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September 27, 2024October 3, 2024

FLAS Fellows Value Their Summer Experience

This summer, seven GW students took part in the summer Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship program to study regional languages in the Middle East. Whether in Rabat, Tunis, Cairo or Amman, fellows put their Arabic and Hebrew skills to work exploring new countries and interacting with local communities, their peers and teachers.

Fellow Abigail Strait described the FLAS opportunity as a “life changing experience that cannot be described easily…but highlights included exploring the ancient ruins of Jerash and Ajloun, volunteering at a food pantry while speaking in Arabic, sand boarding in Wadi Rum, and the time spent living with my host family, who I still message today.”

Fellow Zakee Hamawi talked about how well he appreciated his time in Tunisia, especially the eight weeks spent with his host family, where weekend food shopping and social trips complemented the rigorous study program.

Fellow Daiyan Khan assessed his language learning journey as “a very enjoyable experience. Academically, the rigorous curriculum improved my language skills greatly. The opportunity to employ the skills I learned in class with the Jordanian people was something that only studying abroad could give me. Outside of academics, I met people who shared my passion for the Arabic language, and I was able to form lasting friendships.”

All GW students interested in studying a Middle East language are encouraged to apply for this well-funded opportunity, which covers airfare, program costs, and an additional living stipend. For additional details on eligibility and application requirements, please visit GW’s Summer FLAS website. Applications open in October and are due by February 15, 2025.

September 27, 2024September 27, 2024

Elliott Student Wins Prestigious Japanese Studies Scholarship

Nicholas Bird, a junior majoring in Japanese Language and Literature and International Affairs with a minor in Economics was selected as the 2024 recipient of the MEXT scholarship. The Japanese government awards this highly competitive reward and provides airfare to Japan, tuition for the university, and a stipend for the cost of living for one school year to study in Japan.

“I have only gotten this far due to the amazing support of all of my professors at GW,” said Bird. The applicant screening process consists of a written examination, an interview, and a final screening in Tokyo. Bird spent his sophomore year at Waseda University in Shinjuku, Japan, which is considered a “Japanese Ivy”. Bird also spent time in Japan over the summer for an internship through Elliott’s Freeman Foundation Scholarship.

“My dream is to be in a role where I can work to build bridges between Japan and the U.S., as well as be a bridge myself. I hope to be another piece in helping to create a continued good relationship in our vital international partnership,” Bird said.

Bird plans to apply to the Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) position through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program following his anticipated Fall 2025 graduation. This position requires fluency and is based on translation and interpersonal communication.

“Receiving thoughts and ideas from people with completely different upbringings will help me see things from different perspectives and think more imaginatively. I think this is important in our increasingly globalized world,” said Bird.

Dr. Takae Tsujioka, a Japanese language associate professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, expressed her excitement and how impressed she is by Bird’s accomplishment. “It was an incredible accomplishment after just two years of Japanese study. The MEXT scholarship is a further testament to his hard work and dedication to Japanese study.”

The MEXT scholarship is highly competitive, with hours-long exams and a particularly selective process for U.S. undergraduate students. The Embassy of Japan congratulated Bird via Instagram.

September 10, 2024September 11, 2024

Preparing Humanitarian Leaders: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Addressing Global Crises

as seen in the September/October 2024 issue of Foreign Affairs

Author: Maryam Z. Deloffre, Associate Professor of International Affairs and Director of the Humanitarian Action Initiative at The Elliott School of International Affairs

How do the Elliott School’s programs prepare students to address humanitarian crises and provide effective assistance in complex global contexts?

At the Elliott School, courses on humanitarian action take a multidisciplinary and intellectually rigorous approach, paying particular attention to cultural context, ethics, field-based applied research, and innovative practices. A foundational course in humanitarian governance and policy introduces students to the global humanitarian system, key humanitarian agencies and donors, international humanitarian law and ethics, dilemmas in humanitarian assistance, and key challenges to delivering humanitarian aid. Specialized courses help students develop expertise in locally led humanitarian assistance; climate change and humanitarian assistance; refugees, migration, and displaced people; gender and security; humanitarian communication; education in humanitarian emergencies; ethics; and emergency management.

