Lebanon 2010 - Babel Initiative

Lebanon 2010
A presentation of the 2010 Babel Initiative project
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This is Babel Initiative
Babel Initiative is an official Sciences Po association,
driven by students for students. We aim to promote ties
among countries of the Mediterranean and Middle
Eastern region, by acting as a platform for student-led
projects spanning from humanitarian initiatives to
academic or artistic endeavors. The objective of each
year is to organize, with the help of our partners and of
Sciences Po Paris, a study trip to a country of interest in
the MENA region and an academic symposium in order
to share our work with the other students of the
campus and the inhabitants of Menton.
The Board
For more information on our accomplishments and
previous sponsors, please visit our website:
http://babelinitiative.com
Lebanon 2010
This year, the students of Sciences Po Paris in Menton
have elected Lebanon as the Babel Initiative country of
interest for 2010. This choice was based on the fact that
Lebanon is an ideal object of study, as its dynamism and
complexity allows for a wealth of research topics. Also,
the economic and cultural revival which Lebanon is
currently undergoing makes the time ripe for such an
academic endeavor. Work has begun on our nine
student projects, and all our efforts are now focused on
conducting a successful study trip and symposium.
Babel Initiative is run by a seven-member board,
comprised of students from Morocco, France, Spain,
Brazil, the United States and Norway. They have
experience in various kinds of voluntary work, including
being on the exclusive board of the NGO “One World
Youth Project”, founding the UNICEF partner NGO
“Nucleo ICA”, and helping to organize Barack Obama’s
presidential campaign in Pennsylvania.
Our Accomplishments
Since its founding in 2006, Babel Initiative has
successfully carried out four similar projects, involving
study trips to seven Middle Eastern countries for over
70 students. The countries visited range from Turkey
and Egypt to Kuwait and Iran. Research papers have
been written on themes as diverse as culture, the
economy, the blogosphere, and international relations,
to name a few. Last year, Babel Initiative sent 24
students to Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in order to study
the Gulf monarchies. The trip was funded by the Kuwait
Foundation for the Advancement of Science and BNP
Paribas.
Babel Initiative is located at the Middle Eastern and
Mediterranean Undergraduate Program of Sciences Po
Paris in Menton.
Our address:
Babel Initiative, Sciences Po Paris
Chemin du Collège, 06500 Menton, France
Our email: [email protected]
Phone: +33 (0)6 58 19 77 00
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Lebanon 2010
With our fifth project so far, Babel Initiative offers 23
international students the opportunity to discover
Lebanon during a one week study trip. Our approach
allows participants to conduct their own personal
projects while meeting with various key individuals and
institutions in order to get a broader perspective of the
issues facing Lebanon today. In addition, we seek to
create links between our participants and the local
community, by allowing them to meet with local
students, employers and decision-makers, and this
constitutes the primary value of our project.
The Study Trip
Between April 25th and May 2nd, Babel Initiative will
organize a study trip to Lebanon. This will allow
participants a chance to work on their projects as well
as to meet with a range of influential personalities such
as political leaders, economic decision makers, actors in
the civil sectors and media as well as in the academic
sector. The trip will be centered on three themes:
1. The Lessons Learned from Lebanon’s
Confessionalist Democracy. Using a multi-faceted
approach covering politics, religion, media and the
booming Lebanese civil sector, we will examine
whether Lebanon can still be described as a bastion
for political liberalism and religious tolerance. We
will also seek to study the confessionalist system in
depth, in order to establish what other Middle
Eastern countries can learn from the Lebanese
political model.
2. The Resilience of the Lebanese Economy in Times of
What is a Babel Initiative Project?
A Babel Initiative project is a personal endeavor, which
reflects the interests and identity of each participant. In
this sense, Babel Initiative capitalizes on the great
diversity within the Menton campus. The project itself
can be constructed in one of three ways: Either as a
scientific project in the goal of writing a mini research
paper, as an artistic project, or as a humanitarian
project. For example, one current project examines the
processes of children’s cultural identification by
comparing the reactions of Lebanese and French kids to
folk tales from these two cultures. Other projects focus
on topics as diverse as Islamic Finance in Lebanon and
the Lebanese Diaspora.
Crises. With a banking system that managed to
weather the global financial crisis, Lebanon has
once again proved that it has an important role to
play in Middle Eastern financial markets. By
examining some of the mechanisms that allowed
this success, such as the networks established by
the Lebanese Diaspora, and the way foreign aid and
remittances are managed to benefit the local
economy, we will attempt to understand how the
economic foundations of Lebanon can be built upon
to achieve a continued economic success at large.
