THE SAIS OBSERVERSTUDENT REFLECTIONS ON THE SAIS LIFE

2011 Special EditionFor Prospective & Admitted Students

April 2011 Volume 10 No. 3 The Student Newspaper of the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies

A N O T E F R O M T H E E D I T O R SDear Prospective Students,

The SAIS Observer, our official student newspaper, has put out a special

edition created with the prospective student in mind, to share insight

into the student body and the “SAIS life”. We wanted to go beyond what

the website and blogs have to say, to connect on a peer-to-peer level,

and share all the things that we get involved with, both on- and off-cam-

pus.

When you read about the many aspects of SAIS below—such as free or

subsidized trips abroad, departmental events, speakers series, leader-

ship opportunities, career and fun clubs, extracurricular activities and

social outings, and perspectives from Bologna, Nanjing and D.C.—keep

in mind that these few articles represent just a small number of experi-

ences that a handful of students have had. Among all the happenings in

our lives, we were able only to highlight a fraction of them. So we

should add that the best way to predict what SAIS is like is to continue

talking to current students and alumni and to be vigilant about reaching

out to departments, professors, leaders, and others. With that said, we

hope these vignettes add something to the collection of ideas and oppor-

tunities you have to consider!

To be sure, the Bologna, Nanjing and Washington, D.C. SAIS campuses

are all fantastic places to study international relations, economics, and

public policy. Bologna is a historic European academic center with an

impressive cultural climate and Nanjing offers an unparalleled immer-

sion experience in the world’s most talked about country. In the

American capital, there is almost every country’s embassy within a few

blocks or miles, and experts in every field that has anything to do with

international relations, buzzing about constantly. For example, if you

study international development, the expertise of the World Bank and

IMF is at your fingertips. Additionally, the programs at SAIS are well-

staffed and highly-connected, allowing for the chance to get to know

your professors and career advisors well.

The number of languages that some of your classmates speak will

astound you. In terms of the clubs and activities which will bond you

with your peers, there are many to choose from. The great thing about

SAIS is that due to the small student body and the many things going

on, there is often little competition for leadership positions and jobs on

campus. Not to mention, the administration and career services folks

will work closely with you if you meet them half way.

As well, there are numerous sources of funding across the campuses,

and ample chances to fund internships and research. Many of us have

gotten involved with student organizations simply by showing up to a

meeting, helping with one or two events, and then mentioning interest

in next semester’s elections. Each club and department has various out-

lets for engagement and each offers something unique. Student

Government is very accessible too and serves as an outlet for SAISers’

ideas and recommendations in the social and academic spheres.

You may hear that SAIS’ faculty and administration is dedicated to its

students and this can be easily glossed over without much attention

paid. However, consider its importance: as our students study on sepa-

rate campuses, the faculty and staff are here to serve only SAIS. That

means there are no undergrads or outside programs to demand faculty

attention, so they know the school’s structure, curriculum, student body,

and the jobs we want. They come to work every day with one real

employer. As well, the small program size allows SAISers to take an

active role in shaping the future of the institution.

This all ties into networks. When it comes to governmental and interna-

tional sectors and employment potential, D.C., Bologna and Nanjing

give students an extraordinary edge for internships and jobs. During

your stay, you may have the chance to travel around the globe on a

school trip or two and through the process come to understand what it

means to be a SAIS alumnus in an embassy, think-tank, private compa-

ny, or NGO abroad.

The world is your oyster and if you are fascinated by it, this may be the

school for you. If you haven’t already guessed, we believe the opportu-

nities to launch your personal development and career are here. 2011

has been a year of tremendous importance in world affairs. We on the

editorial staff speak for the SAIS student body when we say it’s a priv-

ilege to be here while history is being written every day.

Best Regards,

The Editors

Peter Gruskin, Ryan A. Pallathra, Susie Taylor

April 2011 Volume 10 No. 3 The Student Newspaper of the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies

Editors-in-Chief:Peter Gruskin is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Middle East Studies,

Global Theory & History and International FinanceRyan A. Pallathra is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Strategic Studies

Susie Taylor is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating inInternational Law and Organizations

Contributing Writers:Anne Angsten, Michael Carbone, President Ronald J. Daniels, Gary Decker, LenaDiesing, Nicole Epps, Carolyn Florey, Conor J. Halloran, Kristen Handley, DeanJohn M. Harrington, Regina Kim, Jason Loughnane, Rajiv Mehta, Valerie Mock,

Andrew Noh, Janelle Poldy, Ray Wang, Mia Warner, Rebecca Zimmerman

Photography:Bri Held, Ade Ifelayo, Kelley Kornell, Rebekah Lipsky, Maggie Mazzetti, Valerie

Mock, Diem Nguyen, Tom Rickers, Monica Sendor, Lubomir Sokol

The SAIS Observer is a newspaper written, edited, and produced by the students ofthe Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of The Johns

Hopkins University. SAIS students, faculty and members of the administration at theWashington, D.C., Bologna and Nanjing campuses are encouraged to submit articles,

Op-Eds, photographs, and other items for consideration.

