Mosaic: 2016-2017

Middle East Initiative Harvard Kennedy School 2016–2017

Flourishing community

MEI nourishes HKS-Middle East connections

PLUS: KUWAIT PROGRAM AT 15 ■ STUDENTS ON CAMPUS & IN THE REGION ■ ART ILLUMINATES SYRIA

DIRECTOR’S WELCOME

It

has been another eventful year for the Middle East Initiative (MEI), our region of interest, and the world more broadly. Although many of us feel increasingly anxious about the state of the world, MEI remains committed to providing a platform on campus to study, learn from, and engage with the region.

While we are proud to boast another banner year of programming at MEI, a fundamental objective of our work has been to provide creative ways—big and small—to humanize the Middle East. Cross-border conflicts, displaced communities, and environmental concerns constitute painful reminders of daily life for millions. Just as important are driving forces of cultural production, political change, and entrepreneurial dynamism. The Middle East is rich in its diversity of languages, cultures, histories, and present-day realities. We strive to represent that diversity in as many ways as possible.

This edition of the Mosaic showcases MEI’s work during the 2016-2017 academic year.

One of the year’s highlights was MEI’s growing community on campus. Our research fellows, visiting scholars, faculty affiliates and senior fellows enriched our scholarly community and focused on a range of policy issues. As the number of research topics continued to expand, this year’s study groups focused on three areas: Globalization and its Discontents in MENA; an Interdisciplinary Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis; and Human Rights in the Arab Region.

In this issue we also celebrate 15 years of The Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School, supported by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). Over the years, the Kuwait

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MOSAIC 2016-2017

Program has grown into a rich exchange, supporting HKS student scholarships, executive education fellowships, faculty research, and a customized training program for Kuwaiti executives. The Program has also contributed to our growing scholarly community by establishing the Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar Program.

We’re excited to share these highlights with you as we reflect on our shared achievements with KFAS. MEI continues to find inspiration in our diverse student body. 19 Middle Eastern countries were represented on campus this year and we supported 58 students with travel grants to different countries in the region for research, internships, and other learning opportunities. Students remained active on campus, addressing pressing topics such as the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis and organizing and mobilizing in the U.S. and in the Middle East, all while engaging with us throughout our robust series of 70 public events. A few of these students and events are featured in this issue of the Mosaic.

With immense gratitude, I would like to acknowledge our MEI core staff and faculty, visiting scholars, research fellows and supporters for a wonderful year.

Whether you are a longtime supporter, a recent graduate, or are just now learning about MEI, we thank you for your enthusiastic engagement and look forward to your continued involvement in our work.

On the Cover

Photos, clockwise from top center right: Yemeni Nobel Peace Laureate Tawakkol Karman (p. 24) Alumna and affiliate Nisreen Haj Ahmad (p. 12) Students take a selfie on the UAE trek (p. 19) Hanan Al Hroub interacts with students (p. 24) MEI's new entryway (p. 27) Faculty Chair Nick Burns (p. 7) A Syrian damask rose in bloom (p. 26) Prof. "Venky" Narayanamurti and his team in Kuwait (p. 16) MEI Research Fellows (p. 10) Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (p. 25) Kuwait Executive Education participants (p. 14) Hireath, by artist Mohamad Hafez’ (p. 23)

Middle East Initiative MOSAIC 2016-2017 EDITOR: Chris Mawhorter Communications and Events Coordinator chris_mawhorter@hks.harvard.edu DESIGNER: Andrew Facini

Publications and Design Coordinator, Belfer Center andrew_facini@hks.harvard.edu Hilary Rantisi, Director hilary_rantisi@hks.harvard.edu Maura James, Student and Outreach Coordinator maura_james@hks.harvard.edu Julia Martin, Research and Financial Coordinator julia_martin@hks.harvard.edu With special thanks to Bennett Craig and Fatma Bucek

Hilary Rantisi, Director

CONTENTS

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A GROWING COMMUNITY By the numbers, MEI’s growth and impact this past year and beyond.

07

SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY See how MEI affiliates contributed to our community this past year.

08

RESEARCH FELLOWS Young scholars collaborate to strengthen research and build relationships.

10

STUDY GROUPS Scholars and students engaged deeply with critical questions for the future of the region.

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14

KUWAIT PROGRAM The fruits of 15 years of collaboration between the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences and HKS.

16

FACULTY RESEARCH Prof. “Venky” Narayanamurti explores university-industry linkages in search of sound innovation policy for the Gulf.

18

ON+OFF CAMPUS Students create a welcoming community for all while exploring opportunities in the region.

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22

STUDENT RESEARCH Highlights of three MEI-funded student research projects on the ground in the Middle East

23

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS Art tells the story of Syrian refugees, Palestine’s Global Teacher of the Year, Yemen’s Nobel Peace Laureate, Tunisia’s first democratically elected President, and more.

26

GROWING HOPE Syrian roses housed at MEI symbolized the trials and hopes of displaced Syrians across the globe.

STUDENT LIFE Two students from the region discuss what made their time at HKS exceptional and their postgraduation horizons.

ALUMNI IN ACTION Alumna Nisreen Haj Ahmad (MC/MPA ‘08) on learning and growing during her return to HKS.

belfercenter.org/MEI

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a

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MOSAIC 2016-2017

growing community

36

scholars

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visiting scholars led many activities for scholars, students, and the public, including fall 2016 KFAS Visiting Scholar Bob Springborg’s timely study group on globalization (p.

10), economist Djavad SalehiIsfahani’s year-long joint tenure with Belfer’s Iran Project (p. 7), KFAS Scholar Ishac Diwan’s numerous lectures and research projects, and Michele Gelfand’s year-long appointment including a public talk on her latest book (p. 25).

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associates contributed to ongoing research projects and public events.

constituted up MEI’s largest community of resident and non-resident academics and practicioners on the Middle East, to date. Each contributed in unique ways to make this one of our busiest, most productive years, yet!

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senior fellows & affiliates including Carr Center Senior Fellow Fateh Azzam, FXB Center Fellow Dr. Lara Jirmanus, and Ash Center Democracy Fellow Nisreen Haj Ahmad led study groups and seminars on humanitarian, human rights, and community organizing challenges facing the Middle East today (p. 10-13). Rami Khouri continued to write prolifically on pressing issues in the region.

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faculty affiliates including Turkey expert Kristin Fabbe, assistant professor at Harvard Business School, who became MEI’s newest faculty affiliate in 2017 and quickly got involved, joining workshops, chairing seminars, and publishing research on Syrian refugees in Turkey.

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research fellows made up the largest-ever cohort in the Emirates Leadership Initiative research program (p. 8).

Featured photos on page 4 Listed left-to-right by row from top to bottom:

Ishac Diwan, Michele Gelfand, Bob Springborg, former research fellows at MESA in 2016, Kristin Fabbe, Fateh Azzam, 2016-2017 research fellows at HKS. belfercenter.org/MEI

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BY THE NUMBERS

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Up-close and personal » MEI funds student travel and research to the Middle East every year, allowing students to engage in dynamic learning opportunities on diverse policy topics, including two trips in January 2017 to study to study humanitarian negotiations in Israel-Palestine and innovation policy in the UAE.

