Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY Fall 2010
Volume 2, Issue 1
Kylan Jones-Huffman Memorial Lectures
American Quran Sandow Birk “American Quran” November 29th marked the final lecture of the Kylan Jones-Huffman Memorial Lecture Series for the Fall 2010 semester with California artist Sandow Birk. Mr. Birk talked about his most recent project “American Quran” which is an ongoing handtranscription of the entire
Quran accompanied by vivid scenes from contemporary American life. Five years in the making, this project was inspired by a decade of
Birk’s extended travel in Islamic regions of the world including the southern Philippines, India, and Indonesia. Mr. Birk’s work provides a
fresh and cutting-edge approach to the Quran, combining a social and political critique of American life through the lens of this text he regards as “sent down” to all humanity. Birk’s placement of the Quran’s message into a contemporary, more familiar context allowed the midship-
men to see that sacred texts are living, organic instruments that are open to interpretation, open to various forms of representation, and to honest discussion across religions. Los Angeles artist Sandow Birk is a well traveled graduate of the Otis/Parson's Art Institute. His works deal with contemporary life in its entirety with an emphasis on social issues including inner city violence, graffiti, politics, travel, war, and prisons, as well as surfing and skateboarding. He was a recipient of an National Endowment for the Arts International Travel Grant to Mexico City in 1995 to study mural paint(Continued on page 2)
Note from the Director The 2009-2010 academic year was full of exciting international opportunities for the midshipmen and the faculty affiliated with the Center. The Center hosted approximately three dozen events including renowned filmmaker and author Mark
Bowden, Dr Sameh Shoukry the current Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S., and two Israeli scholars from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Close to 100 midshipmen traveled to the Middle East and Africa on Naval Academy programs including Egypt, Jordan, Senegal, Mo-
rocco, Egypt, Algeria, Israel, Malaysia, Guinea-Bissau, Djibouti, and Uganda. The Center hosted an international conference on the Middle East and Asia featuring scholars, government officials and military officers (Continued on page 10)
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JYTTE KLAUSEN “THE CARTOONS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD”
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ABDULRAHMAN AL-SALMI “IRAN POST-ISLAMIC REPUBLIC”
•
LAWRENCE ROSEN “THE ARAB SELF: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUICIDE BOMBING, CORRUPTION, AND THE RULE OF LAW”
•
SANDOW BIRK “AMERICAN QURAN”
Inside this issue: THE CARTOONS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD
2
MIDSHIPMEN STUDY IN MOROCCO
2-3
“IRAN POST-ISLAMIC REPUBLIC”
3
STUDYING ARABIC IN
3-4
ISRAEL
ARAB SELF
4
UPCOMING EVENTS
5
NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY OF KAZAKH-
6-7
STAN
MIDDLE EAST STUDIES CLUB
7
HIZBULLAH—WHAT NOW?
8
ASMEA CONFERNCE
8
NESA VISIT
8
AFFILIATED FACULTY
9
Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies American Quran, continued ing, a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1996, and a Fulbright Fellowship for painting to Rio de Janeiro in 1997. In 1999 Birk was awarded a Getty Fellowship for painting, and a City of Los Angeles (COLA) Fellowship in 2001.
“Air Supremacy” still from Sandow Birk’s mockumentary film In Smog and Thunder released in 2005.
Koplin del Rio Gallery in Los Angeles, Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco, and P.P.O.W. Gallery in New York City.
In 2007 he was an artist in residence at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, and at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris in 2008. Mr. Birk is represented by the
“The Cartoons that Shook the World” On September 9, Dr Jytte Klausen delivered the opening KJH lecture for the 20102011 academic year. Dr Klausen discussed her recent critically-acclaimed book on the controversy that erupted over the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad in the Dutch Jyllands-Posten newspaper in 2005.
Dr Klausen explained that the violent protests to the publication of these cartoons occurred in places where little or no free political expression is permitted, and that the cartoons themselves were often misrepresented or confused with other cartoons published online. Dr Klausen also discussed with Naval Academy faculty
her recent research on the origins and spread of Islamism in Europe. Dr Klausen is the Lawrence A. Wien Professor of International Cooperation at Brandeis University and is the author of multiple books including her most recent The Challenge of Islam: Politics and Religion in Western Europe (Oxford, 2005).
