Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY Fall 2011
Volume 3, Issue 1
CSTC-A Briefs United States Naval Academy Faculty
On June 8 Naval Academy faculty and staff met with US and Canadian service personnel freshly returned from deployment at Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan. Former Academy Political Science Dept.
faculty member LCDR Reveron provided a one hour brief with the Supt. of the Canadian Mounted Police Academy, the Director of International Security Cooperation, and the Director for Communications answering questions on various aspects of the training mission in Afghanistan. As part of a multidisciplinary effort with National Institute of Management and Administration (NIMA) participants discussed issues surrounding the building of a national police force, empowering Afghans to cre-
ate through their own initiative a cohesive military infrastructure, and even to develop locally made materials in order to supply their armed forces. The discussion was moderated by CAPT Mark Hagerott of the History Department who helped field questions from attendees.
Regional Expertise, and Culture) was to provide deep insight into Tajik culture through the study of its language, religion, and history. Beginning the trip in Istanbul, Turkey, Midshipmen received baseline instruction in Muslim customs, cultural commonalities, and historical trends
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SCOTT PETERSON– JOURNALIST, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: SEPTEMBER 22ND
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SEBASTIAN JUNGER– AUTHOR: OCTOBER 6TH
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MAJ. GEN YADLIN– JINSA: OCTOBER 27TH
Inside this issue: CSTC-A
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TAJIKISTAN
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TOURISM AND SECURITY
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FOOD SECURITY– WHEELER
LREC Trip to Tajikistan From June 26 to July 21 Center affiliated faculty member LtCol Guy Berry and Deputy Director Mark Reese led a group of three Midshipmen to the Central Asian state of Tajikistan for language study and cultural immersion. The premise of the LREC trip, (Language,
Kylan Jones-Huffman Memorial Lectures
prevalent throughout the Turco-Perso-Indo world stretching from Istanbul, Turkey, to western China and extending as far south as India. Populations throughout this vast expanse of geography enjoy a shared heritage that allows the re(Continued on page 12)
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CMEIS TRAVEL
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ISLAMIC LAW SEMINAR
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KJH IN MEMORIAM
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PROF. SANAA SADEK
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OMANI MUSICIANS
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CLASS OF 1955 CHAIR
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KNUTSON FIELD REPORT
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AFFILIATED FACULTY
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies IPO and CMEIS Collaboration “I have not only witnessed tremendous improvement in my language skills, but I have also forged friendships and gained new understanding of a society that is rapidly changing in a volatile region of the world…”
The Academy’s International Programs Office continues to collaborate with the Center on a number of levels that are beneficial to midshipmen and faculty members. As the center for all international travel, whether a semester abroad program or a short term faculty led Language Regional Expertise and Culture immersion, IPO continues to enhance the globalization of midshipmen education by seeking and creating opportunities that contribute to midshipman knowledge regarding strategically
important geographic regions and proficiency in foreign languages as defined by Navy leadership.
either travelled or studied in countries ranging from Morocco and Oman; or to Tajikistan and Turkey.
To that end, the Center’s affiliated faculty members by the very nature of their academic backgrounds engage heavily with IPO to lead programs to the Middle East and the broader Islamic world.
Midshipmen have been able to experience first-hand the events of the Arab Spring, intensive Arabic language instruction in a native environment, and open new horizons to hitherto unknown regions.
