Ala' Alrababa'h graduated from Pearson UWC in Canada where he received the Davis International Scholar Award. He then attended Dartmouth College where he became a War and Peace Fellow. During the summer of 2013, Ala' interned at the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C., where he conducted research on Syrian civil society and opposition groups and published pieces on their blog. He also had the opportunity to brief the State Department. The internship reinforced Ala''s approach to academic work and he decided to interview Middle Eastern politicians and journalists in D.C. for his senior thesis at Dartmouth.

1. [MR. E. JOHN ROSENWALD JR. ’52 PUBLIC AFFAIRS FUND INTERN PROFILE]
Ala’ Alrababa’h graduated from Pearson UWC in Victoria,
Canada. At Pearson, he was awarded the Davis International
Scholar Award. Before Pearson, Ala’ attended Jubilee School
in Jordan, where he lived for 17 years. Last summer, Ala’
worked as a Davis Fellow at the Center for Nonproliferation
Studies in Monterey, California. During his internship, Ala’
researched, presented, and published on a Weapons of
Mass Destruction-Free Z one in the Middle East. Ala’ also
participated in a workshop at Sandia National Laboratories
in New Mexico during his internship. At Dartmouth, Ala'
became a War and Peace Fellow, and joined the other
fellows on their trips to Washington D.C. Ala' conducted
research for Dartmouth Professors Anne Sa’adah and Daryl Press. Currently, Ala' is a James O.
Friedman Presidential Scholar in Government. After graduating, Ala’ plans to attend a PhD
program in International Security.
Ala’ was funded by the Rockefeller Center for a Summer 2013 internship, with generous support
from the Mr. E. John Rosenwald Jr. ’52 Public Affairs Internship Fund.
Executive Summary from Ala’s final report:
In the summer of 2013, I interned as a research assistant at the Middle East Institute (MEI). The
organization, founded in 1946, is the oldest Washington“I want to thank Mr. E. John
based institution dedicated solely to the study of the
Rosenwald Jr. ’52 and the
Middle East. Its founders, scholar George Camp Keiser and
Rockefeller Center for an
former US Secretary of State Christian Herter, laid out a
amazing and life-changing off
simple mandate: “to increase knowledge of the Middle
term experience. I have
East among the citizens of the United States and to
rediscovered myself with a
promote a better understanding between the people of
new sense of passion in my
these two areas.” MEI has earned a reputation as an
work and my goals.”
unbiased source of information and analysis on this critical
region of the world, a reputation it has meticulously
safeguarded since its creation. Today, MEI remains a respected, non-partisan voice in the field
of Middle East studies.

2. My work at MEI consisted of several tasks. First, I conducted research on civilian opposition and
civil society inside Syria. After I produced an extensive report, I had the opportunity to brief the
State Department on the subject. Second, I published regularly on the blog, peacefare.net.
One of my important pieces on the blog is an interview I conducted with Marwan Muasher,
former Jordanian ambassador, minister, and deputy prime minister. The interview caused a
controversy in Jordanian media, and the Jordanian parliament responded to some of Muasher’s
comments during the interview. Finally, I reviewed an upcoming book by Dr. Serwer on civilian
tools of defense and diplomacy.
My summer internship has reinforced my approach to academic work. My research of Syrian
civil society groups has taught me that I should be creative. Untraditional methods like the use
of facebook and twitter can be particularly informative. In addition, it taught me the
importance of asking for help. The Syrian activist I talked to had deep knowledge of these
organizations and he provided immense help. Finally, I decided to use the connections I made
for my thesis. Thus, I interviewed Middle Eastern politicians and journalists in Washington D.C.
for my senior thesis in government at Dartmouth. I will continue to use the network I made for
my thesis throughout the year.
Ala' Alrababa'h ’14 with former Bahraini Member of Parliament and activist Matar Ibrahim.
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