Charles Malik Institute is an initiative of the Philos Project ¹ that is designed to address major political and foreign affairs issues at the intersection of religion, politics, and culture through the life and legacy of Lebanese Orthodox Christian diplomat and academic Charles Malik. ²

The institute expands, teaches, and raises awareness of Malik’s largely unpublished works. ³ The institute also attempts to re-introduce Malik’s ideas into the academic world ⁴ and train young leaders in Malik’s approaches to statesmanship to address current geopolitical challenges in the Near East. ⁵

Philos Project CEO Robert Nicholson leads the Charles Malik Institute. ⁶

History and Leadership

Charles Malik Institute was inaugurated in 2022 as an initiative of the Philos Project ⁷ to expand, teach, ⁸ and raise awareness of the legacy and awareness of Charles Malik, ⁹ a Lebanese Orthodox Christian who was involved in the Lebanese independence movement, was the first Lebanese ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and a signer of the UN Charter, ¹⁰ the first ambassador of Lebanon to the United States, and the president of the UN General Assembly from 1958 to 1959. Malik also played a role in the drafting of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, warned the UN against the threats posed to the world by international Communism during the Cold War, and advocated for Palestinians. ¹¹

Charles Malik Institute is led by Philos Project director Robert Nicholson. He is the president and founder of Philos Project, co-founder of Passages Israel, and an advisory board member of In Defense of Christians. Malik inspired Nicholson’s work at the Philos Project. ¹²

Charles Malik’s son, Habib Malik, works as senior research fellow at the Charles Malik Institute. ¹³

Activities and Funding

Charles Malik Institute hosts seminars, conferences, and other academic and leadership training events with a focus on Middle Eastern affairs and disseminates Malik’s largely unpublished body of work. ¹⁴ It also hosts events on the shared roots and differences between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the Middle East. ¹⁵ In 2022, the institute hosted a seminar based on Malik’s legacy with the concept of applied principled statesmanship to address geopolitical challenges in the Near East. ¹⁶

Charles Malik Institute’s research activities are focused on two tracks, leadership development and education. The leadership development track engages with American and Middle Eastern Christian diaspora leaders to interpret contemporary foreign policy issues through Malik’s perspective. The education track focuses on Christianity and Islam in the Near East, crisis leadership, and religious leadership in an attempt to reintroduce Malik’s ideas into the academic world. ¹⁷ Philos Project leader Robert Nicholson has said he would like to “create the next Charles Malik” through the institute’s activities. ¹⁸

1. “Introducing the Charles Malik Institute.” The Philos Project YouTube. Posted June 27, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKT5jOuOqLs
2. ^[1] “The Charles Malik Institute.” Charles Malik Institute Twitter. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://twitter.com/cmalikinstitute.
3. “FAQs.” Charles Malik Institute. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://charlesmalikinstitute.org/faqs/.
4.  “About the Institute.” Charles Malik Institute. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://charlesmalikinstitute.org/about-the-institute/.
5. “The Charles Malik Institute: June 2022 Seminar.” The Philos Project YouTube. Posted October 26, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxbm4jA2jbo.
6. “Meet the CMI Team.” Charles Malik Institute. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://charlesmalikinstitute.org/team/.
7. “Introducing the Charles Malik Institute.” The Philos Project YouTube. Posted June 27, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKT5jOuOqLs
8. “The Charles Malik Institute.” Charles Malik Institute Twitter. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://twitter.com/cmalikinstitute.
9. “FAQs.” Charles Malik Institute. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://charlesmalikinstitute.org/faqs/.
10. Hijazi, Ihsan A. “Charles H. Malik of Lebanon, 81; Was President of U.N. Assembly.” New York Times. December 29, 1987. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/29/obituaries/charles-h-malik-of-lebanon-81-was-president-of-un-assembly.html.
11. “About Charles Malik.” Charles Malik Institute. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://charlesmalikinstitute.org/about-charles-malik/.
12. “Robert Nicholson.” Philos Project. Accessed December 10, 2022. https://philosproject.org/team/.
13. “Meet the CMI Team.” Charles Malik Institute. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://charlesmalikinstitute.org/team/.
14. “About the Institute.” Charles Malik Institute. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://charlesmalikinstitute.org/about-the-institute/.
15. “Isaac and Ishmael? [an interfaith panel, presented by The Charles Malik Institute.].” The Philos Project YouTube. Uploaded October 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkkuHOmO_iY.
16. “The Charles Malik Institute: June 2022 Seminar.” The Philos Project YouTube. Posted October 26, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxbm4jA2jbo.
17. “About the Institute.” Charles Malik Institute. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://charlesmalikinstitute.org/about-the-institute/.
18. “What is the Charles Malik Institute?” Philos Project Facebook Video. Posted June 24, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/ThePhilosProject/videos/what-is-the-charles-malik-institute-thecharlesmalikinstitute-is-a-new-initiative/1754197831579263/.