Over the past year IPO has sponsored travel for forty eight midshipmen and five faculty members who have
Helen Purkitt– Continued Research in Africa Professor Helen Purkitt (Political Science Department) attended an international conference, “Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change to Tourism in Africa and the Developing World," hosted by the Zambian Ministry of Tourism, Environment, and Natural Resources and organized by the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) in Lusaka, Zambia from May 15 through May 20. She presented a paper on how new Internet-based collaboration tools can be used to gather, analyze and communicate information and research about key developments in tourism and the environment throughout southern Africa at a pre-conference day-long workshop for educators. At a second session during the conference she
also discussed how Internet tools could be used to monitor trends, share information and best practices among researchers and government officials involved in ongoing efforts to adapt to climate change. The presentations were based on expertise and lessons learned while coordinating an on-going project that is constructing a specialized wiki data base of transnational illicit networks and jihadist terrorists, and her experiences constructing a data base on tourism and environmental issues as a Fulbright Africa Research Fellow at the University of Botswana during 2011. During the nearly week-long conference, Prof. Purkitt and some of the other international participants, along with representatives of the Zambian and Zimbabwean gov-
ernments, flew to Livingston, Zambia to attend a ceremony marking the planting of peace trees on the Zambian-side of Victoria Falls. She also conducted interviews for an ongoing CMEIS-supported study of the most serious environmental problems that may lead to future international conflicts. The data will be combined with data collected in Botswana and in other southern African countries in the future for a better understanding of shared perceptions of serious environmental security issues in the region. Two of the most interesting themes to emerge from the conference deliberations and the ongoing research are related to trends in tourism and climate change. Throughout the world, tourism has be(Continued on Page 9)
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Volume 3, Issue 1 Ernest Tucker and Ermin Sinanovic Lead Trip to Turkey and Bosnia Three midshipmen, accompanied by Prof. Ermin Sinanovic and Prof. Ernie Tucker travelled to Turkey, Bonia/Herzegovina, and Croatia between May 24 and June 4. On the journey, they explored the historical and modern complexities of Ottoman, Turkish, and Balkan cultures and societies, visiting a variety of places ranging from the magnificence of the Sultan's Topkapi Palace in Istanbul to the sobering frontlines of the not-so-distant Bosnian War.
The group met with students, professors, military officers, foreign midshipmen, diplomats, and ordinary citizens in the places they visited, and engaging in discussions on a wide variety of subjects. One of the real highlights of the trip was the very cordial reception provided by Prof. Sinanovic's family when the group visited his hometown of Jablonica and experienced true Bosnian hospitality, featuring the town's famous roast lamb and his mother's trademark baklava.
On the trip, the group was struck by the power of the human spirit in the region, with many reminders of how Bosnia is rebuilding itself after the calamities of the 1990s, while Istanbul shows many signs of reclaiming its position between Europe and Asia as one of the great cultural bridges of the world.
Deborah Wheeler on Food Security Between 2007 and 2008, world food prices skyrocketed, with record setting increases in the price of wheat (125%) and rice (75%). The recent revolutions in the Middle East are in part attributed to rising food costs, creating a direct link between inflation and political instability in the Middle East. In order to stave off Arab Springs from influencing their publics, Arabian Gulf countries have used their oil wealth to dole out cash and free food to citizens. During the summer of 2011, with a grant from the Center for International Studies, Georgetown School of Foreign Service Qatar, Prof. Deborah Wheeler investigated Kuwait’s emerging food security strategies. Kuwait has remained largely
free of unrest during the Arab Spring, and citizens whom she interviewed explained that this was because most Kuwaitis live a good life and are happy with their government.
techniques to more sustainably grow food at home (in salty, arid soil), growing food abroad on leased land (in Sudan, Cambodia and other undisclosed locations globally), creating strategic At the same time, two thirds of the residents of Kuwait are food reserves (through a project not Kuwaiti, and thus, the more than 11% annual infla- developed by the Kuwait Flour Mills tion on food products beand Supply Comtween 2010 and 2011 has pany), investing in significantly affected the food manufacturamount of money they earn ing, storage and working in Kuwait and created a climate of concern at transport (both internationally the economic downturn afand domestically, with govfecting their lives. ernment and private sector During her summer fieldwork capital), and enhancing trade in Kuwait, Prof. Wheeler relations with food exporting identified a range of strate- countries (especially with aggies the government is imple- ricultural giants like Brazil). menting to increase their long term food sovereignty, in(Continued on Page 9) cluding: developing high tech
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Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies CMEIS Faculty in Morocco Gabriel Karpouzian, Professor and Chairman, Aerospace Engineering Department along with Professors Salwa Elgebaly, from Languages and Cultures, and Professor Brian VanDeMark from History, led a group of four midshipmen on a trip to Morocco from 28 May to 6 June. The primary focus of the trip was to have midshipmen observe and learn about the culture of Morocco and have the opportunity to communi-
cate in Arabic with the Moroccan population. Morocco offers a unique fusion between Arabic and Berber culture, as manifested through its tradition, architecture, and history. The midshipmen found that the people in the region held the same concerns as they: a need for peace, stability and prosperity was a reoccurring observation made by the midshipmen who gathered at the end of each day with faculty mentors to reflect on their
experiences. Another consistent take-away from the midshipmen throughout the trip was the tremendous hospitality and generosity displayed by the Moroccans. Although the midshipmen had difficulty in understanding the dialect spoken by the locals, which is a mix of Arabic, Berber, and French, they made a serious effort to listen to the conversations and ask questions for clarification.