Materials for publication, comments or inquiries may be sent to us at:observer@jhu.edu. The online edition of The SAIS Observer and its full issue

archives can be accessed at: www.saisobserver.org.

The SAIS Observer is an approved SAIS student organization. Opinions expressed inThe SAIS Observer are not necessarily the views of the editors, SAIS, or

The Johns Hopkins University.

2 The SAIS Observer April 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

TRAVEL:  SAISers Spring Break Around the World .............................Page 3

BOLOGNA & NANJING:  Foreign Student Perspectives .....................Page 7

PROGRAMS:  SAIS on the Inside .......................................................Page 10

PERSONALS:  Dating at SAIS ............................................................Page 13

THE GALA:  The Annual Cherry Blossom Ball ..................................Page 13

EXTRA-CURRICULARS:  Clubs & Activities .....................................Page 14

PHOTO MONTAGE:  Winter Break Photo Contest Winner...............Page 16

Dreading a 3 AM wake-up call, and given that it was St. Patrick’s night after all, it

was a popular choice among this student contingent to revel in the evening’s festiv-

ities to the fullest and to just push on through the night. Directly following an

evening of beer-gone-green and Irish jigging on the very stage where Secretary

Clinton stood not six months prior, 23 SAIS students made their way to the airport.

Where were they going at such a ridiculous hour? China, of course!

This journey would mark the inaugural joint expedition of the Latin American

Studies, American Foreign Policy, and Global Theory & History programs. Funded

by a generous grant from the Starr Foundation, the students ventured to the other

side of the world to gain some first-hand knowledge of China’s economy, Going

Global strategies, currency management, and politics. Beijing, China’s official and

political capital, and Shanghai, the commercial metropolis, hospitably hosted two

groups of enthusiastic and inquisitive students. The Latin American Studies (LASP)

track focused its meetings on China’s growing investment in Latin America while

the American Foreign Policy (AFP) and Global Theory and History (GTH) crew

honed in on economics, monetary policy, and domestic market development. After

bonding over a 14-hour plane ride over the North Pole and a day of trekking along

the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, the two groups spent their days fervently

pursuing their respective itineraries.

Meeting schedules proved rigorous and varied between the two groups. On the

group’s third full day in China, for example, we really hit the ground running! Our

marathon day began at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where we discussed China’s

perplexing “strategic ambiguity,” the ever-changing dynamics of the Sino-U.S.

bilateral relationship, and the importance for each country to be mindful of the oth-

ers’ nuanced perceptions of political, economic, and domestic interests. The day’s

events were punctuated with the AFP/GTH’s group meeting with David Dollar and

the LASP luncheon at the Mexican Embassy. Dr. Dollar, the Treasury Department's

Economic and Financial Emissary to China (or more informally: Secretary

Geithner’s “main man” in China), taught us more about U.S.-China currency rela-

tions than one could ever summarize in one article. Wide-eyed and mystified, we

left hoping that just maybe someday we could be as brilliant and well-spoken as Dr.

Dollar. The LASP group likewise had the privilege of being hosted by an esteemed

diplomat: Mexican Ambassador to China, Jorge Guajardo, welcomed the LASP

students for lunch at the Mexican Embassy. Ambassador Guajardo’s warm recep-

tion, charm, and witdelighted us all over pan de elote and flan as he shared stories

about working with Chinese diplomats, the implications for Mexico as China con-

tinues to rise, and personal tales of cultural encounters and adventures in China.

Once reunited after lunch, these meetings were contrasted sharply by the entire

group’s subsequent visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with Chinese

diplomats. It was fascinating to catch a glimpse of Chinese diplomatic culture and

bureaucracy.

Chinese diplomats, needless to say, choose their words wisely. They are so cau-

tious and thoughtful in fact, that they dutifully pre-composed, printed, and read

their pre-approved words to us in a joint group meeting. We were grateful for

our hosts’ attentive consideration of our curiosities and the weight of impor-

tance they clearly applied to a visit from our group of U.S. graduate students.

