The Collegiate Institute for Middle East Affairs (CIMEA) is a national nonpartisan educational organization dedicated to advancing students’ understanding of the Middle East and Africa. We seek to empower the next generation of informed leaders to engage thoughtfully and constructively with complex international challenges. We recognize that the rising hostility and polarization that characterizes many student spaces today undermines the very purpose of higher education. Our work is guided by the conviction that campuses should be places of curiosity, dialogue, and mutual respect rather than conflict, silence, and polarisation. We strive to meet students where they are and equip them with the tools and opportunities necessary to become the most informed, capable, and empathetic versions of themselves. 

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CIMEA serves as a meeting ground for students of all backgrounds to explore a wide range of topics concerning the Middle East and Africa. We are dedicated to the free exchange of ideas, and see meaningful participation in the exchange as our starting line. In this way, we believe the free exchange of ideas and the inclusion of diverse perspectives are essential to international affairs dialogue on campuses across the United States. By fostering open, informed debate and offering transformative opportunities for exposure and development, we cultivate leaders who are prepared to mediate complex global dialogue in their own communities and to lead the conversations that shape foreign policy tomorrow.