3. The vitality of the Lebanese Cultural and Artistic
Scene. Because Babel Initiative also promotes
cultural understanding and artistic expression; we
will seek out certain key actors in the bustling
cultural and artistic scene of Beirut. In this process,
we will attempt to explore the historic and current
Lebanese national identity through Lebanese art
and film.
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Program for the Study Trip
1. The Lessons Learned from Lebanon’s Confessionalist Democracy
Questions of interest
POLITICAL ACTORS
-
H.E General Michel Suleiman, President of Lebanon (or advisor)
H.E Saad Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon (or advisor)
President Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon (or
advisor)
-
And also:
RELIGIOUS LEADERS
-
Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch for the
Maronites (or advisor)
Mr Sheikh Abdul Amir Kabalan, Vice President of the Shiite
Higher Council in Lebanon (or advisor)
MEDIA
-
Ms Magda Abu-Fadil, Journalist and head of the Journalism
Training Program at AUB
Dr Nabil Dajani, Professor of media studies at the Department of
Social Sciences at AUB
Related Babel Initiative 2010 projects
-
Mr Karim El Mufti, Former political advisor of the International
Red Cross Committee
Lebanese Neighborhoods: A particular
piece of the Mediterranean Mosaic?
Lebanese plurality seen through its
political system
Proposed debate with students from the
American University of Beirut, Université St.
Joseph and the Lebanese American University:
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CIVIL SECTOR
-
In what sense is the Lebanese political
model an example for the Middle East?
What difficulties do journalists face
when working in Lebanon today?
What are the links between media and
politics in Lebanon, and how strong are
they?
-
What can lebanese and international
youth achieve through participation in
the local civil sector?
How can the Lebanese civil sector
accomodate youth initiatives?
2. The Resilience of the Lebanese Economy in Times of Crises
3.
Questions of interest
ECONOMIC POLICY
-
Mr Riad T. Salameh, Governor of the Central Bank
of Lebanon (or advisor)
-
Mr Jihad Azour, Vice President of Booz & Co. for
the Middle East and former Minister of Finance of
Lebanon (or advisor)
-
Ms Lamia El-Moubayed Bissat, Head of the Basil
Fuleihan Institute for Economy and Finance
-
How can foreign aid and international organizations
contribute towards rebuilding the Lebanese economy?
-
What can the world learn from the strict regulations
governing the Lebanese banking sector?
-
To what extent does Lebanon’s financial sector rely on
its ties with the Lebanese Diaspora?
Related Babel Initiative 2010 projects
INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENERGY
-
Mr Fadi Georges Comair, General Director of
Hydraulic and Electric Resources at the Ministry of
Energy and Water in Lebanon
-
To what extent is Lebanon a center of Islamic Finance?
-
The Lebanese Diaspora in the Mediterranean region
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4. The Vitality of the Lebanese Cultural and Artistic Scene
Questions of interest
ARTS AND CULTURE
-
Ms Nadine Labaki, Film
director
Ms Sandra Dagher, Director
of Beirut Art Center
-
What has the role of film been in the Lebanese Nation Building process?
What is the role of culture in branding Beirut as a tourist destination?
Related Babel Initiative 2010 projects
-
What do Lebanese and European folk tales say about childrens’ feeling of
cultural belonging?
Lebanese Painting through its Mediterranean influence and specificity
Why Sponsor Us?
In order to carry out our projects, we depend on the
help of third parties. For our sponsors, this does not
only grant abstract benefits:
1. Increased visibility
Babel Initiative places great care in the visibility of
its sponsors, who may display their logo on:
- our official brochures
- our website
- all material relating to the final symposium
(banners, flyers and posters)
2. Constant Association with our Project
Babel Initiative takes pride in its sponsors, and will
strive to highlight their commitment whenever
possible:
- We will profile our sponsors in Lebanese and French
local media (In 2009, more than eight articles were
written about our presence in Bahrain and Kuwait,
in both English and Arabic).
- An article summing up our experience will be
published in the Sciences Po publication “Global
Horizons”, which is distributed to the world’s top
400 universities.
3. Direct contact with potential employees
During our study trip, Babel Initiative will visit any
organization that sponsors us. This provides
enlightening perspectives of the host country, and
helps to foster ties between Sciences Po students
and potential employers in the Middle East.
The students of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
Our association allows 23 international students* to
develop the comprehensive perspectives which future
leaders of the Middle East will need in order to address
the problems facing this region today. However, the
organization of a Babel Initiative project is an expensive
endeavor. We are ready to provide a budget that
summarizes our financial challenges, and we hope that
on this basis you will seriously consider financially
supporting “Babel Initiative: Lebanon 2010.”
* This year’s participants originate from Brazil, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Norway, South Africa, Spain, the
United Kingdom and the United States.