Midshipmen Study in Morocco During this past summer, Dr Elizabeth Knutson, a Professor of French in the Dept. of Languages and Cultures facilitated a faculty-led immersion trip focusing on intensive French language and Moroccan civilizations in Rabat, Morocco.
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The midshipmen who participated in this immersion trip included Midn 1/C Luis E. Luy, Midn 1/C Allison C. Scott, and Midn 2/C C. Lambard, all advanced French students and majors in American Politics and Law, International Relations, and Computer Science, respectively.
The program was hosted by Majida Bargach, a Lecturer in the Dept. of French Language and Literature at the University of Virginia, and administered by America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST), a private, nonprofit organization created in 1951 to strengthen mutual under-
Volume 2, Issue 1 Morocco, continued standing and cooperation between Americans and Middle Eastern and North African peoples. The midshipmen studied colonial and postcolonial history, contemporary efforts toward modernization, human rights, and Moroccan arts and culture. Prof. Knutson reports that the midshipmen learned to avoid generalizations and appreciate the hybridity of Moroc-
can society. Through understanding Moroccan culture’s unique position both in the Islamic world and Europe, the midshipmen gained deeper insight into changing migrant patterns in Europe and how those patterns affect political change within European governments.
esting challenge to Westerners’ ordinarily monolithic view of Islam and Muslim culture.
The midshipmen also studied ethnic and cultural variations within the Muslim world, and how an ethnically diverse Morocco represents an inter-
Studying Arabic in Israel Through funding from the Center’s curricular development grants, affiliated faculty member Professor Hezi Brosh, of the Languages and Cultures Department, spent considerable time in Israel during the summer of 2010. He developed cutting-edge Arab language course materials and platforms for future research.
Prof. Brosh observed IsraeliArab families adopting Hebrew loan words into their otherwise Palestinian Arabic dialect. Those families interviewed stated that certain Hebrew usages, for them, expressed a more exact meaning than their native Arabic. At times, they admitted not even to knowing the exact Arabic
word for something, but instead would know off-hand the Hebrew term. This very specific ArabicHebrew patois used by Palestinian Israelis creates issues for its speakers. For example, when speaking to relatives in Jordan or on the Hajj to Mecca, these Palestinian Is(Continued on page 4)
“Iran Post-Islamic Republic” On September 22, Dr Abdulrahman al-Salmi delivered a KJH lecture to roughly 100 midshipmen and faculty on the ideologies behind the revolution that established the Islamic Republic of Iran. Dr Abdulrahman al-Salmi is the editor-in-chief of the journal al-Tasamoh (“tolerance”)
published by the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs in the Sultanate of Oman. Dr Abdulrahman is on the faculty at the Institute of Shariah Studies and is in charge of organizing the yearly international conference hosted in Oman on Islamic Jurisprudence.
In addition to his evening lecture, Dr Abulrahman conducted a discussion, in Arabic, for Naval Academy faculty and midshipmen.
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“THIS VERY SPECIFIC ARABICHEBREW PATOIS USED BY PALESTINIAN ISRAELIS CREATES ISSUES FOR ITS SPEAKERS.”
Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies “Arab Self: Suicide Bombing, Corruption, and the Rule of Law” On October 7, Dr Lawrence Rosen presented a KJH Memorial lecture to a packed room of midshipmen, faculty, and community members.
cultural conditions that create communities more prone to produce young men willing to engage in martyrdom operations.
Dr Rosen is a Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Princeton University and is author of a number of books including his award-winning The Anthropology of Justice: Law as Culture in Muslim Society (Cambridge, 1989).
According to Dr Rosen, the most critical tool midshipmen can develop in their future careers is to “connect the dots of seemingly disparate pieces of information...a community’s customs, views on corruption...views on civil society and law...and form conclusions based upon those
His lecture focused on the socio-economic factors and
“...SO THAT STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ISRAELI ARABS, JORDANIANS, AND PALESTINIANS ON THE WEST BANK…”
patterns of behavior and belief.” Dr Rosen spent considerable time interacting with midshipmen throughout his visit, including a guest appearance in a History of Religions seminar where he discussed land rights in modern Israel drawing from his legal work with native Americans.