Ernie Tucker and Tom Sanders to China Professors Ernie Tucker and Tom Sanders had a productive and interesting discussion about how to integrate Islam and the Middle East into the various tracks of HH215 at a recent World History Association (WHA) conference at Capital Normal University in Beijing in July 2011. Scholars from Malaysia, Africa, Europe, India, and the US engaged them on many points about this evolving course. Al Andrea, the President of the WHA served as discussant. Useful discussions were had about the difficulties of broadening and globalizing undergraduate history survey courses around the world. The conference featured tours of the historical and cultural sites of Beijing and the surrounding region. Along with historians from around the world, Professors Tucker Page 4
and Sanders visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall and many other fascinating and historically rich sites. Another aspect of the conference was the collegial contacts made during the tours, dinners, and evening events. In addition, Prof. Sanders met with other members of the WHA Conference Committee, working to integrate Middle Eastern and Islamic themes into future conferences and symposia. Prof. Tucker was also fortunate to visit several parts of China after the trip along the Silk Road, meeting Muslim imams and calligraphers in Xian, and visiting the famous Mosque in Dun Huang, (site of the famous Buddhist monastic caves). He was also able for the first time, to ride a two-humped Bactrian camel on the edges of the
Gobi Desert, which he found far, far more comfortable than the one-humped dromedaries that he had been on before in Egypt.
Volume 3, Issue 1 LtCol G. G. Berry: Field Report from Tajikistan Tajikistan is the Petri dish of the region offering important lessons about the future of Western and Eastern interaction with the fast-rising second world. A nation, best known as a former Soviet republic, which speaks a language closely related to Persian, writes in Cyrillic, shares a culture with its Turkic cousins, and considers itself to be the water-privileged fortunate few of Central Asia, could be an optimistic glimpse at the future of the region. After a brief but bloody civil war, Tajikistan has (in comparison to its neighbors) flourished under the ostensibly democratic regime led by President Emomalii Rahmonov. Despite some occasional hamfisted and heavy-handed tactics, the government has been successful at creating an infant market economy and reinstating justice and some cultural tolerance. Tajikistan owes its success largely to stability and cultural mutability; further study could provide a primer for Western interaction with diverse and fiercely proud nations
whose government and ideology are closely aligned with its unique culture or religion. The most obvious characteristic of this tiny country is nothing intrinsic, but rather extrinsic. Surrounded by some of the more interesting nations of the 21st Century: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and perhaps the most culturally influential albeit not geographically connected neighbor, Iran. These surrounding countries, cultures, and interests mix with its former Soviet parent and the obvious regional interests of the United States to form a complex soup of cultural and regional interests that affects the people of Tajikistan daily in subtle and not-so subtle ways. For this reason Tajikistan, and specifically Dushanbe, offers a unique and surprisingly safe learning environment for both students and faculty.
fers an incredible opportunity to study Russian, Tajiki, Dari, Persian, and almost all permutations thereof. For the historian and the political scientist, the nation and its people are a living primary source who happily provide a window to Central Asian thought, culture, and history. LtCol Berry’s personal experiences in Tajikistan vastly expanded his understanding of the people of its more volatile and troubled southern neighbor, Afghanistan, and will help me put a face on the conflict and explain events there with much more clarity and nuance.