Focused study » MEI convenes study groups on critical topics in Middle East public policy, including three this past academic year on globalization, the Syrian refugee crisis, and human rights.

students travelled to the Middle East for MEI-funded research, internships, or coursework

62%

increase in students from the Middle East at HKS since 2010: 68 this year; 21 with MEI fellowship funding

>3,400 attendees convened for 70 events on pressing public policy issues in the region

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ongoing faculty research projects funded by MEI on issues from innovation policy to human security Pioneering research » MEI grants back faculty tackling critical issues affecting the region, including the geopolitics of renewable energy, psychosocial support for Syrian refugee youth, and how insecurity shapes civic values.

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Kuwati and Arab Executive Education participants supported over 15 years of the Kuwait Program at HKS

Growing the pie » One of MEI’s core missions is to increase the number of students from the Middle East who study at HKS. Over the past 6 years, admissions outreach and fellowship funding efforts have added 62% more students, with 68 students at HKS this in 2016-2017!

Demonstrating leadership » Every year, MEI invites policymakers and leaders from the Middle East as guest speakers, visiting fellows, or senior scholars, enriching the discussion of regional issues on campus. Among this year's guests, MEI welcomed former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki to address the JFK Jr. Forum, Harvard’s premier venue for political speech, and Global Teacher of the Year Hanan Al Hroub of Palestine to address the Askwith Forum, Harvard Graduate School of Edcucation’s flagship lecture program.

Professional development » MEI administers an annual custom program and ongoing individual fellowships for Kuwaiti and other Arab leaders and executives at HKS.

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SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY

Inequality & Revolutions

Public Diplomacy MEI Faculty Chair Nicholas Burns stepped up his role as a public voice on U.S. diplomacy and Middle East policy, bringing level-headed analysis to major developments in the heated 2016 election and the early days of the Trump presidency. He commented in the media on U.S. military actions in Syria, Trump’s meeting with Turkish President Erdogan, regional implications of drastic U.S. immigration policy changes, and more. He joined MEI Faculty Affiliates Stephen M. Walt and

Virginia Tech Economics Professor Djavad Salehi-Isfahani studies education, inequality of opportunity, and social change in the Middle East—issues at the heart of the wave Salehi-Isfahani presents in Bob Springborg’s of revolutions and counterrevolutions Prof. fall study group. engulfing the region since 2011. Djavad joined MEI this past year as a joint Visiting Scholar with the Belfer Center’s Iran Project, benefitting tremendously from MEI's interdisciplinary community of scholars. While at MEI, he published two co-authored papers and brought a third through two revisions, presenting striking findings on the relationship between intergenerational education levels, social mobility, and unequal opportunities in Egypt and Jordan and what it really takes to get a job in the region, as well as how Iranian women's education predicts their roles at home and at work.

Juliette Kayyem for a special panel hosted by HKS Dean Doug Elmendorf in November 2016 forecasting Trump’s foreign policy. He also moderated a JFK Jr. Forum event in February 2017 on Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration and hosted International Rescue Committee president David Milliband to speak on the global refugee crisis. Burns also hosted Yemeni activist and Nobel Peace Laureate Tawakkol Karman at a November 9 MEI event— one day after Trump’s surprise electoral win—where she

Djavad also contributed richly to the MEI and HKS communities, joining research seminars, collaborating on research, and mentoring students and fellows. He published a World Bank report on poverty trends in Iran, 2008-2014, and addressed how the U.S.-Iran Nuclear Deal and President Rouhani's policies affected Iranian businesses and households and thus influenced Iranians' views of the Deal and globalization in Prof. Bob Springborg's study group (p. 26).

He revisited these themes in articles, opinion pieces, and an Iran Project panel leading up to Iran's May 2017 elections.

provided important perspective on the U.S. election and spoke about Yemen's struggle for democracy and the need for the U.S. and other world powers to allow space for democracy to flourish in the Arab world.

Photos: Burns appears on CNBC (above) and talks with HKS Dean Elmendorf and National Review writer David French (below).

Renewing Conflict?

For a century, the geopolitics of energy has been synonymous with the geopolitics of oil and gas.

But as renewable sources gain prominence, how will they remake the energy market, geopolitical rivalries, and the international system in the 21st century? To answer this critical question, of particular relevance to the Middle East, MEI Faculty Affiliate Meghan O’Sullivan convened experts from Harvard, Columbia, and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). Funded in part by faculty research grants from the Kuwait Program and the Emirates Leadership Initiative at MEI, the resulting far-reaching working paper was published jointly in June 2017 by the Belfer Center, Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy, and NUPI.

belfercenter.org/MEI

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RESEARCH FELLOWS

Fellows in Residence During the 2016-2017 academic year, MEI hosted seven research fellows supported by the Emirates Leadership Initiative. The fellows—including two doctoral candidates, two postdoctoral researchers, two junior faculty members, and a tenured research scholar—conducted independent research projects, presented their ongoing work to the public, participated in several MENA-focused seminars, and engaged with and contributed to the broader Harvard community through events, activities and collaborations.

Alexei Abrahams, an economist and MEI

by the World Bank to develop a method of

Economic geographer Davide Luca joined

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, researches

“de-blurring” these images.

MEI as a postdoctoral fellow this year to

conflict from an economics perspective,

expand his research on how the Justice and

focusing on the Middle East. In current work

Assistant Professor of Political Science,

Development Party (AKP) transformed

with UCSD Prof. Eli Berman, he uses natural

University of Tennessee, and Global Security

Turkey into a competitive authoritarian

language parsing techniques to study the

Fellow, Howard H. Baker Center for Public

regime under strong and continuous popular

principal-agent relationship between Israel and

Policy, Matt Buehler joined MEI as a

backing, a puzzling question for both scholars

the Palestinian Authority (PA) of the West Bank

postdoctoral research fellow

and policymakers. Davide explained during a

and Gaza Strip. During his public talk, Abra-

for the spring semester and

public presentation that earlier research linked

hams presented qualitative and quantitative

will continue through fall

the AKP’s electoral success

evidence that the Occupation (1967-present)

2017. Buehler’s primary

to either macroeconomic

has come to fit the mold of

research area is comparative

performance or sociocul-

a classic principal-agent

politics with expertise in

tural cleavages. However,

paradigm, wherein the

democratization, authoritarian-

complementing such

principal (Israel), seeking

ism, the Arab uprisings, Islamist movements,

explanations and drawing on

to suppress Palestinian

North African political parties, and Moroccan

his own empirical research, Luca uncovered a

resistance, weighs the costs of

politics. In April 2017, Buehler completed his

‘paradox of policy responsiveness’, wherein pol-

direct suppression against the costs of incentiv-

book manuscript entitled, Why Alliances Fail:

iticians’ responsiveness to voters via improved

izing an agent (in this case, the PA) to carry out

Opposition Coalitions between Islamists and

delivery of public goods and services has been

indirect suppression. Abrahams employs this

Leftists in North Africa, currently under review

used to undermine democratic institutions in

principal-agent paradigm to analyze Israel’s be-

with Syracuse University Press. The book

Turkey. Also during his fellowship, Luca pub-

havior over the last three decades, and discusses

explores the conditions under which opposition

lished a paper on Environment and Planning

the narrow way forward left to pro-Palestinian

parties build stable, enduring alliances to

in Politics and Space, and co-authored two

activists. Additionally, Abrahams and several

contest authoritarian regimes, marshaling

manuscripts currently under review by the

World Bank researchers use GIS techniques to

evidence from coalitions between Islamists and

Journal of Economic Geography and World

estimate the economic consequences of Israeli

leftists in North Africa. He currently serves as

Politics. Davide earned the 2016 G. Leonardi

checkpoints and roadblocks deployed inside

book reviews editor on the editorial board of

Best Doctoral Dissertation Prize by the Italian

of the West Bank during the Second Intifada.

