Thomas Divine
Summer Internship with the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations
This summer, I was an intern with the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, a non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization dedicated to improving American knowledge and understanding of the Arab world. Through the National Council, I attended lectures twice a week on various topics, including President Obama’s speech in Cairo, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the origins and workings of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the events happening in Sudan. Our lecturers included Dr. John Duke Anthony, the president of the National Council who is widely respected in the area of U.S.-Arab relations and Middle Eastern Affairs, as well as Dr. Peter Bechtold, an instructor at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute. Dr. Bechtold has taught over 50,000 Foreign Service Officers in his career, and he is one of the foremost experts on the Arab world.
In addition to our lectures, the other interns and I went on several excursions over the summer. We met with foreign diplomats at the embassies of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain; we experienced the Muslim faith up close during a visit to the Islamic Center of Washington; we received a firsthand look at the intelligence side of international affairs during our visits to the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia, as well as the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and we were even given the opportunity to meet with a high level U.S. State Department diplomat, as well as tour the lavish State Department reception rooms.
The other aspect of my summer experience was the actual internship I participated in. The National Council placed each intern into an internship with a Washington, DC organization. I interned with the Institute for 21st Century Energy, which is affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. At the Energy Institute, I worked on several issues relating to domestic energy policy. It was a particularly exciting time to work in that field, especially given that the “American Clean Energy and Security Act,” also known as the cap-and-trade bill or the Waxman-Markey bill, was the subject of much debate on Capitol Hill, as well as all around Washington.
I enjoyed my internship at the Energy Institute immensely. In addition to working with people who were extremely well-versed on energy issues, I had the opportunity to see how the policymaking process works up close. On several occasions, I traveled to Capitol Hill to give legislators the Energy Institute’s reports on various energy-related issues. Additionally, I learned extensively about energy and energy policy, both of which play a major role in the development of American foreign policy (especially with regards to the Middle East, where most of the world’s oil is found).
The primary reason that I interned in Washington, DC this summer was to get a taste of Washington and the political process in order to see if that is what I want to do after I graduate from the University of Texas. I absolutely loved working in Washington, DC, and I have decided that I want to move back there after I graduate and work for a few years, perhaps on Capitol Hill. I am extremely grateful to the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation. Without its generous support, I would not have been able to experience Washington, DC and all it has to offer.
