Students from eleven universities and colleges from across Texas gathered at the University of Saint Thomas in Houston April 4-5 to participate in the first Model Arab League conference in the southwest region. The political science department at Lamar University sponsored twenty students from the Middle East Political Science class. The participants from Lamar represented the countries of Kuwait and Syria in mock deliberations.
Lamar delegates representing Syria included: Paul Glazener, Cheryl Richard, Christy Thomas, Susan Smith, Steve Tidwell, Brett Hill, Morris Williams, Curtis Smith, Yancey Lane.
Lamar delegates representing Kuwait included: John Day, Daniel Cable, Michael Gorris, Chris Moore, Alyssa Fincher, Danielle Bienvenu, Richard Buffington, Laura Metzler, Melinda Griffith, Kirk Williams.
The conference was organized by the Houston Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce. Representing one of the 22 states of the Arab League, student teams familiarized themselves with the foreign policy agenda of their nation’s government and were responsible for researching and understanding all aspects of their country as well as the country’s allies and interests in the region. The conference simulated deliberations among the Arab League, which was founded in 1945 as a forum in which Arab states engage in discussions about common political challenges and how to improve their bilateral relations.
Both of the Lamar teams, which had the largest contingency in attendance at the conference, surpassed performance expectations passing resolutions in all of the five Council categories established. The students gained invaluable experience in the many skills and strategies necessary to succeed in the diplomatic arena. The Lamar teams earned eight outstanding delegate awards. Lamar University won the overall outstanding delegation award.