Mediterranean Politics, a journal specialized

Regional Science Association.

Part of Abrahams’ empirical work exploits

in North African politics. He received his

nighttime lights satellite imagery (“night

doctorate in Government from the University

lights”) as a proxy for economic activity, and

of Texas at Austin.

he has coauthored an article partially funded

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MOSAIC 2016-2017

The MEI Research Fellows meet with former Tunisian President Dr. Moncef Marzouki at a lunch during his April 2017 visit to campus, along with Prof. Tarek Masoud and MEI affiliate Nisreen Haj Ahmad.

MEI Fellows (from right) Yasmeen, Davide, Alexei with Alexei’s father, South African Human Rights activist Dr. Cecil Abrahams, plus MEI Director Hilary Rantisi and Fellow Nadia Marzouki (far left).

Joe Florence, a PhD Candidate in the

essential aspects of the Commission’s work.

Middle East.” She is currently co-organizing

Department of Government at Cornell

She demonstrated that these public testimonies

a workshop entitled, “Structure and agency

University, focused his time as a pre-doctoral

represent a unique site to subvert gender norms

revisited: new modes of political mobilization

research fellow at MEI research-

and family hierarchies, to equalize classes

in the changing Middle East and North Africa,”

ing, writing, and conducting

and status, and to enunciate a humanist form

to take place in Cairo this December. A PhD

interviews for his disser-

of sacredness that transcends the traditional

candidate in political science at the University

tation on recent trends in

Islamist-secularist divide. In addition to her

of Chicago, Mekawy received a fellowship from

cross-national investment in

work on Tunisia, Marzouki researches public

the Center for Engaged Scholarship to complete

MENA, along with an assess-

controversies about Islam in Europe and the

her dissertation next year.

ment of the political implications

United States, and she is also interested in

of such investments. Prior to joining MEI, he

religious conversions to Evangelical Christianity

Jonah Schulhofer-Wohl, Assistant

was a pre-doctoral fellow with the Weatherhead

and debates about religious freedom in North

Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia,

Center for International Affairs at Harvard. His

Africa. In April 2017 Marzouki launched her

completed his second year as a joint postdoctoral

research interests include comparative politics

book, Islam: An American Religion, published

research fellow with MEI and the Belfer Center’s

and international relations of the Middle East;

by Columbia University Press.

International Security Program. During the

political economy; and political order and

spring 2017 semester, Schulhofer-Wohl was also

disorder. During the spring, Florence presented

During her time as a pre-doctoral research fellow

appointed Visiting Assistant Professor at HKS

his dissertation research to the public.

at MEI, Yasmeen Mekawy explored the

to teach the course, Civil Wars:

emotional impact of a transformative political

From Frontline Combat to

Nadia Marzouki—a political scientist, spring

event preceding Egypt’s 2011 uprising on a

Backroom Diplomacy. His

2017 Andrew Carnegie Centennial Fellow at

key demographic and how it was constructed

current book manuscript

the Ash Center for Democratic Governance

on social media. Comparing similar cases,

research focuses on military

and Innovation, and tenured Research Fellow

Mekawy investigated why this event resulted

interaction between civil war

with the Centre National de

in successful mobilization where others did

belligerents, with a core empirical focus on the

la Recherche Scientifique

not. She also looked more broadly at the effect

Middle East through disaggregated subnational

(CNRS) in Paris—spent

of social media on mobilization, as well as the

data on Lebanon and Syria. For his pubic talk,

much of her year at MEI

tactics and frames used to attract technological-

Schulhofer-Wohl discussed the motivations and

examining the Tunisian

ly savvy middle class youth to

practical effects of U.S. “half-measure” policies

reconciliatory processes of the

participate in Egypt’s revolt.

towards the ongoing Syrian civil war. According

Truth and Dignity Commission (TDC). While

She presented her work in

to Schulhofer-Wohl, these half-measures—

praised as an essential step toward peaceful

her public talk, “Making

characterized by a gap between their stated goals

democratic consolidation, critics question the

a Martyr: Emotions and

and what they can reasonably be expected to

TDC’s ability to bring about tangible justice,

Social Media in the Egyptian

achieve—fill an uncomfortable middle ground

noting very few criminal prosecutions. During

Uprising.” Also during her fellowship, Mekawy

between non-intervention and intervention. His

her spring 2017 public talk, Marzouki argued

received an APSA Alumni Grant to conduct

work explores whether these policies do more

that the public hearings organized since fall

fieldwork this past December and January, and

harm than not intervening at all.

2016 reveal that assessing the TDC solely on

to present her work at a conference at AUB in

its instrumental-legal efficacy obfuscates other

January called “Rethinking Media through the belfercenter.org/MEI

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STUDY GROUPS

In 2016-2017, MEI experts hosted three study groups at HKS to offer HKS faculty, fellows, and students a deeper look at critical issues for Middle East public policy, specifically Globalization, Human Rights, and the Syrian Refugees Crisis.

Globalization’s discontents

to reforming political economies today, across various

days, especially in the Middle East and North Africa

sectors and amidst shifting geopolitics, as regimes

(MENA). During fall 2016, as rising populism in the West

double down on detrimental policies to shore up power.

shook the global order, Professor Robert Springborg

Several key variables emerged for the future of regional

convened ten experts on MENA political economies

development and global integration policies: colonial

to unpack the region’s unique globalization trajectory.

legacies; cronyism; weak institutions; regional trade;

Springborg posited that MENA has mirrored China’s

migration; political stability; oil- or labor-intensive growth;

unorthodox-yet-successful deviation from liberal norms,

and diminshed U.S. presence. Amidst these questions, one

but without the success: unable to realize globalization’s

conclusion was clear: the region is a bell-weather of—and

benefits, MENA is hurt still more by globalization’s fall

its fortunes are linked to—globalization’s future.

seem to abound these

after the 2007 financial crisis, ultimately catalyzing the 2011 Arab uprisings. Speakers addressed MENA’s lagging integration at globalization’s pinnacle and challenges

Pictured left to right: Amaney Jamal, Lisa Anderson, and Roger Owen present in Dr. Springborg’s study group; Jesse Berns, Fouad Fouad, Alexandra Chen, and Lara Jirmaus present in Building Bridges; students take part in Fateh Azzam’s study group.

