Since 9/11 MESA Boycott The directors of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) have announced a boycott of the National Flagship Language Initiative (NFLI), the U.S. government's plan to establish government-supported academies for critical languages at a few select campuses. The initiative is part of the highly successful National Security Education Program Why the boycott? As the MESA statement makes clear, the professors oppose teaching Arabic to students who commit themselves to government service. The government will be offering student fellowships for study at NFLI centers, in return for a period of service. The MESAns abhor the idea that they...