For the language expert, Tajikistan of-
John Limbert and Brannon Wheeler Attend Conference in Armenia Ambassador John Limbert, the Class of 1955 Chair of Middle East Studies, and Prof. Brannon Wheeler both attended a conference on "Iran and the Caucasus" in Yerevan, Armenia this past July. Ambassador Limbert presented a paper on relations between the Caucasus and Iran in the years following World War II. Prof. Wheeler presented a paper on Imami Shi'i conceptions of revelation and the Mahdi. The conference was organized by the Journal of Iran and Cauca-
sus Studies and was attended by scholars from the region and around the world, including prominent researchers from Iran, Russia, Germany and the U.S. In addition to panels examining a variety of topics, ranging from Ossetian linguistics to contemporary politics, the conference participants were taken to see a number of late antique and medieval cultural sites around Yerevan including the official seat
of the Armenian Orthodox Church in which is housed the tip of the spear used to pierce the side of Jesus and a piece of Noah's Ark.
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Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies Hezi Brosh– Ongoing Research in Israel Prof. Hezi Brosh, Professor of Arabic language, continued his ongoing research in Israel, with Center support, to execute the second phase of his research which explores the ramifications of the Palestinian – Israeli conflict within a sociopolitical context through the teaching and learning of Arabic as a foreign language by Hebrew speakers.
tudes and motivation of Israeli students to incorporate Arabic in their course study Prof. Brosh has been able to observe changing social dynamics among youth populations. His research has also helped him better understand the extent to which Arabic is diffused within Israeli society and its value as cultural capital for Israelis.
Israel.
By outlining the status of Arabic in Israeli society, both within schools and the community at large, as well as atti-
The results of this research project will be published in a book entitled: Classrooms in Conflict: The Case of Arabic in
During his stay in Israel, Dr. Brosh also pursued additional research on the following subjects: •
Arabic Stories - with Prof. Lutfi Mansur
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Languages in contact: The emergence of an Israeli Arabic dialect
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The images of the Jew in Hebrew textbooks used in Israeli Arab schools
Islamic Law Seminar The Center hosted on October 11 a one-day seminar for midshipmen on the topic of Islamic Law. Midshipmen were exposed to the basic academic underpinnings of the topic as well as the major intellectual currents that inform its study. The second in a series of seminars, the Center intends to sensitize midshipmen to topics pertaining to Islamic Studies that ordinarily cannot be covered during current coursework. Moderator: AMB John Limbert Opening Remarks: Mr. David Gompert Participants: Dr. Mohammad Fadel, University of Toronto Dr. Robert Gleave, Exeter University Dr. Ann Mayer, University of Pennsylvania Dr. Felicitas Opwis, Georgetown University Dr. David Powers, Cornell University Dr. Intisar Rabb, Boston College
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Volume 3, Issue 1 KJH Lecture: Journalist Scott Peterson On September 22, Scott Peterson, Istanbul Bureau Chief for The Christian Science Monitor, and a photographer for Getty Images, delivered the first KJH Lecture of Fall 2011, “Iran and the Revolutions of the Arab Spring.” One of the most welltraveled and experienced foreign correspondents of his generation, Mr. Peterson has reported and photographed conflict and powerful human narratives across three conti-
nents for more than two decades, which include making 30 extended reporting trips to Iran since 1996. Those visits and years of research into Iran's politics, history, and culture form the backbone of Let the Swords Encircle Me: Iran--A Journey Behind the Headlines (Simon & Schuster, Sept. 2010). This book was chosen as one of the "Best Books of 2010" by Publisher's Weekly, which reviews 7,000 titles a year.
Mr. Peterson engaged midshipmen by attending a course titled “The United States and Iran” taught by AMB Limbert as well as tour the Academy.
KJH Lecture: Author Sebastian Junger Sebastian Junger is the internationally acclaimed, best selling author of The Perfect Storm, A Death in Belmont and Fire. As a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and as a contributor to ABC News, Mr. Junger has covered major international news stories in Liberia, Sierra Leone and other places around the globe. He has been awarded the National Magazine Award and an SAIS Novartis
Prize for Journalism. For over a year, Mr. Junger and photojournalist Tim Hetherington embedded with Battle Company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, in the remote and heavily contested Korengal Valley of eastern Afghanistan. Reporting on the war from the soldiers’ perspective, Mr. Junger spent weeks at a time
at a remote outpost that saw more combat than almost anywhere else in all of Afghanistan. The professional result is twofold: WAR ( Published12 May 2010), and a 96‐minute documentary Restrepo that won the 2010 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and is airing on the National Geographic Channel and in theatrical release.