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MOSAIC 2016-2017

What next for human rights?

Despite forming the core demands of the 2011 Arab

regional representative to the UN High Commissioner for

uprisings, civil, political, social, and economic—or simply

Human Rights and Arab Human Rights Fund founder,

human—rights have not improved in the region. Instead,

the group examined everything from the philosophies

retrenched repression or worse, descent into civil war has

underpinning human rights discourses to the mechanics

created one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent

of funding genuine, contextualized advocacy. Different

memory. In spring 2017, veteran human rights advocate

avenues to securing rights were probed, including

Fateh Azzam led Harvard students and scholars to

legal defense, education, political bargaining, research,

ask crucial questions at a difficult time for the region’s

and international law. Finally, participants debated

human rights movement, as states disintegrate, geopolitics

the prospects for combining these avenues into a

shift, spaces for advocacy close, and technologies evolve.

decentralized social movement, enabled by digital tools

Drawing on Azzam’s rich experience, including as

to respond nimbly to a new era of constant change.

The Syrian refugee crisis

has been described

and public policy sectors, addressing international failures

as the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. The complex

to protect Syrians’ human rights in- and outside of Syria, and

conflict, started as a popular uprising in 2011, is now a

exploring challenges and innovative solutions to promote

battleground for regional and global powers. Over 400,000

Syrians’ rights and well-being. Topics included: attacks

are dead and, according to a December 2016 UN report,

on Syrian medical facilities and personnel; legal barriers

more than half of Syrians are now displaced—at least 6.3

to registering refugee births and marriages and accessing

million internally, 4.8 million in neighboring countries,

services; integrating healthcare delivery and research for

and 1.2 million in Europe, including 560,000 especially

local residents and refugees in urban contexts; managing

hard-hit Palestinian “double refugees,” forced to relocate

chronic diseases and mental healthcare; child protection;

multiple times and still dependent on the UN. As Jordan,

toxic stress and child development; research, ethics, and

Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq absorb the vast majority of

care delivery; legal work, unsafe working conditions, and

the displaced, new strategies are essential to support

labor markets; education goals and support networks for

host community institutions coping with the massive

displaced youth; the U.S. “Muslim Ban” executive order; legal

influx and to facilitate co-existence between refugees and

frameworks for refugee protection; U.S. refugee resettlement

their hosts. And as 90% of refugees in the region settle

processing; and trauma and torture among Syrian refugees.

not in camps, but in already underserved urban areas,

Participants emphasized the utility of the seminar and stated

humanitarian response must adapt to integrating refugees

that the “diversity of disciplines are phenomenal!” One

into host country health systems, rather than creating

participant commented, “I want to stress how thankful I

parallel services in camps.Against this backdrop, MEI

am to have had this experience, how much I’ve learned and

partnered with the FXB Center for Health and Human

how much I believe that this is one of the most meaningful

Rights at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to

and important things I’ve been part of this year.”

More information, including recordings of select sessions, is available at: belfercenter.org/ MEI#!study-groups

encourage interdisciplinary approaches to the issue. FXB fellow and family physician Lara Jirmanus, MD, MPH led the 11 session, academic-year-long series titled, “Building Bridges,” where top Harvard and Boston-area researchers discussed original, on-the-ground research with local students, scholars, and practitioners. Presentations bridged the humanitarian, legal, medical, education, public health,

belfercenter.org/MEI

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ALUMNI IN ACTION

Nisreen Haj Ahmad MC/MPA 2008 On forthcoming outcomes of her fellowship...

A faculty research grant supported by MEI brought me to Harvard again to work with Professor Ganz on organizing and social movements. After I left HKS in 2008, Prof. Ganz and I continued bi-weekly coaching sessions to inform my work on collective action campaigns in Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. Over the last year, I worked with him on soonto-be published research. The research explores how organizing’s participatory distributed leadership model affects and is affected by a classical hierarchal model of leadership in the Middle East. Prof. Ganz and I studied 15 campaigns for which I provided coaching and support over the years in the region. We hoped to uncover how organizing helped achieve change, and we found that most of the participants focused on how organizing effected their understanding of leadership, their practice of sharing leadership, and how it all interacts with culture. This year, I also wrote a paper on lessons learned from 12

MOSAIC 2016-2017

Nisreen Haj Ahmad ’08 is the co-founder and co-director of Ahel, an organization that partners with community groups and organizations to lead collective action for freedom, justice, and protection of human rights in the Middle East. At Ahel, Nisreen and her colleagues train and coach activists and leaders in the organizing methodology developed by HKS Professor Marshall Ganz and his colleagues. Nisreen, a 2008 HKS alumna, returned to HKS in 2016 as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and an MEI affiliate. Nisreen discussed current projects, how her time at Harvard enhanced her research and work on the ground, and the future of organizing.

organizing for Palestine. I studied three campaigns and focused on: (1) balancing mobilizing and organizing, (2) organizing with an international dimension, and (3) the role of informal campaigns.

On her time at HKS…

This was a pivotal year for me to be at Harvard and in the US. Trump was elected shortly after I arrived which caused a surge in organizing and social movements. Being here gave me access to see the counter Trump movement up close. Following the election, many groups approached Prof. Ganz for training to which I was invited as a coach. I saw how he presented and adapted the material for each group. It is a high point of activism in the US and a very exciting time to be here.

As a fellow at the Ash Center I joined the Democracy Fellows Seminar every Thursday. We read about specific issues while relating it to Trump’s rise in the US and populism in Europe. It also gave me insight into research methodology,

honed my analytical skills, and provided a comparative perspective to examine human rights and democracy. As an MEI affiliate I also attended MEI events and engaged critically with the fellows here.

Their research and perspective enhanced my work. MEI hosted a lunch with President Marzouki, Tunisia’s president from 2011-2014, where he spoke openly about alliance building and protecting democracy.

This spring Prof. Ganz and I had the opportunity to run a community organizing workshop with Harvard Arab students.

It was powerful to realize the potential of their collaboration if they organize well. I continue to work with them and can’t wait to hear about their successes.

I also organized a semester long seminar on social movements, the first of its kind at HKS. With Prof. Ganz’s insight, we constructed a strong syllabus. It required me to stay up-to-date on the latest literature and track ongoing and evolving trends.

“Political opportunities come and go, but networks of leaders who organize have the capacity to act in a timely and scalable way.

Those who understand how power shifts, organize.�

We looked at movements in the US and elsewhere and how they impact political, economic, and cultural power. It provided a structured space to discuss organizing in the current climate and was one of my most enrriching experiences at Harvard. It is a class I will definitely run in Jordan.

On the future of social movements in the Middle East‌

I hope the outcome of the work we have done will spread like streams from a river into organizing across collective action in the region. I believe that the participatory and distributed leadership we practice in organizing is the way to freedom, a stronger society, and democratic governance.

I have found that good organizing makes people be more aware of their values. It is disappointing that social movements are not in the minds of young people, and part of my work will continue to focus on restoring historic memory of organizing and collective action while identifying stories in our heritage that confirm our culture around organizing. Organizing for change often leads to small changes in a large context, sometimes with setbacks.