Students may pursue a concentration in humanitarian assistance in a number of our degree programs. It is a specific area of concentration or specialization, available under the following Elliott School master’s degree programs, including the security policy studies program conflict resolution concentration, the Master of International Affairs, and the Master of International Development Studies.

Are there fieldwork and research opportunities available to students looking to gain practical skills in humanitarian operations?

Most graduate courses provide project-based learning where students work on policy problems in consultation with humanitarian nongovernmental organizations or agencies. The humanitarian assistance section of the global capstone, as well as the capstone in international development studies, provide an in-depth and extensive opportunity for student teams to work on a year-long project for a humanitarian client. Undergraduate students may work on independent research projects on the topic of humanitarian assistance in Dean’s Scholars and other undergraduate research opportunities. Students can also reach out about available research assistantships to work on research projects directed by a faculty member.

How does the Elliott School approach teaching the ethical considerations and challenges involved in delivering humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations around the world?

The Elliott School approaches teaching ethical considerations and humanitarian challenges through initiatives like the Humanitarian Action Initiative, an academic and research hub that convenes and cultivates the school’s curriculum, scholarly research, and policy expertise on topics related to humanitarian assistance, and the Leadership, Ethics, and Practice Initiative, which integrates the exploration and analysis of ethics topics throughout undergraduate and graduate education.

The school aims to identify ethical issues in every subject and course, exploring them through case studies or other instructional means, through courses such as humanitarian governance and policy, global justice, and accountability and ethics in humanitarian and disaster settings that address questions and issues related to the ethics of humanitarian action. The school regularly hosts speakers on ethics topics and assists students interested in doing research on humanitarian issues.

August 29, 2024September 10, 2024

IIEP Hosts Fourth Conference on Indian Economic Development

India has come a long way since its independence in 1947. It has reduced poverty dramatically, become the world’s fifth-largest economy, successfully chaired the G20 in 2023, and become the world’s most populous nation, leaving India a demographic dividend that must be realized.

However, India still faces numerous challenges going forward. Within this context, the Institute for International Economic Policy (IIEP) hosted its fourth GW India Conference on India’s Economic Development and U.S.-India Economic Relations. This year’s conference focused on “Making India an Advanced Economy by 2047: What Will It Take?”

The conference brought together prominent economists, policymakers, and experts to discuss India’s strategic pathways and challenges toward becoming an advanced economy. The conference was very well received, with some describing it as the best conference on India’s economy in the U.S. A keynote address by V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor, GOI, on “India’s Path to an Advanced Economy: Growth and Structural Transformation” kicked off the conference, immediately followed by an address by Indermit Gill, Chief Economist, The World Bank, on “How Can India Avoid the Middle-Income Trap?” During the lunch keynote session, Dr. Vivek Lall, Chief Executive, General Atomics Global Corporation, gave an address on “U.S.-India Technology and Defense Cooperation.”

The conference concluded with remarks by Raghuram Rajan, 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Executive Vice President of MIGA. In addition to the keynote remarks, there were five panels and 15 distinguished speakers from around the world featured. Speakers addressed topics ranging from macro issues to trade policy, from inequality and social inclusion to climate change. This conference was co-sponsored by the Institute for International Economic Policy, the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy, the GW Center for International Business Education and Research, and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies. This is a recurring conference held every year in the spring to coincide with the meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. Future gatherings will include social issues as well as India’s engagement with other parts of the world, including the African continent.

August 29, 2024September 11, 2024

The Sigur Center Center for Asian Studies: Diplomatic Insights on American Policy in Southeast Asia

Retired Singaporean academic and diplomat Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan presented the annual Gaston Sigur Memorial Lecture April 9, 2024 on “The Future of American Policy Towards Southeast Asia.”

The speaker began by recounting a historical anecdote involving Singapore’s decision to offer the US military the use of its facilities in Southeast Asia in the late 1980s. This decision faced initial backlash from neighboring countries but was later accepted without protest in subsequent years, highlighting a shift in attitudes towards US military presence in the region.

The speech delved into the evolving perceptions of the US and China in Southeast Asia, citing a recent survey that showed a slight preference towards China over the US among ASEAN members. Despite this, concerns over China’s influence and trustworthiness were prevalent in the region. Amb. Kausikan emphasized the complexity of attitudes towards external powers and the need to understand the nuances of Southeast Asian diplomacy.