In Memoriam: 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. Page 7
Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies KJH Lecture: MG ret. Amos Yadlin MG Amos Yadlin delivered a KJH Lecture on October 27. As part of a day-long series of meetings with Academy midshipmen and faculty MG Yadlin visited Political Science Capstone Seminars taught by Prof. William, Curtis “Statecraft and Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century”. The midshipmen enjoyed unique insights into contemporary issues provided by a former general in the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and head of the Israeli
Military Intelligence Directorate. When MG Yadlin was an officer in the IAF he participated in Operation Opera, which destroyed one of Iraq’s nuclear reactors. He also served as Deputy Commander of the IAF. Yadlin obtained a B.A. in Economics and Business Administration at Ben Gurion University in Negev.
He received a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. Through collaboration with JINSA, the Center has been able to offer unparalleled access to one of Israel’s top military commanders.
Purkitt Continued “...AN ON-GOING PROJECT THAT IS CONSTRUCTING A SPECIALIZED WIKI DATA BASE OF
come one of the fastest growing sectors for generating new jobs and revenues. The importance of facilitating growth in all types of tourism is of particular importance to the less-developed countries of southern Africa because the region has already had to start coping with several, interrelated, and costly trends that are being aggravated by climate change. For example, hundreds of subsistence farmers had to relocate from southern Zambia in recent years because it was no longer possible to scratch out a living due to the increased intensity and severity of alternating cycles of droughts and floods. In Zambia and many countries in the southern hemisphere there is no debate about how serious will be the dislocating effects of climate change because adverse impacts of climate change are already being felt.
TRANSNATIONAL ILLICIT NETWORKS AND JIHADIST TERRORISTS AT THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY…”
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Volume 3, Issue 1 World Artists Experience: Omani Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center As part of an ongoing program with the World Artist Experience, twenty Omani musicians from the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center took a tour of the Academy and met with midshipmen enrolled in the summer Arab Language Star Talk program, headed by Prof. Clarissa Burt. The tour and subsequent lunch allowed Midshipmen a chance to speak with native Arabic speakers using a dialect unfamiliar to Modern Standard Arabic.
The World Artist Experience is a local NGO that facilitates cultural exchange for musicians from around the world who have the opportunity to live with American families and perform styles of music that are rare for most Americans. Oman in particular offers a variety of music that features of blend of Arabic and tribal sounds appealing in its complexity.
Sanaa Sadek Pursues Publication Prof. Sanaa Sadek, USNA Professor of Arabic, participated in a March, Oxford Round Table regarding the topic of “ The Nature of Women’s Studies in Universities” as well as presented a complete version of her book Contemporary Women Writers and Islamic Forces in the Middle East. Prof. Sadek provided the following insights gleaned from her participation: “Attending Oxford Round M i
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Table helped me to improve upon my current research materials as well as my approaches to other cultures within academia. Participants provided me insights into different views on teaching the Arabic Language. Meeting professors from different countries and teaching different subjects enlarged my information and knowledge base, I was perhaps the only attendee to
Wheeler on Food Security,
Each country in the Gulf has a different idea about the best food security strategies and in the near future Prof. Wheeler hopes to implement comparative case studies on this topic in Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Given predicted long term global supply problems of food, Gulf countries which import 98% of what they eat and drink are increasingly concerned about their food security.
present on the Middle East. Most of the professors that participated in Oxford Round Table admitted that they learned a lot about the Middle East in general and about women in the Middle East in particular after listening to my presentation.”
“...GULF
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COUNTRIES
The big fear is that some day in the near future, having oil wealth will not be enough, because there will be no food available to buy. This catastrophic scenario has encouraged creative thinking about high tech solutions to the food security problem and is an emerging issue to consider when interpreting the politics and stability of the Gulf.