Rousing further inquiry were the countless contrasts between the sprawling

cities of Beijing and Shanghai. Both are unmistakable and alluded to further

domestic complexities that make China unique. China is a nation that seems to

be one country in name, but two countries in reality, given the stark contrasts

between urban and rural China. The Chinese policymakers conveyed an acute

awareness of this seemingly contradictory concept. Many cogent questions

addressing the need for enhanced intellectual property rights, how to promote

indigenous innovation, future challenges of the growing income disparities,

China’s enigmatic relationship with North Korea, or the future of the Chinese

Communist Party amidst a rapidly emergent middle class, were dutifully and

consistently answered by a knowing glance and the statement, “it’s complicat-

ed.”

All in all, our trip was an outstanding success. We seized the opportunity to

engage and learn as much as possible from meetings with government officials,

research scholars, and trailblazing members of the burgeoning private sector.

Traveling to China and engaging with experts across such a comprehensive

spectrum endowed us with an invaluable, nuanced understanding that can only

be discovered while on foreign soil. Between the many shared moments in the

hotel, bargaining with street vendors, and a birthday dinner for one of our

esteemed classmates (Niraj Patel), we grew closer as colleagues and friends.

Somewhere between the 12-hour time difference, the Peking Duck, the sun

glimmering of the skyscrapers in Shanghai and the smog that concealed that

same sun in Beijing, we all had a fantastic adventure—and hey, we may have

even learned a little something, too!

Valerie is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in American Foreign

Policy. Kristen is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in American

Foreign Policy.

U.S.-China Relationship Status: It’s Complicated?

SAISers Spring Break Around the World

By Valerie Mock and Kristen Handley

April 2011 The SAIS Observer 3

A Collaborative Article by the International Law and

Organizations Program

Through a generous grant from the Starr Foundation, the International Law

and Organizations Program sponsored an academic field trip to Sri Lanka

over spring break, led by the Director of the ILAW program, Professor

Ruth Wedgwood, and Associate Director, Tiffany Basciano, with support

from South Asia Studies Program Manager, Rahul Madhavan. Fourteen

ILAW students explored issues surrounding the nearly three decade ethnic

civil conflict, the country’s impressive economic development, and Sri

Lankan culture. While there, we met with a variety of officials and institu-

tions, including senior government officials, such as the Secretary of

Defense, the Governor of the Central Bank, and a member of the Lessons

Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), leading members of UN

agencies and the U.S. Embassy, as well as a variety of non-profits, includ-

ing Sri Lanka Unites, the Asia Foundation, Emerge Global, and the

Humpty Dumpty Institute. In exploring the country’s textile industry, we

met with MAS Holdings, South Asia’s largest intimate apparel manufactur-

er.

Our cultural explorations included a lecture from a famous archeologist

and preservationist, regarding Sri Lankan archeological sites, and a visit to

the Sacred City of Kandy, including the Temple of the Tooth—a UNESCO

World Heritage site. The students also had a roundtable discussion with

their Sri Lankan counterparts at the Public International Law Department

at the University of Colombo.

As we met with more organizations and individuals, there seemed to be a

consensus and a sense of relief that the bloody conflict is finally over. The

war came to a decisive and violent end in May of 2009. Thus, it is apparent

that peace was not forged through efforts at national reconciliation, but

more perhaps due to a national exhaustion: a breathlessness from the con-

stant security checks (still abundant in the city, though perhaps with a more

symbolic rather than pragmatic role), the constant fear of bomb threats,

family members killed, or having disappeared, and certainly a numbness

from the constant bombardment of information and reports of an epic

national struggle to suppress the Tamil Tigers.

However, with the end of the conflict has come a window of opportunity

for national reconciliation and peace building. Sri Lanka Unites, a non-

profit led by a dynamic and energetic Sri Lankan native, has taken the ini-

tiative to not exactly force reconciliation, but to define it. Bringing together

groups of young people from the Tamil majority North and from the

Sinhalese majority in the South for several week-long recreational and edu-

cational retreats is a small but necessary first step. The hope and future of

Sri Lanka's peaceful existence depends on these vibrant youth, who learn

to see beyond an artificial hate, and to recognize a common purpose in his

or her fellow Sri Lankan.

Our trip was but a small glimpse into the lives of these fascinating people

and will forever be ingrained in the minds of those who spent a short spring

break in Sri Lanka.

Q&A Session with Janelle Poldy, M.I.P.P

Q: Regarding Sri Lanka—what topic have you chosen to research and why?

