By Matt Stinson, A’25
In November 2021, ALLIES hosted their 8th annual Civil-Military Relations Conference (CMRC). As part of the conference, attendees participated in a simulation-based on this year’s theme: Nation-Building and Peacekeeping in the 21st century. The CMRC planning team entirely crafted the simulation under the direction of CMRC directors Jackson Lubke (A’23) and Clara Etchegaray (A’22).
This year’s scenario was focused on statecraft, and participants had the opportunity to tackle the complicated process of managing the geopolitical consequences of a partitioned country and unequal power dynamics.
Students were separated into four primary groups: the two conflicting countries, a third stable regime, and a large corporation that meddled in political affairs. Additionally, each student was given their own individual role in the scenario with different and often conflicting motivations and objections.
Overall, the experience was valuable for participants as they navigated many of the real-world impacts of nation-building by negotiating and cooperating with the various actors in the simulation.
The teams were encouraged to think through complex and often tricky interstate conflicts. Students also were able to effectively reason on a strategic level, which will be highly beneficial as they pursue careers in various fields in the future.
Beyond the educational benefits of the simulation, it connected students interested in diplomacy, international relations, and nation-building by bringing together participants from different academic backgrounds and allowing them to apply the theories they have been learning in the classroom to a realistic scenario. The simulation served as a fun but challenging activity for participants on Sunday afternoon and helped build meaningful friendships that will last a lifetime.
ALLIES would like to thank those that attended the simulation, the Institute for Global Leadership, and the entire CMRC planning team for their hard work, and are excited for future events this semester.