Elliott 360 – Page 12

November 29, 2018December 3, 2018

Elliott School Senior Speaks About Youth, Peacebuilding at UAE Conference

Senior Nadia Crevecoeur said she was both honored and humbled to be part of a recent conference in Abu Dhabi to share her research on how young people can support peacebuilding efforts.

Crevecoeur is set to graduate in May from the Elliott School with a B.A. in international affairs and concentration in conflict resolution. Her involvement at the Youth and Sustainable Peace conference came through her work as a senior program assistant at Women In International Security (WIIS), which helped organize the event in partnership with TRENDS Research & Advisory.

Crevecoeur said she had been helping write a policy brief at WIIS on the Youth, Peace and Security agenda when her boss asked if she could participate in the October conference. She said she was both “elated and very nervous” to join.

“I’m just extremely honored and privileged to be at that conference and to have my voice heard, and [I’m] humbled by the other speakers,” she said.

At the event, Crevecoeur participated both as a panelist and forum participant. During the “Youth, Gender and Peace” panel, she spoke about how young women can contribute in peacebuilding efforts and how they can sometimes be left out of the decision-making process due to their age and gender.

Crevecoeur also participated in a forum with nine others, all under the age of 33, to talk about the UN Youth Strategy, Fifth Priority Peace and resilience building. She said it “was like a conversation with friends” and that they all still talk via group messaging chats.

Crevecoeur’s favorite conference memory was when she and other participants were doing a soundcheck and they were joking they should open up their own think tank.

“I thought that was really funny, and then I looked around the room and thought, “Wow! We probably could!” she said. “It was a cute memory, but it was really empowering because that was the point of the conference, to empower young people. And it was good because we looked around the room and thought, “Wait, we could actually do this.”

A first generation Haitian American, Crevecoeur grew up in Churchill, Maryland. She is the co-founding president of March On the Campus, a GW student group formed following the 2017 Women’s March, and is the president of Delta Phi Epsilon, a professional foreign service sorority.

November 1, 2018November 1, 2018

Elliott School Honors Life, Legacy of Swiss Diplomat Carl Lutz

More than 100 students, faculty, staff and residents joined us at the Elliott School on Tuesday, Oct. 23, to hear about the late Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz, whose bravery and tireless efforts saved the lives of 62,000 Jewish people living in Hungary during the Holocaust. Lutz has a GW connection, having received his B.A. from the Columbian College in 1924.

Lutz acted “without hesitation to help the Budapest Jewish community,” said Martin Werner Dahinden, the ambassador of Switzerland to the U.S, at the event. Lutz received his bachelor’s degree in 1924 from GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and is a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

“There is a reason why we need to remember and keep the memory of people like Carl Lutz alive,” Dahinden said. “He serves as a role model for future generations. We want to remember the heroism so that it continues unabated.”

Lutz’s rescue strategy involved issuing letters of protection that helped guarantee a Jewish person’s safety in Hungary. He negotiated with the country’s government and German regime to secure 8,000 of these letters to hand out to Jewish residents of Hungary. He then secretly issued tens of thousands more letters than he was originally granted, which historians say was the largest civilian rescue operation of World War II.

Lutz also set up 76 safe houses in Hungary that were under Swiss protection.

The Oct. 23 event also featured remarks from Dean Reuben Brigety; Frederic Hayat of the G.I.L. Reform Jewish Community of Geneva, Switzerland; Agnes Hirschi, Lutz’s step-daughter; and Katrina Lantos Swett, the president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.

Swett said Lutz was “willing to shred the rules to do what was morally right.” She emphasized that it is important to study his story and actions to help “show the path” on what to do when faced with seemingly intractable moral challenges.

The event was sponsored by the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, Embassy of Switzerland, the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and the Hungarian American Coalition. View our photo album from the event.

