Rice University students stand with their Baker Institute supporters ahead of their trip to Cairo. Sean Graham is in the top row, fourth from the left.
In the next 24 hours, I will travel 7,000 miles around the globe to visit a 7,000-year-old civilization. While I will be walking in the shoes of an American, my steps will be on the sands of Egypt.
As part of a group of 10 Rice students from diverse ethnicities, faiths and academic backgrounds, I will be meeting and interacting with a group of students studying at the American University in Cairo (AUC) as part of a colloquium we have jointly organized and collaboratively developed.
The Cairo colloquium is part of the Baker Institute’s new Public Diplomacy and Global Policymaking Program. Nearly a year after President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo, this student program focuses on America’s relationship with the rest of the world. Inspired by Baker Institute founding director Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian’s distinguished diplomatic career, we hope to demonstrate how public diplomacy can allow us to understand, inform, engage and influence the shared world we all live in. We also are grateful to the Baker Institute’s Jason Lyons. Nearly two years ago, his simple question of “What would you all like to do as a group?” and his proposal for a student conference on conflict resolution triggered the discussion that ultimately led to this trip.
We are going to Cairo with the intent of speaking candidly with our Egyptian counterparts about topics central to U.S.-Egyptian relations, including: the rights of citizens, the role of religion, the character of the news media, and the future of our two countries. In doing so, we hope to break down misconceptions. By infusing academic research and personal narrative into our roundtable discussions, we can learn from the nuances, differences and similarities that shape our interactions at home as well as abroad. Upon our return, we will publish a report summarizing our discussions and the insights gained in the form of policy recommendations aimed at making our two countries, and those interconnected with us, stronger and more peaceful.
In advance of our trip, the Rice and AUC students agreed on five areas of discussion, and assigned two Rice and two AUC students to prepare research briefs and lead the discussions. We expect to have lively and engaging conversations as a result of our varied perspectives. The Rice students include natives of the Middle East, South Africa, Macedonia and the United States. Some of us are believers of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, while others are “undeclared.” Our academic experiences are equally diverse, ranging from history and political science to cognitive science and bioengineering.
Of course, I have no illusory thoughts of us finding the silver bullet that will solve all the world’s problems. This is not a quixotic quest to discover the one answer that has been lurking under billions of noses. No, what I do truly believe is possible is that in the end, after we have spent a week in Cairo, touring, tasting and talking, we will come back with insights into the world of Egyptian students and will have hopefully left our mark as well.
While the hours and days ahead are filled with uncertainty, one thing is clear: by the time we return from Cairo, we will all have a new personal definition for what it means to walk like an Egyptian.
· Learn more about the Public Diplomacy and Global Policymaking Program
· Read and comment on blogs from the Rice students participating in the trip
Sean Graham is a 2010 Rice University graduate with a degree in cognitive science and psychology. He will return to Cairo in the fall to work in AUC’s Office of the President as part of the Presidential Internship Program.