Political opportunities come and go, but networks of leaders who organize have the capacity to act in a timely and scalable way. Those who understand how power shifts, organize.

This year at Harvard has allowed me to reflect on my journey, draw lessons, and take pride. In December I will meet Prof. Ganz in Jordan. We will present our research and support organizers accross the region. Soon I will return to Ahel with the knowledge I gained to enhance our work, the campaigns we support, and the leadership we grow.

belfercenter.org/MEI

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KUWAIT PROGRAM Generously supported by the Kuwait Foundation for the

FACULTY RESEARCH

Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), the Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School celebrated 15 years of collaboration in 2017. Facilitated by MEI, the program engages students,

Over the past 15 years, MEI has awarded 42 research grants to Harvard faculty through the Kuwait Program at HKS to conduct research on issues of critical importance to Kuwait and the Gulf. Priority areas of

fellows, and faculty every year at Harvard through events,

research are reviewed annually and updated as needed by affiliated fac-

study groups, grants, fellowships, and enhanced learning

ulty in consultation with KFAS. These awards have supported a variety

opportunities. The 15 year relationship between KFAS and

of research topics, including immigration, water security, health policy,

MEI was founded on the shared mission of building bridges

science and technology development, renewable energy, public-private partnerships, gender

between Harvard, Kuwait, and the Arab World through

analysis, and international

scholarship, leadership development, and academic discourse.

security, among others. In 2016-17, three grants were

42

research grants awarded to Harvard faculty

awarded for proposals on the geopolitics of renewable energy (p. 7), the epidemic health consequences of sugary beverage consumption and recommended policies to address them, and a new, incentives-based

CUSTOM EXECUTIVE PROGRAMS

model for urban water conservation.

The Custom Executive Education course is the cornerstone of the Kuwait Program at HKS. Established in June 2001, MEI worked with HKS Executive Education to offer the first iteration: “Global Challenges and Security in the Gulf,” marking the beginning of a lasting partnership with KFAS. Since this initial cohort of 21 attendees, the Kuwait Pro-

411

Kuwati executives trained in custom HKS programs

“After attending an executive training at HKS, I found that the mid-career degree program was not only perfectly suited to my timeframe and purpose, but also supported by a generous scholarship from KFAS. This scholarship enabled me to breathe fresh air into my professinal and personal life.”

gram has served 411 program participants through Executive Education

—Nabila Abu-Hantash (MC/MPA ’17)

Custom Programs. The spring 2017 custom program: “Decision-Making

Executive Program Participant, 2015 KFAS Fellowship Recipient, 2016-17

Strategies under Risk and Uncertainty,” led by HKS Professor Kessely Hong, drew 42 participants—the third annual iteration of the most successful custom program to date.

15 years: The Kuwait Program 14

MOSAIC 2016-2017

at Harvard Kennedy School

VISITING SCHOLARS

EXECUTIVE EDUCATION FELLOWSHIPS

Through the Visiting Scholars Program—one of the highlights of the

KFAS has supported Executive Education Fellowships for students from

Kuwait Program—MEI has hosted ten senior academics and policy-

Kuwait and other Arab countries to attend various programs at both

makers, predominantly from the fields of political science, economics,

HKS and HBS. As of summer 2017, 121 participants have benefited from

and politics, to conduct research projects or lead a semester-long

this fellowship, many who would not be able to afford this opportunity

study groups on relevant topics in policy and development in Kuwait

without KFAS support. Many participants have attested the important

and the broader

and immediate impact of these courses on their work. In 2016-17

Middle East. Some visiting scholars also teach formal

10

senior policymakers and scholars in residence

17 fellowships were awarded to Kuwaitis to attend programs at

121

exec. program fellowships awarded

courses on campus and all scholars engage with students and faculty

HKS and HBS and 7

during their time in residence and beyond. In 2016-17 Professor Bob

full fellowships were awarded to other Arab participants to attend the

Springborg (fall 2016) led the study group, “Globalization and its

HKS online program “Leadership, Organizing and Action [LOA],” led by

Discontents in the Middle East and North Africa,” (see p. 10) and

Professor Marshall Ganz during February and March 2017.

Professor Ishac Diwan (spring 2017) co-led a research project with MEI Faculty Affiliate Melani Cammett on the effects of insecurity on civic values in the Middle East.

STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS The Kuwait Foundation Fellowship for Outstanding Emerging Leaders has funded eight HKS students since its inception in 2013. The Fellowship covers full tuition, fees and health insurance to outstanding emerging leaders from Kuwait and the Arab World.

Fellowship recipients actively engage with

8

full-tuition scholarships for emerging Arab leaders (since 2013)

“The [LOA] course helped me to organize a group of Amman residents who lost their homes and to better understand Amman, its policymaking, and the changes the city desperately needs.

I was inspired to apply for a second masters degree to continue my research. I am honored to have been part of this learning experience so masterfully crafted by Prof. Ganz and his team.”

—Rand El Haj Hasan Amman-based architect 2017 LOA course participant

the Middle East Initiative and vitally contribute to campus community life at HKS. This critical funding, has made the dream of attending HKS possible for many recipients.

belfercenter.org/MEI belfercenter.org/mei

15

FACULTY RESEARCH

The Middle East Initiative offers funding each year to Harvard faculty for research proposals on major policy issues affecting the region.

MEI has awarded 50 research

Bridging the Innovation Gulf

grants to Harvard faculty since 2001, including six during the fall 2016 award cycle. These research grants are generously supported through the Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School and the Emirates Leadership Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School. Priority topic areas include education reform, economic development, political reform, and science and technology, among others.

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MOSAIC 2016-2017

Venkatesh “Venky” Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Research Professor of Technology and Public Policy at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is exploring new frontiers in science, technology, and innovation (STI) in the Middle East to inform effective regional policies. A recipient of several research awards from MEI for Harvard faculty, two of his recently concluded projects, The Science, Technology and Innovation Gap in the Gulf: Revamping University Education & Innovation in Sustainable Technologies and Assessing and Strengthening University‐Industry Collaborations in the Gulf: The Need for Local and Comparative Analysis, were supported by funding through the Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School.

The Science, Technology and Innovation Gap in the Gulf project explored the challenges in advancing STI in the energy and water sectors in the Middle East, as well as the government policies and institutions that could be utilized to complement or improve existing programs. Using a combination of published literature, preexisting data, and original onsite interviews conducted during field visits to universities and institutions in Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation

Council (GCC) countries, Venky and his research team—which included Dr. Laura Diaz Anadon, Dr. Afreen Siddiqi, and Rebecca Stern— sought to (1) characterize the emerging scientific research and technology development sector in the region, and (2) identify policy options for strengthening local research and innovation.

Efforts to stimulate and increase local capacity in STI with an overarching goal of economic diversification have led GCC countries to build new technology parks in close proximity to research universities, with the aim of improving university-industry linkages, facilitating technology transfer, and enabling local innovation. For instance, Dhahran Techno-Valley in Saudi Arabia has been established in close proximity to King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUMP), Masdar City in the UAE has Masdar Institute of Science and Technology as well as Masdar City Free Zone and Technology Park, and a technology park has been planned near the new campus of Kuwait University.

