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By publishing the present issue of the MESJ, it marks its own 20th anniversary and the MESC's 25th anniversary. The MESC enjoys a broad experience in investing Arab human and financial resources based on open thinking. The staff's contributions, in terms of papers as well as assessment and planning seminars, have constituted the backbone of the institution for 25 years. It represents a model for Arab creative effort which aspires to civilizational openness. It departs from the belief that research assists in understanding the world around us and determining the tools necessary to improve our social, political and scholarly conditions. The MESC has managed to consolidate its cultural and scholarly influence on the society, whether at the level of the elite or the public, by means of a straightforward specialist philosophy through a large number of programmes. This can be mostly seen in the following: the adoption of a set of MESC's conceptions by many people interested in the affairs of the region, the distinguished contributions by Arab and foreign researchers in the MESC's studies, reports, conferences and seminars, mounting to over 4,000 scholars, politicians and thinkers, the growth and continuous variety of services provided by the MESC, and the expanding relations made with regional and global research centres. The Research Award for Jordanian Universities Students is one of the unique pioneering scholarly programmes in the Arab World. It is aimed at exploring and adopting creative research capabilities, to be trained to serve development in the region through research. In cooperation with national partners of public and private universities, the 18th edition is about to be launched. The event has become a significant part of the Jordanian cultural scene. Until the conclusion of the previous edition, there were over 2,600 participants, 550 of which presented papers to rival for the prize. Actually, 60 students managed to win. The MESC has always been keen on serving and rationalizing Arab decisions. It believes in the importance of connecting academia with decision-making, so that the education output would assist in developing the Arab communities and states, rather than staying attached to books and theoretical debates. To this end, in 2013, the MESC founded the Arab Crisis Team (ACT). The purpose has been to follow and analyze the Arab issues, as well as make recommendations to relevant parties. The ACT is committed to exactness and objectivity. Over its three-year-old progress, it has published a number of reports to investigate a number of predicaments in the Arab World, mainly those of Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Furthermore, the MESJ is a major publication. It is a refereed scientific periodical, concerned with studies and reports which investigate the present and foresee the future. Various perspectives and scenarios are presented in the political, economic, social and strategic fields. The MESJ has so far published 75 issues. It has a consultative board of 15 experts from 8 Arab countries, as well as an editorial board of five specialist professors. It is found in hard copies and on Arab and international online databases. Finally, it has attracted hundreds of researchers so that the MESC would influence academic milieus and political elites. In its 25th anniversary, the MESC's success and persistence of action is not an isolated phenomenon, but attributed to several significant factors, such as: openness to academia and politics alike, and connecting them, development of administration in accordance with the mores of international think tanks, adopting objective standards, and benefiting from and accumulating available expertise in a planned manner.
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