October 31, 2018

International Day of the Girl- How One Elliott School Student is Making a Difference

Oct. 11, 2018, marked the sixth annual International Day of the Girl. The UN-sponsored event highlights and addresses the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting their empowerment and human rights. This year’s theme was With Her: A Skilled GirlForce.

Pratyusha Sibal, a graduate student in the Elliott School’s International Development studies program, is an intern with The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment Program team in Washington, D.C. She recently had an opportunity to write a blog post for the foundation about the importance of developing skills among a new generation of girls preparing to enter the global workforce.

According to the UN, of the 1 billion young people – including 600 million adolescent girls – who will enter the workforce in the next decade, more than 90 percent of those living in developing countries will work in informal sectors, where low pay, abuse, and exploitation are common.

Sibal says her interest in gender and development comes from her upbringing and experience. “I was born and raised in India, and my passion for gender issues stems from myriad of personal experiences, as well as work and study in Beijing, Bangkok, and Paris. Having witnessed gender discrimination firsthand, I wrote this article from personal observations over the years, along with extensive research.“

Sibal landed the internship with help from advisers in Elliott’s Office of Graduate Student Services. The internship is growing her skillset as a gender professional, she says. “Being able to contribute feedback on proposals and publications regarding women’s political participation, economic empowerment and their rights and security, in addition to assisting with logistics and events, is strengthening my understanding of what a career as a gender adviser entails.”

Looking forward, March 8, 2019, is International Women’s Day. At the Elliott School, students and faculty will honor the day with a public event and photo exhibition, #PressforProgress, Celebrating Women in Politics. At The Asia Foundation, there will be a range of events and activities.To learn more, visit the foundation’s website.

October 31, 2018October 31, 2018

The Reading Room- Elliott Faculty Book RoundUp

Several prominent Elliott School faculty members recently published books dissecting urgent global issues. In four new volumes, Elliott authors cover the globe, offering insight into the plight of Palestinian refugees, Russian identity in the 21st century, the evangelical Christian movement, and the evolution of China’s foreign affairs. In case you missed the latest book-launch series, here is a round-up of writings from our world-class faculty.

llana Feldman, Life Lived in Relief: Humanitarian Predicaments and Palestinian Refugee Politics

About the Book

Palestinian refugees’ experience of protracted displacement is among the lengthiest in history. In her breathtaking new book, Feldman explores this community’s engagement with humanitarian assistance over a 70-year period and its persistent efforts to alter present and future conditions. Based on extensive archival and field research, Life Lived in Relief offers a comprehensive account of the Palestinian refugee experience in many places and across multiple generations.

Marlene Laruelle and Jean Radvanyi, Understanding Russia: The Challenges of Transformation.

About the Book

This timely book provides a balanced and comprehensive view of the multiple forces that drive contemporary Russia. While this vast nation has long inspired fear in the West, Russia itself is frightened, the authors argue. Three decades after perestroika, multiple ghosts haunt both Russian elites and ordinary citizens, ranging from concerns about territorial challenges and economic decline to worries about vulnerability to external intervention. Faced with a West that emerged victorious from the Cold War, an increasingly powerful China and struggles with former Soviet republics, Russia today often questions its identity, its path forward, and its role on the international stage.

Melanie McAlister, The Kingdom of God Has No Borders: A Global History of American Evangelicals.

About the Book

More than 40 years ago, conservative Christianity emerged as a major force in American political life. The Kingdom of God Has No Borders offers a daring new perspective on conservative Christianity, shifting the lens to focus on the world outside U.S. borders. McAlister offers a sweeping narrative of the last 50 years of evangelical history, upending much of what we thought we knew about American evangelicals.

Robert Sutter, Foreign Relations of the PRC: The Legacies and Constraints of China’s International Politics Since 1949, Second Edition.

About the Book

This cogent, comprehensive book examines the international relations of the People’s Republic of China in the decades since its founding in 1949. Sutter provides a balanced assessment of the country’s recent advances, as well as the important legacies and constraints that hamper it, especially challenged from neighboring nations — long the major focus of China’s foreign policy. Sutter demonstrates how Beijing has carefully constructed an image of a nation that adheres to morally correct policies, all the while racking up a record of inconsistent behavior and frequent episodes of violence, intimidation and coercion.