A: The Sri Lanka field trip has been an incredible opportunity to tie academics with

practice. My research is focused on children's rights in International Law with Sri

Lanka as the case study. Having worked with young children myself, I have become

very aware of the gap that exists between the rule of law and what is implemented and

realized on the ground. As part of this research, I hope to draw attention to these gaps

and to advocate for change.

Q: Why did you choose ILAW?

A: I chose ILAW because of the expertise of the faculty, diversity of courses and the pro-

gram planning provided by the Associate Director and Director. The faculty is widely

known and acclaimed—whether you are in New York at the United Nations or in Sri

Lanka. SAIS’ ILAW faculty is well-known and their expertise is highly sought after. I

will be graduating knowing that my course work has prepared me well for a career in

public service leadership (as well as law school if so chosen).

Q: What aspect of international law do you focus on, and has it changed at all?

A: My academic studies have mainly focused on human rights, security issues and pro-

tection. I have been able to gain additional insight into more specific areas such as

women and children's rights more recently.

Janelle is a M.I.P.P. candidate concentrating in International Law and Organizations.

Spring Break in Sri Lanka

4 The SAIS Observer April 2011

A Deans’s NoteDear Prospective Students,

I have been affiliated with this School for 35 years, first as a part-time professor in

statistics and econometrics and then for the past ten years as Academic Dean. I feel

confident that SAIS provides the kind of interdisciplinary education that serves our

students well as they embark on a variety of careers in the international arena. As you

can imagine, I am a strong proponent of the economics requirements at SAIS. All

SAIS students receive two sets of DVDs with my lectures on pre-calculus and calcu-

lus for economists. For those of you who may be fearful of the economics require-

ments at SAIS, this self-study course should relieve some of your anxieties. Together

with Pre-Term, you will be well positioned to become a budding economist!

Of course, my focus has been economics, but I can assure you that the curriculum at

SAIS, both in Washington and Bologna, is exceptional across the board. We encour-

age you to take advantage of the richness of the courses offered in both regional and

functional studies. We also encourage you to involve yourself in the vibrant student

life outside the classroom. You will learn from your books; you will learn from your

professors; you will learn from your surroundings in both Washington and Bologna;

and above all, you will learn from your fellow students—people who bring to the

SAIS community a world of knowledge and experience. On behalf of the deans, we

welcome your interest in SAIS and hope to hear again from your this fall.

Best Regards,

Dean John M. Harrington

SAIS Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

By Rebecca Zimmerman

In the reflective stupor that always marks the painfully early morning after a

staff ride’s final night, I sat in the lobby of the Hotel Emperador with department

head Eliot Cohen, waiting for the bus. We spoke about the staff ride and why

PhD students are encouraged to come, despite the fact that, as former MAs, most

of us have already had more than our fair share of time on the famed ISR.

On my second pass through SAIS, I see my discipline as a way of constructing

answers to a reality that can never be fully explained, and I now see what Dr.

Cohen calls “childlike” questions about the subject as the most penetrating. On

this trip to Spain I asked how to define victory in war when it seems that so often

it is achieved simply by avoiding self-defeat. I wondered about the minds of

great men and the cycle of power, isolation and delusion that seems to destroy

them all. I asked if later French heroes of counterinsurgency took conscious les-

sons from the Peninsular War, and even wondered how regiments became the

size that they are today.

As a MA student, the field of Strategic Studies seemed too big to grasp. I always

felt that I was operating without a sense of its taxonomy; that perhaps there was

some master reading I had skipped my first week of school that told me every-

thing. I found staff rides to be challenging exercises, as I tried hard to prove my

mastery of a subject I didn’t feel I fully comprehended. Five years later, I

slumped on the couch that rainy morning and wondered why this staff ride

seemed both more fun and more satisfying than the others. From the depart-

ment’s perspective, PhD students bring a different viewpoint to the trip, and I

realize now how true this is.

Most of my MA classmates will go on to careers in government and business,

enabled by this experience of scholarly inquiry to think more deeply than their

inboxes normally allow. If the success of my peers from the first time around is

an indicator, this is a powerful tool in the real world. But for a few of us, asking

these questions is an end in itself.

Strategic Studies is more than campaign histories or policy memo assignments:

it is the study of victory and defeat in all its impenetrable complexity, not to

mention the consequences, both political and human, of those end-states. But

more than other academic disciplines, Strategic Studies is tied to the world we

actually live in and a belief that this knowledge, ably applied, can make a critical

difference.

Nowhere in the Strat experience is this partnership of pragmatism and academia

better realized than in the international staff ride.

