Center for Diplomatic Engagement

Diplomacy today, diplomacy tomorrow

Posted under: Center for Diplomatic Engagement By Urwah Ahmad / September 16, 2020

The following blog post is a three-part series adapted from Ambassador Yovanovitch’s Trainor Award lecture, delivered in Gaston Hall at Georgetown University in February 2020 and originally published on the Medium. In the series of blog, she reflects on her career in the Foreign Service, the state of diplomacy today, and the U.S. role in the world. PART 1: The power of example I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself and why I decided to become a diplomat. Because it was pretty unlikely, but all American stories are unlikely. That is the beauty of America. I grew...

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Teaching in Rural Japan Amidst a Pandemic

Posted under: Center for Diplomatic Engagement By Nic Cervantes / September 10, 2020

The following was written by Regan McAllister, former Fellow in Meridian’s Professional Exchanges Division. Her perspective displays how people around the world are facing the same challenges and how we can be stronger at home by understanding global issues. Last August, I moved to a small town in northern Japan to be an English Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) through the Japan Exchanges and Teaching (JET) Program. The first seven months of living in Aomori, Japan, were lively and full of seasonal festivals, school events and regional traveling. As I enter my second year, a ‘new normal’ has taken hold...

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The Fight to End Anti-Black Racism Should Know No Borders – From the U.S. to Pakistan

Posted under: Center for Diplomatic Engagement By Urwah Ahmad / August 3, 2020

This blog post was contributed by Urwah Ahmad, Global Communications Fellow at Meridian, where we believe that we are stronger at home when globally engaged. I never knew that my history of having grown up in between Pakistan and the United States would provide such a better perspective on a multitude of issues. Having learned about and experienced the long-term effects that colonialism and institutionalized racism has left on Pakistan and South Asia, helped me to be better engaged with and understand the Black Lives Matter movement at home in the U.S. From the tensions and divisions between ethnic groups in Pakistan and...

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El sombrero de paja toquilla

Posted under: Center for Diplomatic Engagement By Frank Justice / July 18, 2020

This blog was originally written in 2012 by Frank Justice, Vice President of Meridian’s Center for Diplomatic Engagement. The hat stood out. As the group of indigenous and minority rights leaders from Central and South America made their way into the majestic Meridian House drawing room for the opening of their international exchange visit, an unexpected assortment of colors filled the space. Yes, the skin colors varied, but it was the array of their Native dress, each distinct and unique, mixed in with the suits and contemporary business attire sported by fellow international participants that brightened the room and...

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“An Existential Crisis of Diplomacy”: Pandemic Response and Potential Reforms at the State Department

Posted under: Center for Diplomatic Engagement By Urwah Ahmad / July 15, 2020

This post was written by Sara Huzar, intern at Meridian’s Center for Diplomatic Engagement. Around the world, officials are starting to lift the strict pandemic measures and replace them with softer guidelines on how to conduct business safely for the foreseeable future. For citizens and businesses, these measures widely referred to as the “new normal” feel anything but. Members of the diplomatic corps are facing the same daunting readjustment, begging the question of what might be next for diplomacy? These are the issues that Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Congressman Joaquin Castro discussed in a virtual event hosted by Foreign Policy for America. In the conversation, moderated FPA Board...

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IVLP Impact Awards Perspectives: Building Bridges for Women’s Political Empowerment

EXCHANGES AS A TOOL FOR WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT: THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE (IWOC) AWARD CASE STUDY

From Anime to Expo Milano: Meridian Hosts a Dynamic Discussion on Cultural Diplomacy

Diplomacy today, diplomacy tomorrow

Teaching in Rural Japan Amidst a Pandemic

The Fight to End Anti-Black Racism Should Know No Borders – From the U.S. to Pakistan

El sombrero de paja toquilla

“An Existential Crisis of Diplomacy”: Pandemic Response and Potential Reforms at the State Department