Building on previous work on the emerging STI sectors in the GCC region, Assessing and Strengthening University-Industry Collaborations in the Gulf aimed to study existing university-industry collaborations and the impact of these linkages on university research and R&D in collaborating firms.

Venky’s team also contributed significantly to the growing body of literature on university-industry linkages, previously heavily focused on the American and European contexts, which remains an area of critical interest in many regions around the world due to implications for education, innovation, and economic development.

Among other key findings, the second study found that faculty who collaborate with firms are more prolific researchers. While the study did not determine the causality of this relationship, the possible causes point to the clear value of university-industry linkages (i.e., more productive researchers would not collaborate with industry if they saw no value in this collaboration). However, the study also found that despite GCC governments’ comprehensive visions for future economic diversification with an emphasis on building local capacity in STI fields, the scale and scope of these efforts are insufficient. To support potential future efforts and further develop STI capacity in the Gulf, Venky and his team articulated a list of policy

recommendations not only for policymakers in government, but also for university administrators.

In addition to a number of publications—including a published journal paper, a policy brief, two book chapters, and an edited volume—these projects culminated in the March 2017 workshop in Kuwait, “Science and Technology in the GCC: Building Research Capacity and Vital Linkages,” hosted by the Kuwait Foundation for Advancement of Science (KFAS). During the workshop, Venky and

his research team explored current challenges in conducting high quality research in local science and engineering institutions and discussed strategies for creating university-industry linkages and opportunities for regional cooperation. The workshop convened key stakeholders—including Kuwaiti policymakers, KFAS personnel, as well as faculty, researchers, and administrators from Kuwait University, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), and private universities offering engineering and science programs—to discuss science and technology capacity and implications for policy in Kuwait.

In the photo (facing page): The Belfer Center’s Laura Diaz Anadon, Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Afreen Siddiqi, and Rebecca Stern, with Kuwait’s Khaled Mahdi, at a collaborative workshop in Kuwait. (above left) Cover of the edited volume by Afreen Siddiqi and Laura Diaz Anadon and (above right) a Gulf solar power pilot project [via AP].

Venky and his team delivered a series of presentations summarizing results and key findings of their research studies and highlighted respective implications for research policy. A series of presentations were also made by research-active faculty and administrators from Kuwait University, Gulf University for Science and Technology, and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. The workshop concluded with a panel discussion on connecting local education and research efforts to national development goals.

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17

ON CAMPUS

JMEPP Goes Viral Harvard Journal for Middle East Politics and Policy

Organizing and Storytelling Workshop

(JMEPP) is run entirely by student

The Harvard Arab Student

contributors from across Harvard

Association (HASA) hosted

University and the Fletcher School

a two-day social movement

for Law and Diplomacy at Tufts

workshop led by Professor

University. In 2017, under co-

Marshall Ganz. Nisreen Haj

editors-in-chief Joseph Ataman

Ahmad, a joint MEI/Ash Center

The Middle East Refugee Service Initiative (MERSI) is an HKS

(CMES AM ‘17) and Sam Bollier

fellow, also led coaching sessions

student-run organization connecting Harvard students with area refugees

(Fletcher MALD ‘18), JMEPP

(more on Nisreen on page 12).

via the International Institute of New England (IINE), one of the largest

transitioned to an online-only

Arab students explored the

refugee resettlement agencies in New England. MERSI students traveled

publication and introduced a

difference between organizing and

to Lowell, MA, where IINE is based, to engage with refugees. In the spring

weekly, 15-minute current affairs

mobilizing and the importance

semester, students organized many events on campus. In April, MERSI

podcast—resulting in a quadrupling

of storytelling as a tool to enact

hosted a storytelling event with live Arabic music and Middle Eastern food

of readership and engagement.

social change. The weekend

to celebrate the community they shared over the past year. Storytellers

The publication also hosted its first

workshop was supported by the

shared the struggles and triumphs of refugees from the Arab world who

advisory board meeting during

Center for Public Leadership

resttled in Cambridge. Student organizers Adil Ababou (MPA ‘17), Ziad

the spring semester, which JMEPP

(CPL) and MEI.

Reslan (MPP ‘17), Zain Jarrar (MPA/ID ‘17), and Kim Quarantello

A Refugee Story

hopes to convene annually. Learn

(CMES AM ‘18), asked event goers to carry these urgent, human stories

more at hksjmepp.com.

with them as they resist barriers being erected against refugees.

Know Your Rights and Ways Forward In February, the Harvard Arab Student Association organized a “Know Your Rights and Ways Forward” teach-in to provide critical information to Boston-area students impacted by the January Executive Order banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. The event featured speakers from the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Muslim Justice League (MJL), ACLU, Harvard International Office (HIO), and University of Detroit Mercy School of Law & UC Berkeley Islamophobia Documentation and Research Project.

HASA president Hamada Zahawi (MC/MPA ‘17) moderated the panel and fielded questions from concerned community members.

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MOSAIC 2016-2017

“...[A]s President of the Arab Caucus at HKS and Vice President of the Harvard Arab Student Association we were able to bring together and mobilize the Arab community across Harvard, re-energize them, and foster bonds to build a stronger community...”

—Luma Al Saleh MC/MPA ’17 Emirates Leadership Initiative Fellow, 2016-2017 (more on following page)

IN THE REGION

Award-Winning Model for Future Governance

Policy Field Visit to the UAE

HKS Students won the Student

the annual policy field visit to

Challenge Award at the

the United Arab Emirates on

World Government Summit

government innovation and

in Dubai, UAE, February 16,

public policy in January 2017.

2017. Students explored how

Students met with representatives

government can continue to

from the Prime Minister’s office,

serve its citizens while keeping

Smart Dubai Government, the

The Winter Field Study Course in the Middle East—offered jointly by HKS

pace with rapid technological

Ministers of Youth, Defense,

and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health each

changes. Hiba Darwish (MC/

Federal National Council Affairs,

January and led by Professor Claude Bruderlein—

MPA ’17) and Sara Minkara

and Foreign Affairs, as well as

brings Harvard University graduate students together

(MPP ’14) also addressed

NYU-Abu Dhabi, The Louvre-

to examine strategic approaches for navigating the

the summit on their part in

Abu Dhabi, public-private

long-term challenges and dilemmas of some of the most

developing the Arab Youth

investment fund Mubadala,

complex political and humanitarian issues. The course

Strategy. Sara is the founder and

creative hub twofour54, Masdar

approaches these case studies as a means to further professional dialogue on

CEO of Empowerment through

Energy City, and others to

complex issues, to build exchanges between students and practitioners in

Integration where she strives

discover the UAE’s innovation

the region, and to shed light on the challenges of engaging in key dilemmas

to foster social awareness and

efforts across sectors at the local,

in the context of humanitarian action. Graduate students explore and

support for disability rights of

national, and global levels.

analyze various agendas and situational factors through interdisciplinary,

25 students participated in

visually impaired youth.

Frontline Humanitarian Negotiations in the Middle East

scientific lenses in a political, social, legal, and policy environment.

