits, and conferences. Themes of annual conferences like "The Evolution of Public Responsibility in the Middle East" (1955), "Current Tensions in the Middle East" (1956), and "Neutralism, Communism: The Struggle for Power" (1959) reflected the post-World War II uncertainties about the Middle East.
After having split from SAIS in 1948, MEI needed to find a new location. After spending a year at 2002 P Street, Keiser discovered and negotiated in late 1954 the purchase of two inter-connecting townhouses in the Dupont Circle neighbourhood at 1761–1763 N Street NW with a joint garden and carriage house. The house, formerly occupied by Senator James B. Eustis and by architect Henry Ives Cobb, is MEI's current location.
Keiser's death in 1956 triggered a period of re-evaluation. Edwin M. Wright took over as the second president until 1960, with Angus Sinclair briefly serving in 1958.
ع1960
Following Keiser's death, MEI faced financial troubles. A series of part-time presidents including Edwin M. Wright, James Terry Duce, and Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., who all served in addition to their professional or business responsibilities, chiefly launched new projects with the hope that they would be self-supporting. Among these were Lands East, an illustrated magazine, and the Middle East Report of the Week, an "insiders" newsletter which was produced on a mimeograph machine.
By 1966, MEI realized it could not survive without full-time leadership. Ambassador Raymond A. Hare stabilised the organisation at a relatively low level of activity appropriate with its resources, concentrating on fundraising and expanding the base of corporate donations. As a result of these efforts, additional projects were financed by the Ford Foundation, a few conferences were organised for the U.S. Department of State, and the Rockefeller Foundation financed a series of discussion dinners. Georgetown University invited the Institute to hold its annual conference there, providing free accommodations and volunteer staff.
In 1969, Ambassador Parker T. Hart led MEI into renewed activity. His vision for MEI to become an important national player led to an increased number of programs (like an annual conference on Middle East Business) and partnerships across the country and the world, a new internship program for undergraduate and graduate students, renewal of the MEI language program, and the publication of the Middle East Problem Papers.
ع1970
The 1970s were marked by an unprecedented number of timely programs and events, many on the Cold War. Panels on Soviet Aims and Interests such as "The Arab–Israeli Conflict in View of the U.S.–Soviet Conflict" and "The Strategic and Political Dimensions on the Cold War" meant to provide the public with in-depth information.
– Annual Report 1974, "Foreword"
Furthermore, MEI started a program called "Dialogue" in 1974 in cooperation with the Arabist Travel Program. It sent small teams of scholars and students to seven Arab countries. The program was repeated in 1978, funded by the United States Information Agency and the State Department.
MEI also introduced The Middle East Monitor, an insider newsletter, published between 1971 and 1975. Its logo is the source of MEI's current logo, which is adapted from the design on a 10th-century platter unearthed near Nishapur, Iran, and now in the collections of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.[6]
ع1980
Taking on the MEI president's role in 1975, L. Dean Brown served until 1986— the longest presidential tenure in MEI's history. Under Ambassador Brown, MEI focused on business and investment opportunities between the Middle East and the United States. The 1980s also saw a continued increase in MEI's research and program ventures on issues like the theocracy of Iranian Islamic Clergy and Egyptian perceptions of the U.S. presence in Egypt.
After having already served a short term as MEI's president from 1974 to 1975, Ambassador Lucius D. Battle returned from 1986 to 1990. Under his leadership, MEI absorbed the American Institute for Islamic Affairs (AIIA) functions, dedicated to the Sultan Qaboos bin Said Research Center, and its endowment. He and then-Vice President Ambassador Christopher Van Hollen also began a tradition of traveling throughout the Middle East to gain support for MEI's mission.
ع1990
The MEI's agenda in the 1990s was shaped by persistent volatility in the Persian Gulf States, the Arab–Israeli peace process, women in the Arab world, and contentious U.S. foreign policy.
Ambassador Robert Keeley succeeded Ambassador Brown and served as President until 1995. During his tenure, MEI became a leading source for information on the Persian Gulf region, in particular, organised its first language-focused trip to the Middle East, set up a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian officials in Cairo, and renovated the building extensively.
The next man to assume this post was Ambassador Roscoe S. Suddarth, who stayed on as President until 2001. During this time, the Foundation for Middle East Peace began renting space in the building (1996) and MEI celebrated its 50th anniversary. Furthermore, MEI established the Public Policy Center in 1999, bringing together MEI scholars-in-residence and adjunct scholars to provide expert commentaries on pressing issues in the Middle East.
ع2000
Ambassador Edward S. Walker, Jr., assumed the presidency in 2001 and left the post in 2006. Walker highlighted America's struggle with the Arab–Israeli conflict, the challenge of global terrorism, and the Iraq War. In 2007, Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin became the first woman to hold this position. She was succeeded in 2018 by Paul Salem.[7] In 2024, Paul stepped down from the presidency of MEI and assumed the role of Vice President for International Engagement [8][9]. After he stepped down, Dr. Susan E. Saxton became and is currently the Interim President of MEI [10].
ع2010 والتمويل
The UAE contributed $20 million during 2016 and 2017 to the Middle East Institute.[11][12]
During 2016−2017, UAE and Saudi sources were the largest contributors to MEI, in addition to oil and military supply companies.[13]
المصادر
- ^ "The Middle East Institute on Charity Navigator". charitynavigator.org. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ "George Camp Keiser". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ Kathleen Manalo (1987). A Short History of the Middle East Institute.
- ^ "History of the Middle East Institute". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ Harry St. John Bridger Philby (1952). Arabian Highlands. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780306707650 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Logo of the Middle East Institute". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
- ^ Tom Najem; Roy C. Amore (2021). Historical Dictionary of Lebanon (2nd ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 272. ISBN 978-1-5381-2044-6.
- ^ "Salem to step down from presidency of MEI to head back to the region". Middle East Institute (in الإنجليزية). Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- ^ "Paul Salem". Middle East Institute (in الإنجليزية). Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- ^ "Susan E. Saxton". Middle East Institute (in الإنجليزية). Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- ^ "GULF GOVERNMENT GAVE SECRET $20 MILLION GIFT TO D.C. THINK TANK". The Intercept. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- ^ Tomgram: Ben Freeman, How to Buy Foreign-Policy Expertise Archived 2023-04-04 at the Wayback Machine, February 21, 2019
- ^ Public Disclosures and Funding Archived 2023-10-29 at the Wayback Machine, MEI, Public Disclosures and Funding