WHICH IMPORT 98% OF WHAT THEY EAT AND DRINK ARE INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR FOOD SECURITY.” Page 9
Newsletter of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies Class of 1955 Chair of Middle East Studies- Ambassador John Limbert Class of 1955 Chair, AMB John Limbert has engaged in a broad range of activities throughout the summer and into the fall semester: from delivering a paper on the Republic of Azerbaijan of 1918 at a conference in Armenia to facilitating visits by world-class Iran specialists as guest lecturers in his Politics of Iran course. The most notable speaker for his fall course was Swiss
Ambassador to Iran, Livia Leu-Agosti who visited on October 11th. The Swiss hold a unique place in Iranian diplomatic circles as a protecting power representing US interests in the absence of diplomatic relations with Iran. The current Swiss Ambassador is the first female envoy to Iran since the 1979 revolution.
Limbert, attended classes, and conducted office visits with senior Academy military staff, to include an office visit with VADM Miller. During the visit, both AMB LeuAgnosti and AMB Limbert participated in a faculty roundtable to discuss current events in Iran, and offered a similar format in the classroom.
AMB Leu-Agosti visited the USNA as a guest of AMB
Trip Report: Elizabeth Knutson Conducts Fulbright Scholarship in the Sahel For six weeks in June-July this past summer, Prof. Elizabeth Knutson traveled with fifteen other participants from postsecondary institutions on a Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad fellowship to Morocco and Tunisia. The theme of the seminar was “Religious Diversity in the Maghreb: Morocco and Tunisia.” Fellow travelers included faculty and educators from postsecondary institutions specializing The group also attended Catholic masses, which were conducted in French for a largely West African congregation, and visited synagogues (including El Ghariba on the island of Djerba), shrines, and mosques in both countries. The study tour also included visits to museums (such as the Jewish Museum in Casablanca), Roman ruins, Tunisian coastal cities, and a trip to villages of the Middle
Atlas mountains, one of the most remote and poorest regions of Morocco. In terms of politics, the referendum on constitutional reform in Morocco was held during her visit, and the Tunisian revolution was still very much “in the air,” as people looked ahead to October’s election of a constituent Page 10
in many different disciplines (Religious Studies, Philosophy, Women’s Studies, Fine Arts, Global Studies, English, French, Journalism, Library Science, African History, and Middle East Studies). Each participant wrote a curricular unit based on the seminar, to be posted on the web and available to other instructors, as a condition of the grant. The study tour began in Rabat, where the group studied Arabic and lived with assembly to write a new constitution. The program was an extraordinary opportunity to learn more about an area of importance as Prof. Knutson continues to develop and teach an advanced level French course on France and the Arab World.
Moroccan families. Guest speakers, including scholars and experts from the U.S. and North Africa, delivered presentations on a variety of topics relating to religion, women’s space and power, politics, history, the press, and music. Moroccan writer and sociologist Fatima Mernissi spoke to participants about the impact of the Internet on Moroccan literacy and mores.
Volume 3, Issue 1 Faculty Affiliated with CMEIS Affiliated Faculty ۞Dr. Hayden Bellenoit, History
South Asia
۞LtCol G.G. Berry, History
COIN, Irregular Warfare
۞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 John Limbert, CMEIS
Iran and Middle East
۞CAPT Jeff Macris, USN, History
Gulf and Middle East
۞LTJG Ayman, Mottaleb, Language Studies
Arabic Language
۞Ms. Jocelyn Owens, Language Studies
Arabic Language
۞Dr. Helen Purkitt, Political Science
Africa Studies
۞Mr. Mark Reese, DepDir, CMEIS
Central Asia
۞CDR Thomas Robertson, History
COIN, Irregular Warfare
۞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
۞Dr. Brian VanDeMark
US Diplomatic and Political 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
Recent Faculty Curriculum Development ۞LtCol Berry and Mark Reese. IW and Central Asian Politics (Tajikistan) ۞Hezi Brosh. Arabic language curriculum development (Israel) ۞Thomas Sanders and Ernie Tucker. History curriculum development (China) ۞Helen Purkitt. Tourism and the Environment (Africa) ۞Brian VanDeMark. North African History (Morocco) ۞Ermin Sinanovic and Ernie Tucker. Turkey and the Balkans (Turkey and Bosnia) ۞Debbie Wheeler. Food Security (Kuwait) ۞Brannon Wheeler. Islamic Studies and Pre-Islamic Arabia (Kuwait) ۞Salwa Elgebaly. Arabic language curriculum development (Morocco)
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Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY 106 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 educational opportunities of midshipmen through supporting international and regional study, curricular innova‐ tion, 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 125 lectures reaching an estimated 15,000 midshipmen. Faculty affiliated with the Center has grown to more than 24, from five academic departments, who have developed more than 45 new courses and trav‐ eled to dozens of countries in the region and around the world in support of their teaching.