The 2017 course focused on conducting frontline humanitarian negotiations in complex environments, using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the core case study. Students explored how actors navigate the operational and policy challenges of negotiating humanitarian access to protect vulnerable populations. The course examined the challenges and dilemmas

“My time with the Bank of Algeria was a fantastic learning experience that [...] gave me a chance to build relationships with Algerian policymakers and exposed me to a broader community of interest for economic policy in Africa and the Middle East” —James Fallon MPA/ID ’17 Summer Internship Funding: Bank of Algeria, 2016

humanitarian actors face in delicate political contexts and their strategies to meet the human needs that have been denied as a result of systemic insecurity and political tensions. During the course, students moved beyond theory to consider local and regional response mechanisms and the role of civil society, international cooperation, and governance. They explored current paradoxes and challenges to humanitarian responses from local and international NGOs, humanitarian organizations, governments, religious groups, and the private sector.

This course seeks to learn from and to evaluate, critique, and expand existing methods in humanitarian negotiations. Students developed their own professional thinking in this field, networked with practitioners, and tested and honed their newly acquired skills in a dynamic context.

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STUDENT LIFE In the 2016-2017 academic year the Middle East Initiative, jointly with the Center for Public Leadership, offered funding to 21 of the 68 students from the region to study at HKS. In addition to fellowship funding, MEI provides formal and informal support to students from the region, from consulting on student-led events to career counseling. With the turbulent events of the past year, both student activity and opportunities to offer support were abundant.

Dana Myrtenbaum (MC/MPA ’17), a receipent of the Sammy Ofer Fellowship*, and Luma Al Saleh (MC/MPA ’17), a recipent of the Emirates Leadership Iniatiaitve Fellowship** reflect on their life on

What did being a Sammy Ofer Fellow mean to you?

What was your favorite course at HKS?

Dana Myrtenbaum » I feel very privileged to have received the Ofer fellowship for emerging leaders from Israel and Palestine. Working in the human rights and social justice arena in Israel for the last 15 years, the Ofer fellowship enabled me to do the MC/MPA program. My time at HKS has allowed me to think about new initiatives and social entrepreneurial ideas that I would like to explore in Israel.

This fellowship is, in a way, the start of my growth in these areas.

DM » I had many interesting and mind-opening courses at HKS, like “The Informal Economy” with Prof. Marty Chen, “Leadership in History” with Prof.

Moshik Temkin, “Statistics for Policy Makers” with Deb Hugh Hallet, and “Private Capital for Public Good” with Prof. David Wood. Having said that, I have to admit that Alexandria Marzano Lesnevich’s “Introduction to Writing for Policy and Politics” was my favorite course. I love to write, and writing for policymakers was something in which I needed to gain more skills. She is the best teacher and has become a colleague. I have all of the course materials and books with me now back home in Israel.

campus and what their time at HKS will mean for their future. Both Dana and Luma returned to the region following their studies.

What did being an Emirates Leadership Initiative Fellow mean to you? *The Sammy Ofer Fellowship for Emerging Leaders was established to support promising students from Israel and Palestine. Sammy Ofer, an Israeli businessman, was a believer that education is an integral component in sound leadership and in promoting peace and coexistence in the region. **The Emirates Leadership Initiative Fellowship was established by the United Arab Emirates to support students from the UAE and other Arab countries who have demonstrated interest in developing leadership and public management skills.

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MOSAIC 2016-2017

Luma Al Saleh » The ELI fellowship meant I was with a group of individuals that, while they came from the same region as me, couldn’t have been more different and diverse. It meant that I had a support network where I could bring my deepest worries and my biggest successes and get equal attention to both. It also meant I had a family that respected, appreciated and loved me. My fellows were the very people who anchored me.

LAS » My favorite class at HKS was by Professor Tim McCarthy, “Arts of Communication”. We had to present speeches every week and although he would have a theme for the speech we had the complete freedom to craft it the way we wanted.

That freedom in an academic setting sparked creativity and excitement for me personally, giving me no boundaries.

“Freedom in an academic setting sparked creativity and excitement for me personally, giving me no boundaries.”

—Luma Al Saleh (MC/MPA ’17)

What was one of your most meaningful experiences outside of your coursework?

LAS » The most meaningful experience for me has been serving as the President of the Arab Caucus at HKS and serving as the Vice President of the Harvard Arab Student Association, where we were able to bring together and mobilize the Arab community across Harvard, re-energize them, and foster bonds to build a stronger community who recognizes the similarities between each other but also embraces their differences as Arabs.

DM » There are so many meaningful experiences at HKS. From launching the new Social Innovation Studio at HKS to joining the student led trek to Memphis, I gained personal knowledge and built lasting relationships. The special alchemy at HKS and the ever-present vibe of “you can do whatever calls you” has allowed me to explore new horizons. I am in the process of shifting my career toward business as a result of my exposure to and research of different models at HKS. Even my family had the opportunity to explore interests. My son, Niv, a 16 year-old domino artist, created a domino event especially for HKS inspired by the school’s logo “You are Here”. It combined Niv’s creation and dedication to his art with our love to HKS and Cambridge.

What advice would you give to incoming students?

LAS » There are no limitations at HKS. Even if you encounter a block or a barrier there is a loophole somewhere. Find that loophole—that in itself is a journey of self-discovery and perseverance.

In the photos: Above: Luma presents a gift to H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister for Federal National Council Affairs, during the Policy Field Visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Below: Dana Myrtenbaum.

View the "You Are Here" domino performance art piece in 360⁰ video at youtu.be/9ThVTiCXolk.

DM » Breathe and try to listen to your inner quest. Answers come when you have time to listen. Don’t overwhelm yourself with information, coursework, and ambitions. In this school where everyone is a leader of some kind, an amazing opportunity is provided (somehow this is rare in life for leaders who are striving to change and move things around) to just to sit and watch and listen.

“The ever-present vibe at HKS of 'you can do whatever calls you' has allowed me to explore new horizons.”

—Dana Myrtenbaum (MC/MPA ’17)

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STUDENT RESEARCH ABROAD Every year, MEI funds Harvard students pursuing research or internships in the Middle East and North Africa.

Below are 3 highlights of the 15 MEI-funded projects from 2016-17. For more on travel funding, visit belfercenter.org/MEI#!current-students

Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan Anina Hewey (MIEP ‘16), Farida El-Gueretly (MIEP ‘16), and Sonya Temko (MIEP ‘16) traveled to Jordan in 2016. They conducted a process evaluation of the TIGER (These Inspiring Girls Enjoy Reading) Program at Za’atari Refugee Camp. TIGER is a community-based, non-formal education initiative for adolescent Syrian girls in Za’atari. Additionally, it seeks to enhance girls’ sense of agency, meaning, and connection in their lives. Across six districts of Za’atari, 120 TIGER girls meet daily in teams of about ten guided by a co-teaching pair of Syrian women.

The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) students evaluated program goals. Through interviews with coaches, focus group discussions with TIGER girls, and observations of each of the TIGER teams, Anina, Farida, and Sonya found the program to be successful in increasing girls’ motivation to go to and stay in school. The combination of direct academic support, community service projects, and strong trusting relationships with coaches, made the TIGER girls and their families part of a “network of girl change makers” within the camp. Many girls reported feeling increased confidence at school and developed new skills in collaborative problem solving.