Studying Arabic in Israel, continued raelis are either misunderstood or have to carefully edit out their Hebrew usages in order to be understood by other non-Palestinians speaking Arabic. Although it is not uncommon for cultures to engage in “code switching” to navigate differing cultural environments, Prof. Brosh feels that a new Israeli Arabic dialect is “in the making” for other sociopolitical reasons that reflect the current situation in the region. Prof. Brosh, a specialist on Arabic, worked with his Israeli colleague, Dr Dekel, an expert on Hebrew linguistics. They both decided to collaborate on further investigation into the impact of Hebrew on the Palestinian dialect spoken by Israeli Arabs from a linguistic point of view. Their observation of both languages promises to provide fresh perspectives and new insights into emerging identities in Israel and Palestine. Throughout the rest of the trip, Prof. Brosh collected further examples of Hebrew usages in Arabic and has incorporated them into his Palestinian Arabic course content so that “the students will understand the differences between Israeli Arabs, Jordanians, and Palestinians on the West Bank using of the so-called Palestinian dialect.” Gleaning deeper insight into current Arab language development further provides midshipmen a more nuanced and fuller understanding of local dialects of Arabic not ordinarily available at other institutions. In Prof. Brosh’s assessment, the Center’s sponsorship of his trip “…demonstrates once more the importance CMEIS puts on strengthening the linkages between faculty research and undergraduate instruction. CMEIS recognizes that the professional development of the faculty is a vital component for better teaching, which in turn, leads to greater learning among our students.”
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Volume 2, Issue 1
Upcoming Events Spring 2011 ۞ Thursday 20 January: Leonard Greenspoon, Klutznik Chair in Jewish Civilization and Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
۞ Friday 21 January: John Calvert, Henry W. Casper, S.J. Associate Professor
of History at Creighton University and author of Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism (Columbia, 2010).
۞ Friday 11 February: International Symposium on Sufism. ۞ Tuesday 22 February: Dexter Filkins, foreign correspondent for the New York Times and author of The Forever War (Alfred Knopf, 2008). ۞ Tuesday 29 March: A.B. Yehoshua, renowned Israeli playwright, essayist, and author, and Professor of Literature at Haifa University.
۞ Tuesday 26 April: TBD
Kylan Jones-Huffman, In Memorium LT Kylan Jones-Huffman, USNR, died 21 Aug., 2003, in Al Hillah, Iraq while on voluntary TAD from US Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain to brief the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. He was 31 years old. LT Jones-Huffman was born 20 April, 1972 in Santa Cruz, CA, the son of James and Dagmar Huffman. In 1990 he graduated from the York School in Monterey, CA, and entered the Naval Academy. He was 26th Co. and graduated in 1994, having already begun work on his MA in History at the University of Maryland. He was an honors graduate in History from USNA, and one of his undergraduate papers won the Phi Alpha Theta prize for the regional and an Honorable Mention in national competition. After LT Jones-Huffman’s graduation from USNA he returned to California to marry his high school sweetheart, Heidi Jones. After completing his MA at Maryland, he reported to the USS Ingham out of Everett, WA. In 1997, he joined the pre-commissioning crew of the USS Raven inspired some his best Haiku. He returned to USNA in 1999 for two years as an instructor in the History Dept. He taught a course on the Persian Wars, and worked on preparing his prize winning Phi Alpha Theta paper and his Haiku for publication. His poetry reached print in two prominent Haiku journals and a number of on-line collections. It has since inspired a suite by a Romanian composer. LT Jones-Huffman was broadly interested in cultures around the world and had a spectacular ability to learn languages. He spoke fluent German, Persian, and Arabic, along with some Turkish and Japanese. He had been admitted to George Washington University’s Ph.D. program in Near Eastern Studies, where he planned to study Turkish history, shortly before his death.