October 2, 2018October 3, 2018

Bringing Student Experiences Abroad, Home to the Elliott School

Every year, Elliott School students travel the globe in search of international education, overseas internships and connections abroad — and of course, the thing that sets Elliott School students apart — real-life, in-the-field experiences. This past academic year was no exception. The submissions from the annual Elliott School Abroad photo competition were exceptional.

We received submissions from faraway locations including Brazil, Serbia, Norway, Chile, Uganda, and the Korean Demilitarized Zone. They depict breathtaking landscapes and stories of humanity, often focusing on visual portrayals of the international struggles Elliott School students have witnessed and hope to one day help to solve.

This year, due to the quality and variety of submissions, the Elliott School will hold an exhibition of the featured photography and host an opening reception on October 25, located in the Elliott School’s second floor atrium space. At the conclusion of the exhibit, the students will have the opportunity to take the prints home to hang as a reminder of their accomplishments and time abroad.

We are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Elliott School Abroad Photo Contest!

Honorable Mention:
Bellín submitted by Cole Falkner, B.A. ’20

Chile
“In Puerto Natales, I walked into a woman’s shop. The walls were littered with handsewn sweaters, intricately crafted jewelry and a myriad of photographs all made by local artists or herself. We spoke about the art in the shop, and I bought some photos, then she let me take her photo. Her name was Bellín.”

Honorable Mention:
The Saharan Situation submitted by Calla Gilson, B.A.’18

Morocco
“This photo was taken in the desert as each member of my study abroad cohort raised their unique color of the traditional dyed scarf of the region to billow in the breeze. The contrast of the colors against the Saharan sand reflects the vivid nature of my time in such a colorful country.”

Honorable Mention
Battling the Sea submitted by Yongbao Zhuang, B.A. ’20

Aomori, Japan
This photo was shot on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the northeastern prefecture of Aomori, and depicts a local fisherman battling against the storm while fishing for clams and oysters. The Aomori Prefecture, along with Iwate and Miyagi prefecture, are located near the Japan Fishing Ground— one of the countries and is in decline due to overfishing.

3rd Place:
Machu Picchu Sunrise submitted by Lauren Bell, B.A.’19

Peru
After a four-day trek through the Inca Jungle, the group I was with hiked up to Machu Picchu around 5 in the morning. When we arrived at the top the sun was rising above the foggy mountains and there were more alpacas and people. It was a new, beautiful world for me.

2nd Place:
الشاي مع الأصدقاء (Tea with friends) submitted by Shannon McKeown, B.A.’19

Wadi Rum desert, Wadi Rum Village, Jordan
This picture was taken in a traditional Bedouin tent in Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. Tea is an important part of Jordanian culture as it facilitates social interactions and a sense of community.

1st Place:
Joy submitted by Chinwe Weli, M.A.’18

Meherpur, Bangladesh
This photo was shot at a local school in the Meherpur district in Bangladesh. The female students are captured laughing excitedly after answering a question in class. Their school recently received a multimedia classroom from Save the Children as the government works to introduce innovative solutions to the primary education system.

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos. It truly was the most impressive group the Elliott School has ever received. And don’t forget to capture your experiences this year! We hope to see everyone at the exhibit’s opening reception on October 25, 2018.

October 2, 2018October 3, 2018

Beyond the Front Page: “Matters of State” Alumni Podcast

October 1, 2018October 3, 2018

Freeman Fellows In Asia

Last year, 19 Elliott School graduate students set off for various destinations across Asia to intern for NGOs, the U.S. Department of State, for-profit companies, social enterprise startups and humanitarian assistance organizations. All of these students had received Freeman Foundation grants that enabled their travel, supported living expenses and offered a modest stipend to finance their otherwise unpaid internships. The students applied through and received assistance from the Graduate Student Services (GSS) office throughout the application process.

