U.S. Air Force Military Academy
Irry Toh
I was given an opportunity to attend the 49
th Annual Academy Assembly held at the U.S. Air Force Military Academy in Colorado Springs this February. It was a four-day conference with a substantial amount of interesting discussions and activities. The topic for this year was "Continent at a crossroads—Prosperity, Justice, and Security in the South America."
We had a really packed and tight schedule with two briefings each day as an introduction and "warm-up" session for the exciting roundtable discussions. Personally I find these briefings especially interesting and beneficial for me as I had never taken any Latin American course before. I learnt a lot through the briefings as they were presented by experienced, professional scholars, as well as governmental officials who have considerable expertise in the Latin America.
The roundtable sessions were the highlights of the conference. We were divided into a group of 8-10, led by a facilitator and a roundtable leader. Our leader, Victor Tise, is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. Listening to his incredible experiences as a Military Intelligence officer serving in the Latin America for 18 years was the most valuable moment for me throughout the conference. His real-life experiences not only enhanced and livened up the meetings, but also brought about more pragmatic and down-to-earth discussions. That was a rather challenging experience as we learnt to compromise and finally reaching a common ground through the consensus building process during the discussions. Also, the exchange of information and ideas among the delegates were fascinating as we were given the opportunity to learn from each other’s strength.
We discussed topics of various aspects from market economics, international trade, to democratization and hemispheric security. The topic I was most interested in was about the market economics in South America. We talked about the possibility and feasibility of Latin America as an integrated economic entity primarily based on natural resources especially oil. This seemed to be a rather interesting and optimistic view when we look at the how the European Coal and Steel Community, which was also established on the basis of natural resources, evolved into the ECC and finally becoming the European Union of today.
We also had a debate on the topic "Is Latin America moving towards the Left? Is this a correct direction for the Latin America?" Delegates from three roundtables were grouped together. We were assigned to take a positive stance on this issue and that was to argue that the movement towards the left is beneficial to Latin America. It was a really heated-up and fun debate when there were times when we almost could not hear what the speakers were saying as the crowds cheered and booed throughout the debate. The most exciting part was of course when the judge announced that we won the debate! There were also a lot of social events being held after the meetings. Most of the delegates were Political Science and International Studies major with a concentration in Latin America studies. This is another exhilarating moment where I not only meet people of the same interest from all over the country, but also cadets from Canada and Latin America. I was really impressed and inspired by their outstanding performances.
I find this opportunity extraordinarily precious and unforgettable. I am so grateful that Adelphi University and the Political Science department had given me this opportunity to participate in this conference which enriched my life in the United States as an international student.
United Nations DPI/NGO Conference
NGOs Work Toward Realizing the Millennium Development Goals
Yana Kusayeva
Political Science and International Studies Double Major
As Adelphi University’s student representative to the DPI/NGO Conference held at the United Nations, I had the pleasure of representing Adelphi as a non-governmental organization promoting global awareness. The conference, entitled "Unfinished Business: Effective Partnership for Human Security and Sustainable Development," stressed the importance of collaboration among governments, businesses, and civil society to address the issues facing the international world and meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Presentations by prominent professionals and scholars from various fields were insightful and inspiring, highlighting that the power to change the world is in the hands of each and every one of us.
This three-day conference brought together 1879 representatives of 540 NGOs from 67 different countries!
[1] Needless to say, the opportunity to network was there. Attending workshops on networking and legal programming and pro bono partnership as a means to support NGOs was an interesting experience, introducing me to members of other NGOs and civil societies. Furthermore, I learned about the mutual benefits of alliances and collaboration between NGOs and the private sector, as well as "efficient and effective delivery systems" to help organizations network and achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Panel discussions were particularly informative and intriguing. During "Moving Development Forward: Accountability, Transparency, Equitable Trade Policies" panel discussion, panelists informed the audience of the negative outcomes of poor decision-making, corruption, and double-standards. The Chairman of Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, Hans Blix, said that the international community suffers from the decisions made by governments that see the global world "through the lens of their national interest." It is the civil society’s responsibility to see that their government takes the right route to meeting the needs of millions of people and many NGOs do just that – call for transparency and analyze "government action and inaction".
I am grateful to Adelphi University and the Department of Political Science for the exciting opportunity to participate in the DPI/NGO conference. This experience provided a greater insight into the workings of the international community and allowed me to acquire skills and knowledge outside of a traditional classroom setting. To be sure, the one-and-a-half hour wait in line to get my conference ID, the commute to the city and missed classes were worth the experience.
[1] Numbers as of August 15, 2006 as reported on DPI/NGO List of Participants booklet
Danish Atlantic Youth Seminar
Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea: Pondering Peace in the Caucasus from the Kattegat
Timothy Beaucage
This past summer I had the privilege of attending the Danish Atlantic Youth Seminar of 2006 in Aalborg, Denmark. US Undergraduate and Graduate students competed in a research competition on the importance of internal versus external origins in finding a solution to the frozen conflicts of the Causasus region. From those applicants, six US delegates were selected and sponsored by the US Embassy to participate in a week long seminar and simulation on the persistent conflicts of the Caucasus region. Representatives from over 35 countries gathered at the Royal Danish Air Base in Aalborg in western Denmark and participated in the simulation. Each day consisted of three morning lectures and discussions, which were followed by afternoon and evening negotiations, press conferences/crisis simulations, and cultural/social activities. Each participant was evaluated during the first few days and placed into their roles as representatives of parties to the conflict. I had the pleasure and difficult task of representing the president of Iran. We proceeded to develop our foreign policy strategies and establish ourselves as important and powerful actors in the region. Everyone was required to submit action plans, press releases and speeches so that newspapers, radio clips and other media could be developed to further enhance the simulation of negotiating peace in the Caucasus region
Our time was not only spent deliberating on the Caucasus. Participants were also exposed to the culture of western Dennark; we learned Danish folk dancing, we took trips to the northern most point in Denmark and spent a day at the beach, we celebrated the World Cup, competed in sporting events, and were also afforded the opportunity to participate in a parachuting simulation. Overall the seminar was well balanced and educational, and the students who participated were inspiring, talented, and became friends whom I plan to soon visit. Many were already graduate students or beyond, working for the UN in Geneva, or running for Parliament in Finland, and even working for the European Court of Justice. Many thanks to the Political Science Department for supporting my trip and participation in the seminar. Special thanks to Professor Katie Laatikainen for her motivating letter of recommendation and encouragement.
Washington Internship
Megan Wilkin, Washington Intern
This past summer, I was given the great opportunity to participate in The Washington Center's internship program where I was able to witness first hand the innerworkings of our nation's government. As an employee in Governor M. Jodi Rell's Washington, D.C. based office, I participated in issues on both the national and state levels such as education, energy, and others. The academic foundation that I acquired from political science courses was further emphasized when outlining the progress of a specific policy as well as observing the balance of federalism between the state and national government. As a student, I would highly recommend this program others studying in any academic field as a tool to apply the knowledge gained to the real world.