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Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies Outreach to the National Defense University of Kazakhstan Joe Thomas, Lakefield Distinguished Military Professor of Leadership and faculty affiliate of the Center, recently provided a two-day seminar to the National Defense University of Kazakhstan as part of NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) Program outreach to Central Asia. This outreach is part of an ongoing effort to establish reference curricula enabling former Soviet and Warsaw Pact states to integrate with
NATO nations on matters of defense institution building, security studies, and cooperative engagement. Prof. Thomas teamed with Dr Al Pierce, Director of the Institute for National Security Ethics at National Defense University, for PfP leadership and ethics curricula. Funding is provided, in part, by the George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies, Garmsich-Partenkirchen, Germany.
During the May visit, Dr Pierce discussed strategiclevel ethics and moral decision making in counterinsurgencies, while Prof. Thomas focused primarily on leadership through periods of change, decision making in crisis, and the development of critical thinking in strategic leaders. The key participants were senior officers in the Kazakhstan Army and Air Force attending a two-year graduate
Prof. Hayden Bellenoit in the UK and India In the summer of 2010, with funding from a Center curricular development grant, Prof. Hayden Bellenoit traveled and did research in three countries over the period of 2 months. Perhaps the most salient features of his research program were in the United Kingdom and India. Unsurprisingly, these two countries share a controversially intertwined history, as reflected in Prof. Bellenoit’s research results. In the UK, Prof. Bellenoit worked at the British Library, specifically in the India Office Collection where he was able to examine the Revenue Proceedings of the east India Company between 1803-1834. These documents offer a crucial insight into the bureaucratic development of the Company’s state in early colonial India, seeing how Company settlement officers had to ‘work with the grain’ of Indian social realities, and, importantly, employed various Hindu clerks/pensmen who served the late Mughal Empire.
“ALL OF THE INSIGHTS I HAVE GAINED FROM MY SUMMER HAVE DIRECTLY GONE INTO MY COURSES THIS TERM…’HISTORY OF ISLAM IN SOUTH ASIA.’”
Prof. Bellenoit also pursued research at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, specifically at the Indian Institute Library where he was able to access the stacks and find valuable Persian and Urdu sources from the early 19th century which offer further insight into the roles of Hindu pensmen and gentry-state clerical service in the early periods of colonial rule. In India, Prof. Bellenoit was able to conduct interviews with the descendants of Hindu pensmen (‘Kayasthas’) and gain valuable insight into precisely how they served the late Mughal and early British Empires, in terms of which Kayastha families were most prominent, how they acquired Persian, and when they started to learn English. He also stumbled across a relatively unused archival repository, the Delhi State Archives. Prof. Bellenoit had the opportunity to share his academic work with some of the leading scholars of early-modern Indian history at Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi. He delivered a paper to an audience of roughly 60 faculty and graduate students on the topic of “Students, scribed and scholars: learning and community between empires in India, 1780-1870” and gained valuable feedback and suggestions. Prof. Bellenoit was invited by the head of the History Department and the Vice-Chancellor of Page 6
Volume 2, Issue 1 Prof. Joe Thomas in Kazakhstan, continued program on security studies in Shuschinsk in North Kazakhstan Province. Instruction was provided in Russian (sequential interpretation), the language of inter-cultural communication in Kazakhstan. A secondary objective of such outreach is modeling alternative pedagogies to individuals and institutions built on traditional, lecture-only educational method. By using case studies and other kinesthetic approaches, PfP out-
reach encourages student engagement. Host professors and school administrators experiment with these new learning modalities and are encouraged to incorporate them into their own schools and organizations.
The trip was Joe’s first to Central Asia, with future trips proposed for Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Success of such outreach is generally measured in terms of reported influence on the varied security studies institutes in the region.
Bellenoit, continued.
“IN-DEPTH, FIRST-
the Jamia Millia Islamia to have affiliation so as to have a ‘base’ whenever he returns to India.
