AMI Committees
Research committees constitute the core of the American Moroccan Institute. Their directors and members are selected on the basis of their expertise as well as their experience. Original research is conducted on real life issues of central interest to the US, the Maghreb, and the Middle East. The committees cover a wide range of subjects, including academia, foreign policy-making, religion, media, economics, business, arts, culture, and social services. Maintaining a balance between the think tank expertise of its directors and their diverse interests, AMI produces in-depth studies targeting the national/international concerns of American and Moroccan/North African peoples and societies.
The committees convene a general meeting at least three times a year to discuss their research results, share feedback, assess new proposals, and select timely topics for future symposia, conferences, workshop, and events that AMI sponsors throughout the year. AMI plans most of its events in coordination with major public institutions, non-profit organizations, Think Tanks, and universities which seek to foster American-Moroccan/Middle Eastern relations.
International Affairs Committee
Director: Khairi Abaza, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
The committee explores the various international issues concerning the US and Morocco. Areas of interest include the US- Moroccan bilateral relations; Morocco's strategic position in the Arab World; and the impact of US foreign policy on North Africa and the Middle East. Inspired by the historical diplomatic exchange between the US and Morocco, the committee widens the scope of traditional diplomacy by actively engaging with key players in foreign policy-making such as non-governmental organizations, media networks, diasporic associations, and international think tanks.
Moroccan Community Affairs Committee
Director: Boubker Abisourour, World Bank
This committee coordinates with major Moroccan-American organizations to develop social, educational, and cultural programs that benefit Moroccans living in the US. The committee builds on the various resources of AMI and its partners to help organize the Moroccan community as a unified voice entitled to the same constitutional rights and advantages enjoyed by other ethnic or minority groups in the United States. Most of the committee’s activities are held in big cities with a strong concentration of Moroccans and Moroccan-Americans such as New York, Washington DC, Boston, and Los Angeles.
Religious Affairs Committee
Director: Harvey Stark, Princeton University
The primary goal of the Religious Affairs Committee is to contextualize relations between Islamic and non-Islamic communities with the intention of promoting understanding - always sensitive to the complexities inherent in each communal setting. Following AMI’s main goals, we begin our focus with the Muslim Communities of Morocco, the United States and Europe, and extend our analysis to the entire Islamic world from Morocco to Indonesia. The committee considers relations between religious communities as intrinsic to an understanding of Moroccan affairs and to global politics in general. As Morocco embraces its multi-religious and ethnic history, be it Sunni, Sufi, Jewish or Berber, the committee hopes to use educational and cultural exploration to clarify, explore and push this project in a positive and ever expanding direction.
Globalization Committee
Director: Dr. Anouar Majid, University of New England
This committee's main purpose is to examine Morocco's relationship with the United States in the context of globalization. As an integral part of the Mediterranean, African, Amazigh, Arab, and Islamic spheres, postcolonial Morocco is bound to multicultural America through a long history of trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchanges. To what extent is this relationship determined by the two countries' larger cultural linkages and affiliations? The committee also examines the case of Morocco in the world separately. By using groundbreaking research in the humanities and the social sciences, the Globalization Committee will provide much-needed perspective to people and entities interested in the present and future of Morocco and the United States.
Foreign Investment Committee
Director: Amine Bouchentouf, APEX Capital
The committee draws on Morocco-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to work on “trade” as one of the most attractive fields where American-Moroccan economic relations are to be developed and empowered. The committee provides research facilities, resources, and consultation to Americans and Moroccans interested in investing oversees. The fostering of investment in both American and Moroccan markets is a critical component of American-Moroccan business relationship.
Media & Communications Committee
Director: Karin Davison, Creative Artists Network
This committee creates forums and workshops where influential journalists and members of the media from both the US and Morocco can be brought together, here or in Morocco, to discuss their mutual concerns and exchange views on political issues considered vital to the US, North Africa, and the Arab world. Some of these issues include the coverage of Islam in US TV and newspapers, the image of America in contemporary Arab culture, and media as preventive tool against violence and human rights abuse.
Arts & Culture Committee
Director : Lauren Green, Fox News Channel
The committee holds art and culture as universal idioms that connect world communities in ways no other field has ever accomplished. Through the creative spirit of artists, filmmakers, and musicians, this committee seeks to strengthen artistic and cultural exchange between the American and Moroccan peoples. Some of the committee’s activities include the organization of film festivals, musical performances, and artisanal exhibitions.