I am pleased to report that the NESA Center is steadily growing and improving. The past year has been pivotal, as we have reinforced and built on the Center’s foundation. Since NESA was established in 2000, we have known that strong personal connections among our alumni are the cornerstone of the NESA experience. An early indicator of the success of that connection is the vibrant dialogue among program participants and faculty during sessions, which continues when participants return home.

Our past alumni symposia in Athens and Prague in 2008 were great successes. In October 2009 we hosted a gathering of over 100 Lebanese alumni in Beirut. With our total roster of NESA alumni exceeding 2,000 at the end of October 2009, we are looking forward to another large turnout at our next reunion in Washington, D.C., in April 2010.

Our monthly Washington Seminars have become popular tools for building community. The topics, ranging from resurgent Russia to U.S. policy, draw representatives not only from embassies in the NESA region, but also from Europe and North America. Taking the seminar "on the road" for a New York session aimed at United Nations missions has been a resounding success, which we plan to repeat again next spring.

2010 will see a significant increase in NESA programs, both in Washington and in the region. We are planning 13 core seminars, 10 alumni meetings and a like number of Washington seminars, 4 defense attaché luncheons and nearly as many additional symposia. Among other scheduled events for this year we plan exchange visits with the Lebanese and the Israeli Defense Colleges, nearly a dozen RNSSC (Regional Network of Strategic Studies Centers) meetings and a range of workshops and courses focused on health security, strategic communications and non-traditional security threats.

We are in the final stages of opening a NESA forward office in Manama, Bahrain, which will provide a consistent presence for regional cooperation and program coordination.

We at NESA cherish the personal relationships we have developed since our inception.
As always, I look forward to seeing you all, either in the region or in Washington, D.C.

Best wishes to you and your family for a peaceful and prosperous 2010.

October 2009