Rebecca is a Ph.D. candidate in the Strategic Studies Program.

International Staff Ride 2011

Strategic Studies Hits Spain

A Welcome Note from the President of Johns Hopkins University

With a fantastic trip to the Hopkins-Nanjing Center last fall, a journey across

Spain as part of the SAIS International Staff Ride, a whirlwind weekend at the

Hopkins Bologna Center, and frequent trips to SAIS’ home here in Washington,

I’m lucky to say this has been my “Year of SAIS.” From Washington to Nanjing

to Bologna and beyond, SAIS embodies the spirit of our one university.

Harnessing expertise between disciplines, among institutions, and across national

borders, SAIS is training our future leaders to tackle the 21st century’s most

daunting challenges from international climate change to global economic stabil-

ity. One only has to look at today’s headlines to realize that a SAIS education –

one that deepens cultural understanding, demands intellectual expansiveness, and

joins us all in challenging dialogue – remains more vital than ever.

Sincerely,

Ron

President Ronald J. Daniels is the 14th President of Johns Hopkins University,

and has held the position since 2009.

SAIS Strategic Studies Director, Dr. Eliot Cohen (right) presents an award to Johns Hopkins

University President Ronald J. Daniels (left), who joined the students during the week-long trip

across Spain during Spring Break 2011. Dina Nawas (bottom), was co-Quartermaster of the 2011

International Staff Ride -- the 12th annual ISR sponsored by the Strategic Studies Program.

April 2011 The SAIS Observer 5

This year, for the fourth year in a row, SAISCorps selected a group of volunteers to

assist in a community development project in Panama. From March 18 to March 28

nine SAIS students went to Isla San Cristobal to help in a local Peace Corps sanita-

tion project and to build latrines with the indigenous Ngobe community. After

months of planning and fundraising and thanks to the support of the SAIS commu-

nity, the service trip was a great success. Together with Peace Corps volunteers and

members of the community, we were able to build four compost latrines and we

spent an incredible week with the Ngobe community, living in host families and par-

ticipating in various community events. In this article, three of us describe our

impressions and what parts of the trip were especially important to us.

By Andrew Noh

The SAISCorps trip to Panama was a new experience for me on many fronts. I’m

ashamed to admit it given that I’m student at SAIS, but this trip was my first trip to

Latin America–not to mention my first trip to a developing country. It was also my

first experience in a country where I didn’t speak the language and had to rely on oth-

ers to communicate on my behalf. I pride myself on my independence and doing

things the way I want to, so it was difficult for me to accept the fact that I needed to

rely exclusively on my teammates in order to communicate.

The trip was another first on the volunteer front: I’ve always limited my volunteer

work to my local city, and this was my first international volunteer trip. I’m sure a

lot of my friends back home were worried about me traveling to a developing coun-

try given the “high-maintenance” image I project, and to be honest, I wasn’t quite

sure what to expect given my lack of international development and volunteer expe-

rience. The only thing I knew for certain was that I would do whatever it took to

make this trip a success for the SAIS team, the Peace Corps volunteers and the

Ngobe people. I was determined to leave my impact on the small island of Isla San

Cristobal and to leave it a better place than I found it. After all, wasn’t that the very

reason I came to SAIS?

The six days we spent on Isla San Cristobal absolutely blew me away. I was over-

whelmed by a range of emotions I have never felt as we walked through the village

for the first time in the dark of night; but words cannot begin to describe my feelings

when I saw the village at sunrise the next morning. The simple image that lay before

me at the break of dawn stood as the antithesis of the life I want to live yet there I

stood overcome by a sense of peace that I have never felt before.

Arising to the smell of ojaldras and coffee made by our sweet host mother added to

that sensation. I don’t remember the first time I woke up to the smell of my mother’s

cooking as a young child, but I remember the feeling well, and it was a truly out-of-

mind experience to feel that again as a twenty-five year old man with my new host

family.

Walking through the village and working with the Ngobe for the next five days

proved to be the most enriching experience.

I don’t speak Spanish—my knowledge is limited to a handful of words—nor

do I speak the Ngobe dialect, but it has been said that over 80% of human com-

munication is non-verbal, and I’m actually glad that I didn’t come to the island

with a working knowledge of the language. That barrier forced me to commu-

nicate using hand motions and other body language to get my message across.

I’m not certain if they felt the same way, but I felt that I was able to success-

fully convey my thoughts to the Ngobe.

