Interviews + Events
"Understanding what the World has to Offer:" an Interview with Jessica Diez from MEPC
Jessica Diez is the managing editor and research associate of educational programming at the Middle East Policy Council. The MEPC is a nonprofit founded in 1981 with a mission to contribute to American understanding of the political, economic and cultural issues that affect U.S. interests in the Middle East. This is accomplished through three programs: the quarterly journal Middle East Policy (the most influential policy publication on the region); the Capitol Hill Conference Series for policymakers and their staffs offering multiple points of view on complex issues; and their acclaimed national outreach for students, educators and other civic leaders.
Diez explains that one of the biggest misconceptions Americans have about the Middle East is that "the West has to go and help the Middle East." She continued that one of the biggest ways to combat that is through education. Diez emphasizes that "education is just so important… if we had one friend from every county or every region our perspective would be so different." In order to accomplish their mission of education the MEPC has their three pillars: the journal, outreach to political leaders, and educational programs with American youth.
One of the goals of the journal is to create resources that are accessible and easy to understand, often sources on the Middle East are based in academic journals that use jargon. She explains that the journal has a profile on 22 countries in the Middle East for teachers and students interested in learning. “It has a much deeper analysis than what a typical article may be. Not only history, but society, sports, historical sites, economy, religion, and latest news."
In their work with civic leaders, the MEPC writes short briefings to congressmen surrounding current affairs in the Middle East to accurately inform them so they can make educated policy decisions. MEPC makes sure that the local perspective is involved by basing their research in local newspapers, which are often less biased. Diez explains that one of the “biggest challenges[s] is trying to make things that are important in the Middle East important elsewhere... Aid for Yemen was cut in half…. [there is a] difficulty of making sure people are interested and care.” But through these memos, she said that one of the "biggest successes of MEPC, apart from having a presence in hearings, are products that come out that are used directly by officials, and journals that are sourced and published.”
The MEPC also works to educate American youth through their education initiatives. One of their new projects is a new program where they pair up virtual classrooms in the US and Middle East. The MEPC is working with embassies in Morocco to launch this project. Diez explains that the most important thing is "understanding what the world has to offer," which is what this project aims to do in broadening high schoolers' understanding of other cultures.
Researching the Middle East: An Interview with Jeffrey Martini from Rand Corporation
Our network was very lucky to have the chance to ask questions to Jeffrey Martini, a
Middle Eastern researcher at Rand Corporation. Rand Corporation, a non-profit think tank, has offices across the world that works “to help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis.”
Mr. Martini first became interested in the Middle East and North Africa when he was volunteering for the Peace Corps in Morocco. “Morocco is an incredibly welcoming place and I really enjoyed learning more about its culture.” When he returned to the US, he began pursuing a career in research where he focused on political and security developments in the Arab World. He explained how he spends less time researching North Africa than the Arab Gulf, but “it is the time I spent in Morocco, and subsequently in Egypt, that motivates my interest in this field.”
When we asked what the most important thing students can do to immerse themselves in the Middle East, Mr. Martini responded with “language study.” He told us that “even initial study of local languages will open up new windows into foreign cultures.” He recommended “reading books – initially translated into English– watching movies, and when possible, traveling in the countries where the language is spoken.” For example, before embarking on the journey of learning Arabic, he said to “first read a book from the Egyptian Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz.” “If it appeals to you and you become interested in Cairo, where his novels are mostly set, keep engaging with the region’s cultural production.” He explained that these readings and engagement might even lead to a career in the region, but even if it doesn’t you have still explored a different culture.
As students aiming to learn more about American perceptions of the Middle East, we asked Mr. Martini what the biggest misconceptions are of the Middle East. He said that “because the United States was intensively engaged in the Middle East over the past two decades, many Americans have views of the region. And unfortunately, some of those views are negative or single focused on the threat of terrorism.” He believes that while political violence is very real and complex, Americans should understand that political violence “is not something that is intrinsic to the region or something that motivates most people from the Middle East.”
Lastly, we asked about him to expand on his current research interests. He is interested in “puzzles,” explaining that “one puzzle is why protest protest movements in the Arab World have been more successful in some countries and not others?" He is also interested in researching US policy implications, focusing “on how the United States can achieve its interests in the Middle East with a smaller forward military presence,” and “better understanding and designing mitigation measures for the potentially negative effects of climate change on the Middle East security environment.”
Thank you so much to Mr. Martini for his thoughtful answers, and please feel free to check out Rand Corporation.
Mr. Martini’s Bio: https://www.rand.org/about/people/m/martini_jeffrey.html
Rand Corporation: https://www.rand.org/