Experiencing the Old and New Middle East

Please note that the itinerary, including the countries visited, on this DOC are subject to change. Listed below is the original program itinerary followed by a contingency plan if travel to Egypt and Jordan pose continued health and safety concerns. 

The Cairo, Amman, Dubai Dialogue is a comparative study of the contemporary Middle East (examining politics, history, economy, culture, gender, and migration). Special focus is on the rising power of the UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi), its new alliance with Israel and complex relationship with Iran. Dubai demonstrates a marked contrast with traditional (“old”) Middle East politics: military-backed regimes (Egypt, Syria, Jordan), the Arab-Israeli Conflict and the continuing Syrian Civil War and Refugee Crisis.

This Dialogue is open to all students, and is intended especially for international affairs, international business, political science, environmental studies, history, sociology, anthropology, economics, and Middle East studies. 

Through formal and informal activities (lectures, site visits, dialogues), students engage with NU professors, guest lecturers and residents of UAE, Egypt, and Jordan via dialogue and discussion of current events, culture, history, and international relations and global issues.
Topics include:
• The Middle East region after the “Arab Spring”
• Shifting regional power centers, from Egypt to the Gulf (Saudi Arabia & UAE especially)
• Dubai as global hub; UAE as a “small state powerhouse”
• Jordan as multi-cultural, diverse society: tribes, Bedouins, Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, Christian and Muslim communities, etc.
• Egypt and Jordan’s strategic position for US security in the Middle East
• Syria’s civil war and refugee crisis: Impact on Jordan
• Gender politics, especially as it relates to migration, religion, culture, and conflict.
•  The war in Ukraine and the ripple effects in the region – oil price swings; Ukrainian wheat not flowing to Egypt and Jordan (thus impacting health and the economy in both countries); tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian emigres in region, especially the UAE. 

Students will receive a detailed program itinerary after acceptance into the program. 

If travel to Egypt and Jordan is not possible, the Dialogue will begin in the UAE (based in Dubai plus a day-trip to Abu Dhabi), spend a few days in Oman, and then fly together as a group to Turkey for the remainder of the program. 

For more information, please see the Global Experience Office website found here.

Upcoming Information Sessions for Summer 2024:

• Monday, November 13th from 7pm-8pm in 310RP
• Tuesday, November 14th from 6pm-7pm in 909 RP
• Monday, November 27th from 7pm-8pm in 310RP
• Wednesday, November 29th from 6pm-7pm in 310RP