Alumni | Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies

Office of Continuing Education, Exchange, & Relations: Strengthening Networks, Improving Communication

Since the NESA Center’s inception in 2000, a continuing dialogue with alumni has been a primary goal. While the meaning of the term “dialogue” has become diluted with overuse, it is the core of NESA’s mission to initiate and nurture a continuing exchange of ideas with and among participants in the NESA region. NESA seminars are designed not only to impart and exchange knowledge, but also to lay the foundation for enduring relationships through personal and candid interaction. By definition, seminars are seed beds for ideas. When our participants graduate, they return to their homes as part of the growing NESA family, continuing and deepening the relationships and the examination of ideas planted at NESA.

The Continuing Education, Exchange, & Relations (CEER) office, staffed with two fluent Arabic speakers, handles much more than alumni relations. The CEER office regularly communicates with our alumni, in both Arabic and English, by e-mail and phone. We have a robust, password-protected alumni website that contains a wealth of information in English, Arabic, French, and Dari and provides access to the NDU library online resources. It also has tools to help alumni stay in touch with us and each other. Because of sporadic Internet connectivity throughout the NESA region, we are seeking new ways to reach out to alumni.

Maintaining close connections becomes increasingly important as the Center matures and our regional alumni advance in rank. As they become senior national security policymakers -- chiefs and deputy chiefs of staff, ambassadors, directors of intelligence (MOD) and ministers -- the relationships forged at NESA become increasingly meaningful and productive, reinforcing the regional cooperation that NESA promotes.

The Regional Centers’ regions overlap and the NESA Center is setting up joint alumni groups in some of the 13 countries we share with the Africa Center, the Asia-Pacific Center, and the George C. Marshall Center.

In an initiative unique among the Regional Centers, the NESA Center is also reaching out to U.S. professional military education institutions (NDU, the Army, Naval, and Air War Colleges, etc.) to incorporate their alumni from our region into our alumni activities. We have an active growth plan for increasing our alumni efforts, and we envision supporting a large variety of new programs:

Continuing Education

Substantive meetings and seminars planned in-region for alumni.
Sharing useful articles and educational resources like MERLN and the NDU Online Library.
Online moderated discussion boards.

Continuing Exchange

Graduates receive weekly e-mails consisting of NESA Center updates, NESA Center faculty and staff travel plans and selected articles related to the region.
Graduates are frequently asked to write on regional topics for distribution to other interested graduates.
We regularly distribute summaries of alumni responses to USG statements and publications – without attribution – to our senior USG stakeholders.

Continuing Relations

When NESA Center faculty or staff visit the region, we organize a graduate event to bring our alumni together again.
The NESA Center recommends its outstanding graduates for other seminars around the world.
Graduates have regular and personal contact with the CEER office via phone, e-mail, and fax.

Alumni Community Chapters

In direct support of the National Security Strategy, DOD and State Department policy, the NESA Center has launched its Community Chapter program. This program fosters stronger civil-military relations and promotes regional cooperation among senior-level NESA region leaders. In support of the strategic communication policy guidance from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Community Chapters serve as outreach activities and augment our two-way communication with the region. Active participation in these chapters allows community members to network with U.S. officials and colleagues in their country and region. Programs initiated by these chapters advance U.S. security policy, strengthen relationships in local governments and enhance regional cooperation. They provide a means for the Center to maintain contact with its community, communicate up-to-date U.S. policy on the Near East and South Asia, and share information about activities and promotions of other community members and chapters. In addition, we are looking into linking our alumni chapters to the Regional Network of Strategic Studies Centers wherever possible.

What Else Do You Need to Know About Us?

For information about NESA Center activities, please contact our Outreach team.

If you are from one of our participating countries, and would like to attend one of the Center’s programs, please contact the Political-Military Office or Military representative in the U.S. Embassy in your country for information on official invitations. Participation is limited to official government representatives.

Representatives of the United States Government are offered slots on a limited basis. Please contact the NESA Center Registrar for more information.

Contact Alumni Affairs
Contact Outreach Team
Contact NESA Registrar