Amb. Kausikan argued that true neutrality means “knowing your own interests, taking

positions based on your own interests, and not allowing others to define your interests for you by default.” He further warned of the danger of passivity in relation to the US-China split, saying

“there is no ‘sweet spot’ to keep both the Chinese and Americans ‘happy.’”

In conclusion, the speech underscored the dynamic nature of relationships in Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific, emphasizing the importance of strategic flexibility and understanding the region’s complexity. Amb. Kausikan urged avoiding demonizing China or oversimplifying complex geopolitical dynamics. The lecture aimed to shed light on the future of American policy in Southeast Asia amidst evolving global and regional challenges.

August 23, 2024October 8, 2024

Secretary of the Army Inspires

On March 26th, the Leadership, Ethics, And Practice initiative hosted a conversation on leadership in national security with the 25th Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth. Secretary Wormuth reflected on her leadership journey and career challenges to provide insight on the next steps for the US’s national and international security and the future of our nation. Secretary Wormuth engaged in a moderated conversation with Dean Alyssa Ayres, who asked the Secretary a myriad of questions, including the US Army’s strategies to establish a culture of accountability and the next steps for the army’s integration and adaptability. The school held this event under Chatham House Rules to give students unprecedented opportunities to hear from national and international leaders and provide broad strokes about the topics Secretary Wormuth discussed.

June 10, 2024June 10, 2024

Dr. Jisoo Kim Selected as Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow

Investigating Power Dynamics in Korean History and Redefining Legal Narratives in Marriage

Dr. Jisoo M. Kim, Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures, has been selected by the Harvard Radcliffe Institute as a fellow for the 2024–2025 academic year. A year-long Radcliffe fellowship provides the rare opportunity to intensely pursue ambitious projects in the unique environment of the Institute. Each fellowship class is drawn from some of the most thoughtful and exciting contemporary scholars in the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and arts—along with writers, journalists, playwrights, and other distinguished professionals. For this year’s historic 25th anniversary class, Radcliffe accepted just 3.3 percent of applicants.

Dr. Kim’s research interests lie in law, gender and sexuality, emotions, affect, and forensic medicine. At Radcliffe, she will conduct research at the Schlesinger Library and work on a book that investigates the criminalization of heterosexual intimacies and unequal power structures in marriage in Korean history. This year’s Radcliffe fellows will be part of a unique interdisciplinary and creative community that will step away from routines to tackle projects that they have long wished to move forward. Throughout the academic year, fellows convene regularly to share their work in progress with the community and public.

About: Jisoo M. Kim is Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures at George Washington University. She is Founding Director of the GW Institute for Korean Studies (2017-Present) and Founding Co-Director of the East Asia National Resource Center (2018-Present). She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Korean Studies. She specializes in gender, sexuality, law, emotions, and affect in Korean history. She is the author of The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Chosŏn Korea (University of Washington Press, 2016), which was awarded the 2017 James Palais Prize of the Association for Asian Studies. She is also the co-editor of The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation by JaHyun Kim Haboush (Columbia University Press, 2016). She is currently working on a book project tentatively entitled Criminalizing Intimacy: Marriage, Concubinage, and Adultery Law in Korea, 1469-2015. She received her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University.

About Harvard Radcliffe Institute: The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is one of the world’s leading centers for interdisciplinary exploration. We bring students, scholars, artists, and practitioners together to pursue curiosity-driven research, expand human understanding, and grapple with questions that demand insight from across disciplines.

For more information, visit www.radcliffe.harvard.edu.

June 4, 2024June 5, 2024

Kluge Fellowship Recipient Spotlight: Dr. Leniqueca Welcome

Exploring Postcolonial Statecraft and Anti-Blackness in Trinidad

Leniqueca Welcome, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs, was awarded a 9-month Kluge Fellowship from the Library of Congress to work on her book manuscript.

Dr. Welcome is a multimodal anthropologist and designer from Trinidad and Tobago. Her research and teaching interests are postcolonial statecraft, racialization, gendering, securitization, visuality, and affect. Her work combines more traditional ethnographic methods with photography and collage.