HAND RESEARCH
According to Prof. Bellenoit: “It would be fair to say that my scholarship and teaching have benefitted in equal measure. All of the insights I have gained from my summer have directly gone into my courses this term...especially my HH367a course on the “History of Islam in South Asia.” This in-depth, first-hand research on the rise of the East India Company’s bureaucratic empire, the role of Hindu pensmen, and particularly what this said about the nature of not only the late Mughal Empire but also about Muslim political power in India, are incorporated into Prof. Bellenoit’s lectures and reading assignments, providing midshipmen with fresh, on-the-ground perspectives.
ON THE RISE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY’S BUREAUCRATIC EMPIRE...FRESH, ON-THEGROUND PERSPECTIVES.”
Middle East Studies Club With support from the Center, the midshipmen Middle East Studies Club sponsored Dr Andrew Rippin to speak about the Quran. Dr Rippin is a Professor of History and Dean of the College of the Humanities at Victoria University in British Columbia. He is the author of
more than a dozen books including Approaches to the History of the Interpretation of the Quran (Oxford, 1988), The Quran and its Interpretive Tradition (Aldershot, 2001), and The Blackwell Companion to the Quran (Blackwell, 2006).
Quran manuscripts discovered in Yemen, divergent western and Islamic methods of textual analysis, and the history of the study of the Quran in the West.
Dr Rippin spoke about the Page 7
Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies Hizbullah—What Now? Dr Nizar Hamzeh, Dean of Humanities and Professor of Political Science at the American University of Kuwait delivered a lecture on “Hizbullah—Now What?” on November 10.
rent state of Hizbullah’s organization, their development of advanced weapons systems, and the prospects for future conflicts arising between Hizbullah and Israel.
Dr Nizar is a worldrenowned specialist on Hizbullah. Drawing on his recent visits to southern Lebanon and his ongoing research, Dr Hamzeh gave a packed room of midshipmen updates on the cur-
ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
Midshipmen attend ASMEA Conference With support from the Center and conference organizers, a group of midshipmen from the Middle East Studies Club attended the 2010 annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa in Washington, DC in November. A group of USNA faculty also attended the conference, and three USNA faculty
members presented their research on a panel co-sponsored by the Center. These faculty included: Dr Deane-Peter Baker, Leadership, Ethics, and Law, who presented on “The South African Navy and African Maritime Security.” Dr Nikolaos Biziouras, Political Science, who presented on “State Capacity, Clan Politics and Piracy Entrepreneurs in Post -State Somalia.” CDR Jeffrey Macris, History, who presented on “Britain and America’s Arrival in the Persian Gulf.”
Near East South Asia Center On 25 October, the Center hosted 75 military officers and civilian officials from the 25 nations of the Middle East and South Asia attending courses at the National Defense University’s NESA Center for Strategic Studies. VADM Miller delivered the opening remarks followed by Page 8
Director Brannon Wheeler’s command brief, and LCDR Claude Berube (Political Science) delivering a brief on the “Importance of Naval Power in International Relations.” A group of midshipmen, including two who are foreign midshipmen from countries
represented by the NESA visitors, joined the international group for lunch and a tour of the Yard.
Volume 2, Issue 1 Faculty Affiliated with CMEIS ۞Dr.
Hayden Bellenoit, History
South Asia
۞Dr.
Hezi Brosh, Language Studies
Arabic and Hebrew Language
۞Dr.
Thomas Burgess, History
Africa
۞Dr.
Clarissa Burt, Language Studies
Arabic Language and Literature
۞Dr.
Salwa Elgebaly, Language Studies
Arabic Language
۞CAPT
Mark Hagerott, History
South Asia
۞Dr.
Wayne Hsieh, History
Military History
۞Dr.
Gabriel N. Karpouzian, Aerospace Eng
Contemporary Middle East
۞Dr.
Elizabeth Knutson, Language Studies
Franco-Arab Studies
۞Amb. ۞CDR
John Limbert, CMEIS
Jeff Macris, USN, History
Iran and Middle East Gulf and Middle East
۞Ms.
Jocelyne Owens, Language Studies
Arabic Language
۞Dr.
Helen Purkitt, Political Science
Africa Studies
۞Mr.
Mark Reese, DepDir, CMEIS
Central Asia
۞Dr.