The week we spent on Isla San Cristobal flew by, and it was Friday before I

knew it, when we were soon heading back to civilization. Civilization—the

very word and concept has taken on new meaning for me. The week we spent

on Isla San Cristobal reminded me that not everything civilization provides is

necessary—there are ways to live a fulfilling and exciting life without all those

amenities. Take the camera for instance. Cameras are meant to capture your

memories and remind you of a time long ago. They require electricity, memory

cards, and a whole list of things that only civilization can provide. I didn’t

bring a camera with me on the trip and I’m glad I didn’t because I was given

one by the Ngobe, one not requiring civilization to operate it. My camera on

this trip is the necklace given to me by the villagers and all I need to do is look

down and touch it to access those emotions and experiences I made on Isla San

Cristobal.

Andrew is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Korea Studies.

By Anne Angsten

Skyscrapers, lots and lots of skyscrapers. That was my first impression of

Panama when arriving Friday night in Panama City. This image faded away

during the 10-hour bus ride towards Bocas del Toro, where skyscrapers were

quickly replaced by beautiful landscape on our drive through the country, and

completely vanished when we arrived in the village on Isla San Cristobal,

where we would be working for the next week. The village was beautiful, with

about 40 wooden houses set in green hills next to the water and in front of the

jungle. At the same time it seemed surreal that only 10 hours from the moder-

nity of Panama City, with McDonalds and more plastic surgery than I’d ever

seen, there could be a totally different world without electricity, concrete

buildings or running water. Even though both places are so close to each other,

there was so little connection between them.

It was an amazing and enriching experience to work on such a practical project

together with the local community. It also showed me that the questions you

raise in every “Intro to Development” course are even harder to answer in

practice: How do you create ownership and responsibility of a project?

How do you differentiate between your priorities and the priorities of the peo-

ple you’re trying to help? Having of course not answered these questions, I am

greatly thankful that we had the opportunity to ask them in person. By living

and working with the people of the village, even if only for a limited time, we

tried to understand as much as we could about their life and point of view. The

openness of the community was amazing and while I hope that our stay bene-

fited them by advancing the project, I am convinced that they gave us much

more through their hospitality and openness.

Panama: A Collection of Student Perspectives

PANAMA

6 The SAIS Observer April 2011

Leaving Isla San Cristobal and going back to Panama City was as surreal as getting

there had been. In a matter of hours we were back in “our” world. All this suddenly

mattered again. Where there is internet, and the events in Libya, we had heard

nothing. It was almost scary how fast I transitioned from one mindset to the other.

Above all, I hope that I remember that while for us this was partly a great adventure

that makes cool stories that you can tell your friends (“Remember the time I had to

take a bucket shower outside?”), for other people it’s their everyday life with its

own ups and downs and perspectives and hopes.

Anne is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Energy Resources and

Environment.

By Gary Decker

Your eyes are still closed, but you are between asleep and awake. You can smell

wood burning as your breakfast of ojaldras and café is being prepared by your

warm and vibrant host mother. And, just as you are about to open your eyes, a roos-

ter crows from beneath the house. You open your eyes to see three fellow SAISers

asleep on their mats on the floor in a room that is barely large enough to hold you.

As you carefully step past them, move the curtain to exit the room, and walk to the

open front door, you are greeted by a lazy breeze. Looking out the front door you

see the village, the hills, the clouds, the brilliant sun, and some children already

hard at play. A smile comes to your face as you look forward to another day of hard

work and life-long memories.

SAIS Corps’ 2011 trip to Panama was amazing. Six days working with the Ngobe

people and Peace Corps volunteers on Isla San Cristobal building latrines was an

experience I will not soon forget. The power of the memories led me to contem-

plate the role that pictures and video play in our experiences abroad. Do pictures

and video cheapen the experience? Without a camera, aren’t you forced to hold on

tightly to every precious memory without recourse, truly revealing the most pro-

found of them? Coming from someone who took a few hundred pictures and a fair-

ly large amount of video on the trip, I feel these questions are necessary. Of course,

having a tangible representation of these amazing memories is valuable. There are

countless trips from my past where the pictures jog my recollection and bring a

memory and a smile. However, the most profound of my memories, from any trip,

come without prompting from technology. Indeed, pictures and video cannot cap-

ture what the mind can; specifically, the smell, feel, and atmosphere of that

moment. And so, as I continue to digest my experience in Panama, and plan the

next trip(s) to fill up my passport, I will take these questions with me. Maybe, just

maybe, my camera will remain at home the next time I feel that familiar sensation

of a plane lifting off the runway…

Gary is first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Conflict Management.