Nickolas Sorensen, M.A. ’19, headed to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to work for an Australian-owned social enterprise called SHE Investments. There, he created workshops for micro-enterprises, applying for grants in order to help the businesses achieve growth and navigate the country’s bureaucracy. This is Sorensen’s fourth stint in Asia; he has previously worked in Nepal, Taiwan and India. After graduating, Nic plans to return to Asia for full-time work in humanitarian assistance.

For Breanna Bethel, M.A. ’19, Asia was a completely new experience. Having traveled extensively in Europe, she wanted to experience something less familiar and set her sights on China. She was hired by the State Department’s Shanghai office to help manage local contracts and administration for one of the largest diplomatic posts in China. Despite experiencing stronger culture shock than she had anticipated, Bethel still dramatically improved her spoken Chinese, learned the fine art of Chinese dumpling making and gave a presentation to Chinese nationals about the differences between rural and urban America. She also is eager to explore more of Asia and next hopes to travel to Japan.

The generous Freeman Foundation grants were enabled by Mansfield Freeman, a member of the original management group that started an insurance business in China at the turn of the 20th century. The fledgling business grew into the behemoth American International Group (AIG). Freeman also was a prominent scholar of Chinese philosophy and the founder of the Freeman Foundation, created to promote mutual cross-cultural understanding between Asia and the United States.

September 5, 2018September 6, 2018

How I Spent My Summer

An Interview with Margaret Meiman, ESIA BA ’20

We caught up with Elliott School junior Maggie Meiman at the start of the semester to chat about her summer internship at the Atlantic Council, a major think tank focused on strengthening the transatlantic alliance. A New Jersey native, Maggie honed her critical-thinking skills debating global issues as a member of her high-school debate team. At the Elliott School, she is a double major in international affairs and economics. When not in class or writing papers, she is often engaged in service work with members of her professional foreign-service sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon. A stipend from GW’s Knowledge in Action Career Internship Fund made it possible for Maggie to accept this prestigious internship.

Tell us a bit about your work as a summer intern at the Atlantic Council.

I worked in the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, which focuses on democratization, economic development, and disinformation within the post-Soviet space.

What issues did you work on?

My research focused heavily on Kremlin-led disinformation and misinformation in various countries, as well as the legal remedies countries use to combat them. For example, I explored how Estonia’s situation differs from scenarios in Germany and Moldova.

Why was the Atlantic Council internship a good fit for you?

The internship combined my regional interest in Europe and Eurasia with my focus on economics.

A highlight from your experience?

An off-the-record roundtable we held with the former Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Kasyanov. This event was a chance for top Russia experts in D.C. to gather for a frank conversation about the current state of affairs in Russia, with an emphasis on predictions for the future.

A key takeaway?

I expanded my horizons, literally! I learned so much about Europe and Eurasia – especially about Russia, Moldova, and Georgia – that I just declared an additional concentration in this region. And I plan to use my enhanced regional knowledge and research skills when it comes time to write a thesis next year.

A point of pride from your internship?

My piece on the long term effects of the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia was published on the Atlantic Council’s blog, the New Atlanticist.

September 5, 2018September 6, 2018

A Message from the Dean…

Dear Elliott School students,

Welcome back! For those of you who are new to the Elliott School, we welcome you and look forward to getting to know you.

Over the past few days, I have been excited to see many of you return to campus. Elliott School students are some of the most talented, enthusiastic and service-oriented students I have met. And I am reminded that international affairs practitioners are a special breed. They are problem solvers, bridge-builders; they care deeply about the state of the world, and seek to find solutions to global challenges.