The Kluge Center at the Library of Congress supports interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences. Scholars in various fields can access extensive collections, including the world’s largest law library and diverse materials like manuscripts, maps, music, films, and more. Established in 2000 with a $60 million endowment from John W. Kluge, its Fellows have gone on to achieve notable academic success and public recognition, making lasting contributions as public intellectuals.Twelve Kluge Fellowships are awarded annually. The fellowship will enable Welcome to focus on her first book manuscript, which examines criminalization and the operation of colonial technologies of anti-blackness over space and time in Trinidad.

Welcome’s writing can also be found in venues such as Small Axe: A Caribbean Journal of Criticism, Multimodality & Society, and Cultural Anthropology.

About: Leniqueca Welcome received her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology with certificates in urban studies and experimental ethnography from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021. Prior to starting her Ph.D. program, she was trained as an architect at the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and worked at ACLA architecture (a design firm in Trinidad) until 2015.

Learn more about Kluge Fellowships from the Library of Congress.

June 4, 2024June 4, 2024

The Taiwan Relations Act: Safeguarding Taiwan’s Security

Exhibit Looks Back on 45 Year History

The Sigur Center for Asian Studies recently collaborated with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative’s Office in the US (TECRO) on a photo exhibition celebrating 45 years of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) entitled “TRA@45”. The exhibit launched on May 7th with a panel discussion on the Taiwan Relations Act featuring the Taiwan Representative to the United States, Ambassador Alexander Tah-ray Yui.

Enacted on April 10, 1979, the Taiwan Relations Act authorized the United States to maintain substantive relations with Taiwan after the U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. It allows the U.S. to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons and support for its self-defense and states that any threat to Taiwan’s security is of grave concern to the U.S.

The act emphasizes that any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means is a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area.

2024 marks the 45th anniversary of this landmark legislation, and TECRO has organized the TRA@45 exhibition of photographs to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of the enduring friendship that Taiwan and the United States have built over the past four decades.

May 2, 2024May 6, 2024

Elliott School Wins Prestigious Awards for Innovation and Inclusion

Two Elliott School programs received prestigious awards from the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a global network comprising 40 leading schools of international affairs. The Generations Dialogue Project (GDP) won the 2024 APSIA Inclusion Award for Community Building, while the Data Literacy Initiative (DAPP) received the Innovation Award for Professional Development Programming.

Notably, the Elliott School was the only school to win multiple accolades.

The Generations Dialogue Project aims to increase diversity in the foreign policy field by connecting young people with giants who blazed a trail in international affairs. Peer-led intergenerational dialogues address anxieties that may prevent younger generations from pursuing these careers, with candid sharing of experiences and life lessons beyond career achievements.

Jennifer Brinkerhoff, professor of public administration and international affairs at George Washington University who leads the Generations Dialogue Project, reflected, “It has been such an honor to engage with so many amazing students and giants of international affairs who shared so generously and personally to support the next generation. I am deeply gratified that APSIA recognizes the importance of this type of engagement.”

GW’s Data Literacy Initiative also earned top honors from APSIA for equipping current and future policymakers with cutting-edge data analytics skills. The innovative program bridges the gap between data science and traditional policy analysis to revolutionize policymaking in today’s information-rich world. Data Analytics for Policy Professionals (DAPP) is a program for professionals of all ages and career stages. Its curriculum was developed in consultation with federal agencies including the U.S. Department of State, the Department of Labor, the Foreign Service Institute, and the National Security Council, as well as think tanks and industry leaders such as fp21 and GDIT. The ability to bridge data skills with job-specific knowledge is increasingly in demand across the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Laila Sorurbakhsh, assistant dean of academic programs, assistant professor of international affairs and director of online education who co-directed the initiative, said, ”I am thrilled that the Data Analytics for Policy Professionals program has been honored with APSIA’s 2024 Innovation Award! I am immensely proud of the collaborative efforts of my co-director, Emmanuel Teitelbaum, Chris Markiewicz, assistant director of academic programs, our exceptional students, and our dedicated instructors. Together, they embody a spirit of innovation and excellence here at GW.”