As a group we decided to ask any and every Tico we could what this meant to

them. Over the course of the next week we proceeded to do exactly this asking

everyone from the taxi driver, to the Director of Earth University, to the go-go

dancer, to President Chinchilla what made Costa Rica exceptional. To me the

thing that really made Costa Rica exceptional is that everyone mentioned the

same thing. The pacifist direction of the country and the decision to forgo an

Army made Costa Rica either the most forward thinking country in Latin

America, or the dumbest. Either way it certainly was a unifying goal for the

people and one they took great pride in. By the end of our trip the closest we

got to the beach was dipping our toes in the Caribbean in the port town of

Limon. However we emerged with a much richer reward. The deeper under-

standing of a nation and some of the elements which make it tick. Beaches are

every where but experiences like that are once in a lifetime. As they say in

Costa Rica, PURA VIDA MAE!

Alex is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Latin American Studies.

“This American Life”By Lena Diesing

Coming to SAIS as a foreign student is an adventure. There are lots of small

things that happened to me that made me say, “Hum, really?“ in daily activities.

I am far away from home, I rarely communicate in my most comfortable lan-

guage, I cannot find my favorite food in the supermarket... And I am only from

Europe! If you ask me to summarize all of it, I would say the pattern is change.

Granted, this happens with everybody who goes abroad. But as a foreigner at

SAIS, there are basically two ways in which I changed: 1) I became interna-

tionalized. 2) I became Americanized. Yes, that's a bit confusing.

Here's what I mean. You become internationalized because you are not the only

foreigner around. That sounds a bit trivial; this is a school for international rela-

tions after all. But it is something that I realized changed my personality in a

very significant way. Suddenly, facing my graduation and the prospect of mov-

ing back to the German countryside, I realized how I became addicted to a

place that feels like a global village. At SAIS, you read about some far-away

country in a class, and at lunch you run into your classmate from there to have

a short briefing on how things were in a time of crazy inflation. You receive e-

mails from friends from another far-off country that detail the revolutions you

would have never guessed were possible from TV reports. You celebrate parties

for holidays in foreign lands you didn't even know existed. So, even though I

am a foreigner in the United States, I am a citizen of the global village, and my

blue student ID is my passport.

And what's up with the Americanization?, many have asked me. When I went

back home over Christmas, one of my best friends told me: “You speak so

‘American’”. I was shocked! I spoke German, didn't I?—how can I speak

American German? Something had changed, my friend told me. Despite the

international community, we live in the American capital after all, and we are

exposed to all its good and bad cultural nuances. And that means you often do

things the American way, even if that means your accent changes.

A discussion about the hot topic in international relations? Not without tuna

sandwiches. A beer with your colleagues? Let's start as early as possible, when

it would be the right time for coffee somewhere else. Need a car, a fridge or

some ice cream? Take the bigger version (and buy the one where you get some-

thing in addition). Well, I could go on like this forever. To all those small things,

there are the big things of the capital: seeing three lights settle near the

Washington Monument, hearing sirens and thinking: “that's Obama coming

home for dinner”, or counting diplomat's cars on Mass Ave. In the end, you like

it or hate it I suppose—but your friends will know in any case that you have

spent time in the United States.

Lena is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Global Theory and

History.

COSTA RICABy Alex Rosen

Eleven of us met up at the gate at DCA not really knowing what to expect. The idea

of Spring Break in Costa Rica brought with it images of sandy beaches and drinks

with umbrellas. The fact that it was sponsored by the Latin American Studies

Department made it even more alluring. Our arrival in San Jose was met with more

questions than answers, but our enthusiasm was by no means dampened. Upon

reaching our accommodations, the first thing we did was meet our twelfth member

of the group who had spent the past 24 hours flying from Bologna.

We hit the ground running the next morning with a team building exercise. A two

hour bus ride into the rain forest of Costa Rica brought us to the Sarapique river

where we spent the morning zip-lining across the forest canopy and the afternoon

rafting. By the end of the day we were famished, drenched, feted and fully bonded;

bonding mission accomplished. After our adventures in the Jungle, it was on to

some serious business. The next morning we met with our host Dr. Urcuyo who

helped us to steer the focus of our journey; What is Costa Rican exceptionalism?

Our meeting with Dr. Urcuyo was bitter sweet, in that he brought us the wonderful

news that we were to have a personal meeting with Costa Rican President Laura

Chinchilla, but alas our one free day to head to the beach was taken by this meet-

ing.