Sanaa Sadek, Language Studies
Arabic Language
۞Dr.
Thomas Sanders, History
Russia and Central Asia
۞Dr.
Ermin Sinanovic, Political Science
Southeast Asia and Islam
۞Dr.
Joseph Thomas, Leadership
Military Ethics
۞Dr.
Ernest Tucker, History
Islamic Civilization and History
۞Mr.
Steve Ward, Leadership
Contemporary Middle East
۞Dr.
Brannon Wheeler, Director, CMEIS
Islam and History of Religions
۞Dr.
Deborah Wheeler, Political Science
Contemporary Middle East
Faculty Professional Development Grants ۞Hayden
Bellenoit, for study of Islam in South Asia
۞Hezi
Brosh, for study of Arabic language curriculum development in Israel
۞Ernie
Tucker, for the study of Islam in Central Asia (Uzbekistan)
۞Jeff
Macris, for study of the British role in security of Gulf (UK, Bahrain)
۞Thomas ۞Ermin
Burgess., for study of Islam in East Africa (Tanzania and Zanzibar)
Sinanovic for study of Islamist political parties in Indonesia
۞Sanaa
Sadek, for study of women writers and Islamist groups in Egypt
۞Deborah ۞Brannon
Wheeler, for study of food Security (Spain) and Arab Human Development (Kuwait) Wheeler, for study of Islamic Pluralism (Spain) and Modern Middle East (Kuwait) Page 9
Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY 107 Maryland Avenue Annapolis, MD 21402 Phone 410-293-2993 Fax 410-293-2994 Email: cmeis@usna.edu
In its fifth year the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies continues to enhance the educa‐ tional opportunities of midshipmen through supporting international and regional study, cur‐ ricular innovation, fleet activities, and as a center for resources on all aspects of the Middle East and the cultures historically related to the region. Since its inception, the Center has hosted close to 100 lectures reaching an estimated 14,000 midshipmen. Faculty affiliated with the Center has grown to more than 20, from five academic departments, who have developed more than 30 new courses and traveled to dozens of countries in the region and around the world in support of their teaching.
Upcoming Special Events Sufism Seminar. On February 11, the Center will host a one-day seminar with some of the world’s leading specialists on Sufism. The specialists will present their research and experience with select groups of midshipmen, to faculty, and to the interested public. Critical Cultural Seminars. Further enhancing current USNA course offerings, the Center is funding a series of mini-seminars focusing on regions that are of critical importance but not normally covered in regularly-taught courses. The first CCS will be held in the Spring semester of 2011 on the region of the former Soviet Central Asia.
Letter from Director, continued from first page CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST AND ISLAMIC STUDIES Director Brannon Wheeler 410-293-6307 bwheeler@usna.edu Deputy Director Mark Reese 410-293-2990 reese@usna.edu Administrative Manager Kecia Blackwell 410-293-2993 blackwel@usna.edu
www.usna.edu/MiddleEast
from Japan, Philippines, China, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Thailand and the Kashmir region in India.
negotiating with Iran, and the early modern history of Muslim communities in Zanzibar.
Six new faculty members from Languages and Cultures, History, Engineering, and Leadership, Ethics and Law affiliated with the Center adding specialization in military ethics and history, Franco-Arabic studies, Africa studies, and Russia and Central Asian studies.
The Midshipmen Middle East Studies Club competed in the regional and national versions of the Model Arab League, stages and Iftar celebration, and organized a Nawruz celebration allowing midshipmen to learn more about the food, music, and cultural traditions of the Middle East.
Affiliated faculty published four new books and a number of articles including a study of the politics and security of the Arabian Gulf, conflict resolution in West Africa,
Attempts to expand midshipmen opportunities resulted in official visits by Centeraffiliated faculty to the King Fahd Naval Academy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
the Egyptian Naval Academy in Alexandria, and the Algerian Naval Academy in Algiers. Ambassador John Limbert served his first year as the Class of 1955 Chair of Middle East Studies succeeding Ambassador Akbar Ahmed who, after serving at the Naval Academy, resumed his duties as the Ibn Khaldun Professor of Islamic Studies at American University.