Many of you chose the Elliott School with the ultimate goal of a career in public service, possibly in the diplomatic corps or in the policy world. Others of you will find fulfillment in the private sector and, hopefully, use your financial success to the benefit of others. This week on Saturday, September 8, the George Washington University will host the tenth annual Freshman Day of Service and Convocation event. I encourage all of you to participate. Find a cause that you feel passionate about and give your time and energy in support of it. Gandhi once said that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service to others.

You have the power to change the world. We are here to help you figure out how. Have a wonderful academic year and remember that you are part of an inclusive and diverse community of learners. We here to support you, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Good luck and welcome home!

Reuben E. Brigety II, PhD, U.S. Ambassador (ret.)
Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs

June 5, 2018June 6, 2018

Elliott School 2018 Summer Reading List

Summer book list graphic - books under a beach umbrella

Want to brush up on international politics, history and the like this summer? Ditch the classroom and grab a couple of these books suggested by Elliott School faculty. We promise there won’t be any pop quizzes!

Mona Atia recommends

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

“Excellent book about growing up Black in America and relevant to current racial discussions.”

AND

Revolution Without Revolutionaries: Making Sense of the Arab Spring by Asef Bayât

“Excellent book for understanding the complexity of the recent events in the Middle East with rigor and nuance.”

Jennifer Brinkerhoff recommends

A Good African Story: How a Small Company Built a Global Coffee Brand by Andrew Rugsdira

“We read this on our way to Uganda last month. We were scheduled to meet the author and visit his business. It’s actually a sad story: due to local politics (he ran against a member of the ruling party for leadership of the chamber of commerce), he was slapped with an impossible tax bill and had to sell his business to a competitor.

Still the book is a great read about the challenges of economic development and meeting local people’s needs through cultivating value added production in Africa. It’s a FAR more thoughtful critique of the development industry than Moyo’s book Dead Aid.”

Maggie Chen recommends

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson

“A great read for people interested in the role of institutions in growth and development!”

Chris Kojm recommends

Radical Inclusion: What the Post 9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership by Martin Dempsey and Ori Brafman

The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs writes: “Fear of losing control in our fast-paced, complex, highly scrutinized environment is pushing us toward exclusion–exactly the wrong direction. Leaders should instead develop an instinct for inclusion.’

AND

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamad

A meditation on fear, exclusion and the immigrant experience. After 9/11, a Princeton graduate from Lahore who works on Wall Street is swept into a world of distrust, identity politics, and fundamentalism.

Harris Mylonas recommends

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Henry Nau recommends

Where They Stand: The American Presidents in the Eyes of Voters and Historians by Robert Merry

“It is an assessment of presidents and the history they have created from an awareness of how partisanship inevitably influences our views.”

AND

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

“To celebrate the recent passing of Tom Wolfe.”

Joanna Spear recommends

Preventative Engagement: How America Can Avoid War, Stay Strong and Keep the Peace by Paul Stares

“This is a clear-eyed look at the challenges that America faces and advocates an active strategy to deal with them before they become power-sapping crises.”

AND

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

“The first of a series featuring British anti-hero private investigator Jackson Brodie. In this book old and new cases of the missing (a child, several cats) come together in a complex, satisfying puzzle.”

Robert Weiner recommends

When Things Don’t Fall Apart: Global Financial Governance and Developmental Finance in an Age of Productive Incoherence by Ilene Grabel

“Economics and financial issues are at the core of many current challenges in international affairs, yet receive less attention in both scholarly and popular writing. This book helps demystify aspects of global financial crises, including the East Asian crisis of the late 1990s, the Great Recession of the 2000s, and the role of the International Monetary Fund.”

Paul Williams recommends

The Hacked World Order by Adam Segal

“Segal provides an excellent overview and analysis of developments in cyberspace and their implications for international politics and US national security policies.”

Christina Fink recommends

Myanmar’s Enemy Within: Buddhist Violence and the Making of a Muslim ‘Other’ by Francis Wade

A nuanced explanation of how the narrative of Muslims as “other” took hold in Myanmar, with vivid descriptions of the impact on people’s lives and relationships.