Students tackle foreign dilemmas

Written by Daniel Williams
(dmart145@mscd.edu)
Photo by Linh Ngo
(lngo@mscd.edu)

Future delegates molded at Model Arab League

Heated debates, a brief (mock) crisis, a keynote speaker, dinner and dancing, resolutions and an award ceremony made for a busy three days for students participating in the 18th Model Arab League.

“There is such a tremendous history in the Middle East, there are so many ideas of civilization that came from this region. If there were any truth to ‘history repeats itself’ the Middle East is showing us this is true,” said keynote speaker Ali Thobhani, chair of Metro’s international studies department, before telling the students how much he admired them for participating.

The Metro Political Science Department, the National Council of U.S.-Arab Relations and the Political Science Student Association sponsored the event, Feb. 26– Feb. 28. at Auraria.

Seventy students from Regis University, the University of Northern Colorado, the Air Force Academy, the University of Utah and Metro converged to discuss the Middle East and Arab world, participating in a series of mock summit meetings.

“MAL is a regional model competition in where university students from across the world learn about and compete as representatives from member states of the Arab League,” said Marziya Kaka, president of Metro’s Political Science Association, at a dinner on Feb. 27.

“As representatives of the Arab League’s member-states, these student delegates work to achieve consensus on questions real-life diplomats wrestle with daily.

They vote on resolutions they have written that seek to resolve some of the Arab countries’ most difficult challenges,” said Robert Hazan, chair of Metro’s political science department. “And the energy was awesome this weekend.”

Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria were all represented by student - delegates at the event. The student participants attempted to represent the viewpoint of their respective countries and draft resolutions to problems that affect the entire Arab world.

“Joint defense, political affairs, social affairs, Palestinian affairs and environmental affairs were all council sessions debated all over the Tivoli on Thursday and Friday,” Metro student Natalie Carneal said. “The weekend went perfect and everyone had a really good time.”

Dylan McDonnell, a participant from the University of Utah — who also helped organize and run the event — praised Metro and its students for the successful weekend.

“Metro was a great host and the weekend could not have gone any smoother,” McDonnell said.
This is the third time Metro has hosted the event.

Metro alumnus Kyle Haley, class of 2008, participated in last year’s Model Arab League and has since gone to work for the Arab American Institute in Washington D.C. Haley flew back to Denver to participate in this year’s event and spoke at the Feb. 27 dinner at St. Cajetans.

“When I graduated last year, it wasn’t the best time to enter the job market and you never know where life is going to take you.

But I have a great job at the Arab American Institute and my time at Metro prepared me for this job,” Haley said.

The MAL wrapped up with an award ceremony on Feb. 28. They gave awards that recognized and honored the work of the council chairperson, student representatives and the council as a whole.

Metro’s Corrine Bidwell won an award for her work on the Political Affairs Council where she represented Palestine.

More than 2,500 students and hundreds of faculty advisers from more than 200 universities hold about 15 Model Arab Leagues annually.

Since its start in 1983, more than 25,000 students have participated. The destination school for next year’s Model Arab League is yet to be determined.