As photos of the Paris Solidarity March emerged featuring international heads of state arm-in-arm, Americans could not help but ask, where was President Obama?
This recent controversy surrounding the lack of U.S. representation at a march against violent extremism underscores one of the most undervalued aspects of effective diplomacy: simply showing up. Continue
As we all do, I have been thinking a lot about what 2015 will bring. Here are some of my thoughts, in no particular order, on what U.S. foreign policy must focus on this year. 1) Revitalize NATO NATO is a critical body for international security, but its importance and resources have been waning. As Russia tests the limits of NATO’s resolve, aggravating Cold War mentalities, NATO must stand strong as a coalition to safeguard freedom, security, and democratic values. 2) Finalize and adopt outstanding trade deals Negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)...
Continue
Alumni of the 2013 Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) reconnected this past February in Erbil. Alums from both the High School and Undergraduate programs gathered to reflect on their experiences and participate in workshops and panel discussions that built upon the skills students developed last summer in the United States. Meridian invited IYLEP alumni to submit a blog post describing their personal experience and growth with the program. We selected the winning entries to post on The LEAD. Sara A. was selected as the winner for the IYLEP High School group.
On Tuesday, November 4th, visitors from around the world participating in a variety of our programs gathered at various polling stations across the United States to witness democracy in action. These visitors were on both the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and our GlobalConnect projects. Visitors observed elections in 10 cities: Sacramento, California, Manchester, New Hampshire, Raleigh, North Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, Minneapolis, Minnesota, San Antonio, Texas, New York, New York, Annapolis, Maryland, Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
Listen up. Young African leaders have a few things to say about youth leadership. These 24 incredible changemakers from Togo, Senegal, Chad and Mauritania traveled to the United States to learn and discuss social entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and community building. The leaders were here last month as part of our second cohort of Pan-African Youth Leadership Program, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Each student developed a community service project or small enterprise to implement upon their return home. Projects ranged from jewelry-making ventures to new libraries to school clean-up initiatives. We’re excited...
Continue