Tajikistan, continued from first page gional expert to navigate among seemingly incongruous social paradigms. Whether examining the motivations of youth populations in Dushanbe or negotiating with village elders in Helmand, each group draws upon a set of assumptions dictated largely through identities established through a common set of cultural motifs. Through familiarizing Midshipmen to the nomenclature of the ‘heart of Asia’ they have an overwhelming advantage in their later career as Naval and Marine Corps officers. An integral part of the experience was that both Midshipmen and the Center’s Deputy Director lived with average, middle class, Tajik families who gave participants a truly immersive environment. Tajik classes lasted four hours a day, five days a week and helped provide a structure for those attending to work through the basic living conditions. With the average temperature in Dushanbe at 40 degrees Celsius, no A/C, little or no knowledge of the local language, and stomach ailments migrating freely among Academy members, Tajikistan offered both a physical and psychological challenge to everyone involved. Yet the difficulties of the environment yielded trenchant observations in a short period of time: Tajikistan remains a country difficult to categorize in that historically it has been largely defined by its neighbors- all jealous investors or rivals- laying claim to its geography or national identity: to Russia as its imperial border, to Uzbekistan as its nemesis over water rights, to China laying claim to one CENTER FOR MIDDLE hundred square kilometers of its territory--yet an investor in its infrastructure as a platitude, Iran viewing them as country cousins of both an ancient and modern Persian empire, to Pakistanis as a EAST AND ISLAMIC cheap alternative to medical school and electricity, to Afghans as partners in crime and collaboration, all interests and geopolitical currents playing themselves out on the streets of Dushanbe. Yet the avSTUDIES erage Tajik has his concerns. Director Brannon Wheeler 410-293-6307 bwheeler@usna.edu Deputy Director Mark Reese 410-293-2990 reese@usna.edu Administrative Manager Christopher Simpson 410-293-2993 csimpson@usna.edu
www.usna.edu/MiddleEast
With three million Tajik migrant workers sending home remittances to their families in Tajikistan, migrant labor remains one of the main parts of Tajikistan’s GDP. While in Dushanbe, the presence of Chinese foremen working on the main roads in preparation for Independence Day, rankled many Tajiks who mused over why were they going to Moscow to work when labor was available in their own country. Yet Russia has become increasingly untenable for Central Asian migrant workers with the rise of white supremacy groups, such as Russia 88, who target for violent attacks peoples of Asian origin. This trend has caused many Tajiks to look towards other nations for a livelihood. While English and Russian remain the primary foreign language for study in Dushanbe, more and more Tajiks are becoming increasingly interested in Arabic and South Asian languages. The completion of the Rogun Dam promises not only cheap electricity to Tajik citizens, but also the ability to export power to the Punjab and India. Many Tajiks are beginning to see South Asia as a friendlier alternative to build cross border business ties, therefore promising a brighter future. (Hence a possible turn away from a Soviet identity to an older cultural pole of the Turco-Perso-Indo world.) Additionally, Tajikistan has always been the more religiously conservative of the Former Soviet Republics. As Tajiks become more involved in their faith—Sunni Islam—they are seeking more Arabic language classes at Tajikistan State University as a means of travel to the Arabian states.