This reflection post comes a little later than normal because a lot happened this week. I wanted some time to reflect before writing a reflection. Things that happened this past week feel like they happened a month ago. I've been incredibly busy not only with work (like always) but also with studying for midterms and the Model G20 summit this weekend, which I will discuss in detail because it was super exciting and my friends are tired of me talking about it.
The Model G20 summit this weekend has to be one of my highlights at AU thus far. At first, I was super intimidated by the concept because obviously I've never been involved in (fake or otherwise) international debates. Not to mention, we had two members drop out two days before the summit and one get sick on the morning of. I went from being a policy advisor, who only has to do research and facilitate communication, to being the Finance Minister, who sits at the negotiation table and represents the entire finance track of the delegation. I don't know a thing about economics. Luckily, I represented the World Health Organization so we didn't have a huge stake in trade reform or international loan debt. With that said, I enjoyed figuring out where we fit into the conversation on those topics and advocating for human health and rights. Also, it was super cool to sit at the table and be part of an "international" conversation. There were definitely times where I could see myself doing that for real.
However, I will admit that there were definitely times where I had minor mental breakdowns: when the U.S. debated with anyone who would respond for twenty minutes on the word "multilateral" every time it came up (which was so many times) and when Russia and China nearly refused to adopt the communique because it mentioned the word "transparency." I asked my Central Bank Governor, "How do people do this for a living? It's so boring." And even with all that debate over rhetoric and word choice, the communique was vague and empty. The G20 had to reach a consensus and therefore couldn't create specific policies or changes. Everything was "encouraged," "supported," "reaffirmed," etc. At the end of it all, when we all adopted the communique, the entire room applauded and it made me feel kind of gross. I imagined what it was like at the real G20 with elites sitting around a table applauding themselves for rewriting the same vague statements they made last year. It made me lose a little faith in diplomacy.
I took an interest in international relations because I want to make real change in the world for as many people as possible. While the G20 might not be the route, that doesn't mean I can't still make (or, at the very least, advocate for) meaningful change. Some recent events in my personal life have made me more committed ("reaffirmed"?) to this goal that I hold dear to my heart. These same events also made me consider constructivism. How has coming to AU changed my perspective by introducing me to new perspectives and narratives? I've already adopted some of the cultural norms here. Is it perhaps due to my initial interaction with the people here (which occurred over facetime, actually before I got to campus)? I know it's kind of ridiculous to apply international relations theories to my life, but this essay is kinda stuck in my stream of consciousness- I'm sitting in my dorm in Star Wars pajama pants hoping for some space policy inspiration.
With the craziness of this week, and knowing that next will indeed also suck, I'm trying to take a little break. It's difficult to push midterm stress to the back of my mind, even for just an hour, but I'll try. I'm just hoping that all this work results in something a little more substantial than the G20 communique.
The Model G20 summit this weekend has to be one of my highlights at AU thus far. At first, I was super intimidated by the concept because obviously I've never been involved in (fake or otherwise) international debates. Not to mention, we had two members drop out two days before the summit and one get sick on the morning of. I went from being a policy advisor, who only has to do research and facilitate communication, to being the Finance Minister, who sits at the negotiation table and represents the entire finance track of the delegation. I don't know a thing about economics. Luckily, I represented the World Health Organization so we didn't have a huge stake in trade reform or international loan debt. With that said, I enjoyed figuring out where we fit into the conversation on those topics and advocating for human health and rights. Also, it was super cool to sit at the table and be part of an "international" conversation. There were definitely times where I could see myself doing that for real.
However, I will admit that there were definitely times where I had minor mental breakdowns: when the U.S. debated with anyone who would respond for twenty minutes on the word "multilateral" every time it came up (which was so many times) and when Russia and China nearly refused to adopt the communique because it mentioned the word "transparency." I asked my Central Bank Governor, "How do people do this for a living? It's so boring." And even with all that debate over rhetoric and word choice, the communique was vague and empty. The G20 had to reach a consensus and therefore couldn't create specific policies or changes. Everything was "encouraged," "supported," "reaffirmed," etc. At the end of it all, when we all adopted the communique, the entire room applauded and it made me feel kind of gross. I imagined what it was like at the real G20 with elites sitting around a table applauding themselves for rewriting the same vague statements they made last year. It made me lose a little faith in diplomacy.
I took an interest in international relations because I want to make real change in the world for as many people as possible. While the G20 might not be the route, that doesn't mean I can't still make (or, at the very least, advocate for) meaningful change. Some recent events in my personal life have made me more committed ("reaffirmed"?) to this goal that I hold dear to my heart. These same events also made me consider constructivism. How has coming to AU changed my perspective by introducing me to new perspectives and narratives? I've already adopted some of the cultural norms here. Is it perhaps due to my initial interaction with the people here (which occurred over facetime, actually before I got to campus)? I know it's kind of ridiculous to apply international relations theories to my life, but this essay is kinda stuck in my stream of consciousness- I'm sitting in my dorm in Star Wars pajama pants hoping for some space policy inspiration.
With the craziness of this week, and knowing that next will indeed also suck, I'm trying to take a little break. It's difficult to push midterm stress to the back of my mind, even for just an hour, but I'll try. I'm just hoping that all this work results in something a little more substantial than the G20 communique.
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