A Case for Global Leadership

The world is at an inflection point. Throughout both the developing and developed world, people are unsure about their future and have lost faith in their leaders and their institutions. We are seeing this in the rise of populism and xenophobia – from the rise of ISIS to Brexit and the rhetoric of America’s presidential election. While the tendency in this environment is to look towards nationalism, the world is too globalized and interconnected for countries to solve domestic and international issues alone. Moreover, neither governments nor the private sector or civil society will be able to overcome these...

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U.K. Parliamentarians Meet with U.S. Representatives through BAPG Exchange Program

In 2004, a rising Conservative in the United Kingdom Parliament named Theresa May participated in the British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG), a Department of State exchange program co-founded with the U.K. Parliament in 1977 and administered by Meridian International Center. Ms. May and several colleagues traveled to the United States for meetings with U.S. congressional representatives to learn about America’s political process and its domestic debates, in turn sharing their perspectives on pressing challenges facing the U.K. and Europe. Continue  

Remembering the “Forgotten War”: U.S. Congress – Republic of Korea National Assembly Exchange Program

On June 25, 1950, the Korean War commenced. On September 15, United States led the 21 nation-Allied Forces in valiant efforts to help South Koreans repel the Chinese-based communist troops allied with the North Korean troops invading from the North. Nearly 38,000 U.N. troops, most of them from the U.S., died during the conflict. The war resulted in a truce, yet the peninsula remains divided to this day. For South Koreans and Americans, we have familiarized ourselves with this version of the Korean War. However, many of us fail to recognize the most crucial part of the story. Thus,...

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IVLP Alumni Spotlight: Two Women Countering Violent Extremism

 

IVLP Alumni Spotlight features U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni as they reflect on the impact of the program and how it has affected their work and lives.  Here we feature two alumni who participated in a Multi-Regional project for women engaged in countering terrorism on practitioner and grassroots levels in their own countries. The participants spent two weeks in the United States examining the growing threat of terrorism and extremist organizations, the role of women within these organizations, the radicalization of women, and the tools and strategies that help counter this threat.

 

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Educating the Next Generation of Global Leaders: #MeridianSummit

I am so incredibly lucky. I was born in America in a prosperous time to parents that not only valued my education, but had the time, resources, and capacity to be fully engaged. They sacrificed to send me to private schools, staying up until all my homework was done and explaining difficult concepts until they wanted to pull their hair out. But they did so I would have as many opportunities as possible. They poured their all into my education and in turn, gave me an impassioned outlook on my future. That is why I cannot get Deputy Secretary...

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