Established in 1983, Model Arab League (MAL) is the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ flagship student leadership development program. The Models are similar in organization and format to the older and more widely recognized Model United Nations (MUN), with its 193 member states. An important difference between the two is that the MAL focuses only on the 22 member states that comprise the League of Arab States. Established in February 1945, and thereby pre-dating the founding of the United Nations, the Arab League is the world’s oldest regional political organization dedicated to, among other things, the diplomatic and peaceful settlement of disputes.
Grappling with the international challenges of representing the needs, concerns, interests, and foreign policy objectives of a government other than their own, and especially that of an Arab country, has obvious merit in and of itself. In the process, students not only deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Arab world and its peoples, but they have an extraordinary chance to develop and practice useful analytical, organizational, writing, editing, and public speaking skills. In so doing they strengthen their ability to engage in the art of reasoned argument and spirited debate, and become better prepared to be knowledgeable, well-trained, and effective citizens as well as civic and public affairs leaders.
—National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations
Students who participate in the Model Arab League program become eligible for other programs sponsored by the National Council, including study visits to Arab countries and internships with NGOs in Washington, DC.
Bellarmine University’s Participation
Bellarmine University has been sending award-winning delegations to the Model League of Arab States program for more than twenty years. Five of our Bellarmine delegations have received Outstanding Delegation awards, and five others have been runners-up. Individual Bellarmine delegates have garnered more than sixty awards recognizing their outstanding performances in the program.
We participate every February in the Ohio MAL, which is hosted by a university in Ohio. Students from more than twenty-five other colleges and universities have also participated in the event.
Get Involved
If you would like to participate, or would like to find out more about the Model Arab League, contact:
Tim Welliver at 502.272.8068 or twelliver@bellarmine.edu
Fedja Buric at 502.272.8235 or fburic@bellarmine.edu
More information about the Model Arab League and other programs is available on the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations web site.