Middle Eastern Studies at FSI

I’m trying to live in the moment, but lately I must admit I am counting the days until our departure date to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. More so now, after taking an intense regional area studies on the Far East at the Foreign Service Institute, I am pumped! Prior to classes starting I thought I would be taking a “fluff” course on the customs, and do's and don'ts of the region. Boy was I wrong. Instead I signed up for a two-week intensive course lead by John Iskander, a PHD in Religious and Middle Eastern studies. 

Each day we had speakers who spent much time in the Middle East, some Arabic themselves. They had extensive knowledge and expertise on their topic. They spoke in depth about: culture, history, economics, policy, media, oil, US relations, the Arab Spring, Israel and Palestine, etc… We covered Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Israel, Iran, Yemen, Oman, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

The discussions were intense and at times above my realm of knowledge. After all, what do I really know about policy making and government relations/diplomacy overseas? Not much. In my defense I was the only non-government employee out of the bunch so I wasn’t too hard on myself.  I was surprised that some of my classmates were curious about my perspective on certain topics. I assume they wanted my outlook as a civilian, sort of speaking. It was fabulous to sit and hear lectures from brilliant educated people and to absorb some of their expertise. The Q/A sessions were also thought provoking and insightful.

Some of the things I took away from the course were:
1) Westerners have many pre-conceived notions of the Middle East (especially after 9/11).
2) People need to stop stereotyping Muslims and stop assuming that women who cover their heads and wear an Abaya are being suppressed.
3) Islam doesn't mean radicalism and Muslims are not terrorists.
4) The issues in the Middle East are primarily political rather than religious.
5) Politics plays a HUGE role in everything we do. We little people may not think so, but it does.  

Our last speaker during the two-week class was former Yemen Ambassador Barbara Bodine. Her lecture resonated with me the most. She stressed the importance of getting out of our comfort zones when we live overseas; exploring the country we are assigned to, meeting the locals, and learning the language some. For me having an opportunity to live abroad is a dream come true. I have been wanting to do this for a very long time. I will take her words to heart. I know there will be an adjustment period for me once I arrive in Riyadh, but I will make a conscious effort to leave my comfort zone and embrace an experience of a lifetime.