Cartoons in the COVID-19 Era

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Safaa Odah of the Palestinian Territories

Political cartoons can be biting or amusing, and in a moment of crisis they can illustrate a simple, persuasive point with no words at all. It is a form of satire that gives insight into the events and issues happening all around us. Amid a global pandemic, when there is information everywhere, using a picture may be more poignant than a lengthy paragraph and political cartoons grab attention and make the reader pay head. So how are cartoonists in the Middle East depicting the coronavirus in their work? Meridian administered a U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in the Fall...

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Building Bridges from America to Zimbabwe

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IVLP Alum Herod Sibanda (left) chats with Henry Collins (right) about his IVLP experience

The following was written by Mr. James Horsman, IVLP Program Officer at World Learning What if you found out that something you do every day had a tremendous impact on someone’s life years earlier? What if that impact was felt across the world and you found out that person is someone in your family? All of this came true when I learned that my father-in-law, Herod Benjamin Sibanda from Zimbabwe, was a past participant in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). His IVLP project was administered by Meridian International Center, which along with World Learning and six other National...

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Prime Minister of New Zealand is an IVLP Alumna

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (Photo Credit: NZTE on Flickr)

This post is the seventh entry in a blog series detailing the itineraries of both current and former Heads of State who participated in a Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project arranged by Meridian International Center. The entry below summarizes the IVLP itinerary of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Continue  

Program Theme Spotlight: Energy Security

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An IVLP Energy Security group from Europe surveys solar panels installed by students atop a school in Anacostia, District of Columbia

The issue of energy security is defined by the International Energy Association as “the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price.” A U.S. foreign policy priority and a key topic for the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), projects on energy security and related topics will be coming through the programming pipeline with increasing frequency.

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IVLP Alumni Spotlight: Renewable Energy Studied in Iraq

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Dr. Firas Albadran examines Nextera Energy wind turbines in Oklahoma on his IVLP project

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 one alumnus who participated in a multi-regional project examining energy security. The participant spent three weeks in the United States exploring the roles and work of energy suppliers, technology developers, and university researchers. The program also introduced visitors to multiple sides of the energy debate including advocates for increased use of fossil fuels, renewably sourced energy, or “all of the above.”
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