State Department program brings foreign policy scholars to UD
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson and courtesy of M. A. Muqtedar Khan and Dan Bottomley August 05, 2024
Program works to create nuanced understanding of U.S.
Every summer, some of the world’s most promising mid-career foreign policy scholars come to the University of Delaware to learn from foreign policy experts as part of the Study of the U.S. Institute on Foreign Policymaking (SUSI), sponsored by the U.S. State Department. But the learning is a two-way street, and the knowledge gained is often shared far beyond the UD campus.
Case in point: SUSI scholar Lucas Lima, a Brazilian professor of international law, joined forces with UD professor M. A. Muqtedar Khan to write a July 16 opinion piece for The Diplomat online magazine. As Lima explained it, one afternoon the scholars engaged in a free-ranging discussion on BRICS, the intergovernmental organization consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Long after the presentation was over, Lima and Khan, who serves as the academic director of SUSI, continued the conversation. Soon the verbal exchange became words on paper, resulting in the opinion piece in which Lucas and Khan opined that while BRICS are unhappy with the systemic bias against the Global South, they seek to reform, not replace, the current global order.
The program’s 18 participants hailed this year from Indonesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Georgia, India, Papua New Guinea, Israel and other nations. During the immersive, six-week visit, they met with foreign policy heavy hitters like U.S Sen. Chris Coons; toured the Goddard Space Center, the U.N, the U.S. Capitol and Gettysburg; and visited more than half dozen universities, including Yale, Princeton, Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania. The scholars experienced small-town Americana by way of Newark’s July 4 “Liberty Day” celebration. They dined with Delaware Lt. Gov. Bethay Hall Long at Khan’s suburban home. They visited rural Gettysburg and also walked the corridors of power in D.C.
It wasn’t Faith Mabera’s first time in the U.S., but the program’s frequent road trips to different environments provided her with a clearer picture of what life is really like in the U.S.
“In New York, each and every vendor or service person I encountered was an immigrant — either Hispanic or African or mixed ethnicity,” said Mabera, who is a senior researcher at a think tank in South Africa. “This really reinforces far-reaching ideas regarding the diversity of the populace in the U.S. and tapestry of ethnicities and cultures.”
On campus, they heard presentations on U.S. strategic priorities in the Arctic, cybersecurity, human trafficking and its connections to U.S. foreign policy, homeland security and more.
In early July, Tarang Parekh, a UD assistant professor of epidemiology, gave a presentation on U.S. public health strategies around social determinants of health. He explained that in the U.S., your zip code can say a lot about your health. The average lifespan in Philadelphia’s 19106 Society Hill zip code “near the Liberty Bell,” as he noted, is 88-years-old. In contrast, the average lifespan in the North Philadelphia zip code of 19132 is just 68 years old.
Parekh explained the reasons for this contrast, including unsafe or unhealthy housing and lack of access to education, a stable source of income, parks and fitness facilities. While government agencies and NGOs are working to lessen this discrepancy, he acknowledged that there is still much to be done.
“Presentations like Tarang’s help give the scholars a deeper and more nuanced understanding of U.S. societal conditions, culture, politics and education,” said Daniel Bottomley, who serves as SUSI program director and UD’s director of public diplomacy and global initiatives.
For Venezuelan professor Esther Mobilia Diotaiuti, being in the U.S. during a presidential election year was fortuitous.
“The opportunity to be in the United States in the middle of the campaign allowed me to get a closer look at the people’s experience and the expectations surrounding the presidential election,” she said. “This brings me a little closer to understanding the conditions of American society and how the candidates’ political proposals and government plans are viewed, especially in relation to U.S. foreign policy.”
Although the scholars returned to their home countries July 24, their collaboration continues. The overarching goal of the program, Bottomley said, is to create a robust alumni community that connects frequently and also shares this knowledge with colleagues and students. Lucas has invited several fellow SUSI scholars to lecture to his American Legal Foreign Policy class via Zoom this fall.
The program’s ripple effects extend throughout the UD community, too. SUSI scholars regularly make video appearances in Bottomley’s and Khan’s undergraduate classes. Last semester, a former SUSI scholar returned to UD as a visiting Fulbright Scholar, and several SUSI alumni currently are UD doctoral students.
It all makes for a busy summer for Bottomley and Khan, but it’s clearly a labor of love.
“Living in the U.S., you have a certain vantage point. Having conversations with these scholars — who have expertise I don’t have, and a range of experiences beyond my own — is a privilege. It informs my teaching, too,” Bottomley said. “I learn something new every day I’m with the scholars.”
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