Tel Aviv, Israel Heli Mishael (MPP ’17) completed her 2016 summer internship at ANU—Connect to Change, an Israeli NGO focusing on socioeconomic issues. Heli coached over 80 individuals and eight campaigns to hone storytelling skills using techinques she learned in Prof. Ganz’s Public Narrative class. She also

Al Barid Bank, Morocco

identified benchmarks and data for campaigns to communicate issues to the public through

Adil Ababou (MPA/ID ‘17) and Diana Goldemberg completed their Second Year Policy

social media.

Analysis (SYPA) exercise in Morocco where they examined Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs). For their SYPA, HKS students pose a relevant policy question and draw on economics, management, and institutional analysis tools to develop convincing recommendations. Adil and Diana worked with Al Barid Bank (ABB), a Moroccan public bank charged with fostering financial inclusion and improving access to finance, to diversify offerings for lower-income customers.

Adil and Diana designed a financial device that would cater to ROSCA users. Their goal was to spark formal savings and address concerns voiced by users they interviewed. The device Adil and Diana created attempted to tackle the informality, insecurity, and inefficiency of traditional ROSCAs, while preserving their flexibility and simplicity. It adapted and repackaged existing capacities in the ABB financial toolbox to meet the needs of ROSCA users. The device: • Was simple, free, and flexible • Centered around the ROSCA organizer • Incorporated two guarantee options: for users with high and low social cohesion • Offered the ability to execute transfers outside of traditional banking hours • Allowed for greater transparency and attention to detail

Adil and Diana won an Honorable Mention SYPA Award from HKS for this project.

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MOSAIC 2016-2017

EVENTS

» Find hi-res photos and descriptions of Hafez’ work and story at MohamadHafez.com

Unable to return to Syria during his architecture training in rural Iowa because of his student visa, Hafez began making models of his beloved homeland to cure homesickness ■ He never knew he was documenting a culture that would soon be lost to a brutal war ■ Now his pieces, including Baggage Series #4 (above), stand

as a testament to the desolution of his nation, whose people he advocates for in galleries across America ■ In April, MEI's Chris Mawhorter teamed up with U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA/MPP ‘11) to present Hafez’ work at Boston’s Lanoue Gallery ■ Hundreds viewed the work during its run, and many came on April 13th to hear Moulton introduce Hafez’ artist’s talk on his family’s experience of the civil war and his struggle to document and grapple with the loss of his homeland. belfercenter.org/MEI

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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Yemeni Activist Tawakkol Karman spoke on the state of Yemen’s transition to democracy and her role in the complex process— just one day after the historic Nov. 8 U.S. elections.

Palestinian Educator Hanan Al Hroub winner of the 2016 Varkey International Teaching Prize, met with HKS and Harvard Graduate School of Education students on September 22 at a roundtable organized by MEI, to speak about her internationally recognized methods of teaching children who have experienced violence, as well as education policy and the education environment in the Middle East. Later that evening, she delivered an address at the HGSE Askwith Forum, followed by a discussion with HGSE professor Fernando Riemers.

Teams from the UNDP and the World Bank presented two major reports on the Middle East. The 2016 Arab Human Development Report, presented January 30, highlights the challenges for youth in the region. The 2017 World Development Report, presented March 7 after a private consultation with MEI students, fellows, and faculty, tackles thorny issues of governance and power dynamics in implementing development policy in the region.

24

MOSAIC 2016-2017

Saudi Actress & Activist Fatima Al Banawi aka “Bibi” in Saudi’s first rom-com Barakah Meets Barakah, joined a post-film discussion via Skype on the Kingdom’s fledgling indie film scene and how arts is transforming Saudi culture.

Book series covers diverse topics from sectarian politics to U.N. policy to social psychology of the Arab Spring, MEI Book Talks presented cutting edge research on a variety of subjects relevant to the region.

Visiting Scholar Prof.

Michele Gelfand and co-author Mansoor Moaddel discussed their book on the psychology and sociology of shifting political values post-Arab Spring (cover above).

70

public events held in 2016-17. audio/video recordings for many available at belfercenter.org/MEI#!podcast

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki addressed the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard’s Institute of Politics on his experience leading his country through a successful, albeit rocky, transition to democracy and the challenges facing the Arab world today in the wake of the popular uprisings and reactionary responses since 2011. Professor Tarek Masoud (at right) hosted Marzouki in the April 4 Forum.

Above, President Marzouki talks with students after his Forum address.

belfercenter.org/MEI

25

GROWING COMMUNITY

The Rose That Grew From Rubble In the midst of a cold January in the Northeast, several dozen damask roses grew inside the David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University. These roses were grown in Syria—where war has halted what was once a thriving and famed flower trade—and were shipped via Italy and Turkey and grafted onto Turkish rose plants in transit.

Like many Syrians forced to flee their homeland amidst civil war, the roses' path to Providence, Rhode Island was circuitous and dangerous. In that simple way, they stood as a profound metaphor for the costs of modern warfare, the perils of the contemporary migration crisis, and the fragility and resilience of the humans caught in those inhumane circumstances.

The artist who created the piece, part of a larger exhibit on the human costs of modern state borders entitled "And men turned their faces from there," is Fatma Bucak, whose husband Davide Luca, was an MEI postdoctoral research fellow during the 2016-2017 academic year (p. 8). After the

26

MOSAIC 2016-2017

exhibition ended in early February, several of the rose plants resided in the MEI offices, where they continued to grow and take root, though none flowered at first.

Then, late in summer one of the plants—left in the care of MEI director Hilary Rantisi—bloomed with all of the vaunted vibrancy of its Damascene bretheren (pictured in center). The late bloomer complemented the single rose which bloomed during the exhibition itself (pictured below), and served as an additional reminder of the beauty that can come amidst immense challenges, and our shared responsibility to care for those living through them.

To learn more about the exhibit, visit news.brown.edu/articles/2017/01/roses

Center: The rose blossoms in Rantisi's Cambridge home.

Below: (left to right) The beginning bed in Brown's Bell Gallery, rose plants growing during the exhibit, Gallery curator Ian Alden Russell tends to the Syrian roses during the exhibit, and the single bloom during the exhibit's run.

Entering

a new era MEI's new office entryway—which debuted at the MEI fall open house on September 9, 2016—creates a vibrant and welcoming space for collaboration and community among generations of emerging scholars and leaders in Middle East public policy. The physical space MEI creates represents just the beginning: an incubator for learning, growth, and relationships that stretch beyond HKS to MEI's alumni network and the broader policymaking community in the Middle East.

Photo credit Bennett Craig Thanks to Haytham Abushaban and Ekram Ibrahim

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MOSAIC 2016-2017 79 John F. Kennedy Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617-495-4087 belfercenter.org/MEI

The Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School is dedicated to advancing public policy in the Middle East by convening the world’s foremost academic and policy experts, developing the next generation of leaders, and promoting community engagement on campus and in the region.