51社区黑料

By Mariah Yorke

Aided by the International Studies Travel Award offered by SFU鈥檚 School for International Studies, I had the opportunity to participate in SFU鈥檚 NATO Field School (NFS) and Simulation Program. Composed of 42 students from across Canada and 8 other NATO member states, the cohort travelled to Estonia, Latvia, Belgium, and Italy, with additional day trips to Finland, the Netherlands, and Germany. Running from May until mid-June, the program exposes students to the otherwise inaccessible inner workings of NATO and introduce them to the intricacies of multilateral negotiations.

Throughout the six weeks abroad, we visited various bodies of NATO and related centres of the European Union, including鈥攂ut not limited to鈥擭ATO HQ, the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia at Camp Adazi, the European External Action Service, and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. Additionally, we visited several national agencies, such as the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where we spoke with Minister Baiba Bra啪e and Mihai Popsoi, the Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova.

Beyond our day visits and lectures at various locations, we also participated in two major simulations. The first took place at NATO HQ in Brussels, where we were joined by 20 additional visiting students for an intensive week of preparations and three days of negotiations under the mentorship of Professor Mark Webber, Professor of International Politics at the University of Birmingham.

Within that week, we received briefings from a number of delegations, which included French, American, and German diplomats, before entering negotiations on a new NATO defence budget and a statement regarding the Russo-Ukrainian War. The second simulation was hosted by the NATO Defense College in Italy and mentored by Colonel S酶ren Knudsen, Illay Ferrier, and Patrick Andrews. The Negotiation, Mediation, and Decision-Making Exercise (NMDX) simulated a fictional crisis management scenario that called for NATO intervention. Here, students were tasked with managing a week of negotiations, representing the national interests of various delegations as daily developments made the training situation, and finding consensus, increasingly more complex.

As a student of critical security studies, I was challenged in new ways as my education was confronted by applications outside the classroom. Stepping into NFS, I brought with me heavy skepticism towards the military-political Alliance. I was not only forced to contend with the shortcomings, biases, and controversies of NATO, but I was also confronted by challenges to my understanding of what security means and how it is tangibly achieved.

Furthermore, in the lead-up to the highly anticipated 2025 Hague summit and the developments from the American administration, the question of NATO relevance had reached not only headlines but also our discussions as a cohort. Hearing from both professionals and students, we engaged in dialogues about the purpose and future of NATO in a changing world.

Within the different forums we visited, I had the opportunity to learn from an array of professionals through briefings, interactive panels, and constructive mentorship. Meeting with people from so many specialisations served to expand my career aspirations and point me in new directions for higher education. Furthermore, I found this aspect of the NFS worked towards professionalising us students in all aspects, from introducing us to prestigious areas of work to how we dressed and conducted ourselves, ultimately equipping us for our own professional futures.

More than this, the NFS significantly enhanced my development as both a young professional and a global citizen. Working alongside my peers who brought insights from their unique backgrounds as we navigated these new experiences together strengthened my appreciation for international cooperation.

I want to give a special thank you to SFU鈥檚 Dr. Alexander Moens for creating such a unique opportunity for students, and to all the capable staff who made this program possible.