Foreign Perspectives

April 2011 The SAIS Observer 7

BOLOGNABy Mia Warner

Studying at SAIS for the past two years has been an exhilarating and humbling

experience, much unlike anything I could have imagined before I started my stud-

ies. I spent my first year of SAIS at the Bologna Center (BC) in northern Italy. I

came to SAIS after working in consulting in DC for three years and I was worried

that the slow pace of life in Italy would drive me nuts, but instead, it was refresh-

ing to ease back into student life in such an enriching atmosphere. Studying in

Bologna gave me the opportunity to learn in every aspect of life—not just in the

classroom, but also at aperitivo and in the bakery and on jaunts around Europe

with my classmates. One of the first times I realized I was at a special place was

during orientation. My newly arrived classmates and I attended a talk given by an

EU official and then we schmoozed at a wine and cheese reception. The talk was

definitely interesting, but the really fascinating part was listening to my fellow

classmates’ questions and comments. I was in awe of the range of perspectives

that the other students presented. I would say I have prided myself on trying to

listen to and read opposition viewpoints as often as I consider those that line up

with my own; however, in that moment, I was encountering opinions that I didn’t

even know existed! I knew then that SAIS was going to be an experience of a life-

time.

The perspectives of my fellow classmates turned every impromptu dinner outing

into a culture lesson. Each and every student had such an impressive background

that I could have never been bored just talking to my fellow classmates about their

life experiences and how they shaped their outlook on the world. My roommates

alone were some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. One of my room-

mates in Bologna was a lawyer from Belgium who speaks five languages, has

volunteered in Palestine, and has travelled to a million countries, including Cuba.

My other roommate, who is originally from Singapore, had also studied and trav-

elled all over the world. It was amazing to learn that someone who had grown up

in a country halfway around the world from mine could be so similar to me. She

was pivotal in helping me establish a student organization in Bologna called

“Christianity Explored,” where SAISers came every week to share a meal and

discuss the book of Mark.

Each week, students from a variety of religious backgrounds raised questions that

led to thought-provoking conversations. Despite the diversity among the students

in Bologna, we were all incredibly close. Studying in Bologna brings a unique

aspect to the SAIS experience because immediately upon arriving at the BC, you

gain a family of 200+ students and faculty from all over the globe. There’s some-

thing about being thrown into a foreign city with a bunch strangers that makes

you want to make friends quickly! People say the “SAIS mafia” is tight, but the

Bolognesi students are arguably even closer.

The small, intimate setting of the BC also gave us the opportunity to spend quality

time with our professors. At the end of the term, many of our professors hosted

us for dinner and shared stories about their lives and careers. My professor for

Public Sector Economics (a brilliant yet sweet Italian economist who has advised

the Pope) opened his home, and he and his wife cooked lunch for our entire class

while they handed out life lessons. Another professor (a prominent art historian,

who has advised Prince Charles and who appraises pieces for Sotheby’s and

Christie’s) took us on a field trip to see the Accademia, the Uffizi, and the archi-

tectural sites of Florence, and then hosted us for dinner at her beautiful home.

Beyond travelling to neighboring Italian towns, we also took advantage of

Bologna’s proximity to many other exciting locales. One weekend in November,

I loaded into a bus with about 50 of my classmates and trekked to Zermatt,

Switzerland, where we rented a private cabin in the foothills of the Matterhorn.

Two months later, intercession break took us all over the world—people traveled

to Egypt, Turkey, Malta, the Canary Islands, and all over Europe and the U.S. I

helped coordinate a study trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where a dozen SAISers

examined the complexities of governance and conflict management through

meetings with local officials and international organizations, including a former

general of Serbian ethnicity who fought for the Bosniak army, Republika Srpska

officials, EUFOR, the Constitutional Court of BiH, and the World Bank. Among

my fellow travelers were SAISers from both sides of the conflict: a Serbian and

Bosniak who are great friends and who are both now working towards reconcili-

ation in their country.

After the study trip, I took a quick tour of Budapest before meeting up with my

classmates at the IAEA Ball at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. I truly felt like I was

living someone else’s life during that week, especially as my well-dressed class-

mates and I greeted each other at the Palace with double-cheek kisses and

exchanged stories of our trips over the break.

By the end of the year, I certainly felt like I had spent a “lifetime in the world,”

as the SAIS BC website advertises. I had visited 13 countries, tasted innumerable

varieties of gelato and wine, and became lifelong friends with some of the most

amazing people in the world. As I come to the end of my studies, I’m sad that it’s

almost over, but I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had at SAIS and I’m excited

to see where we’ll all go from here. I also can’t wait until the five-year reunion in

Bologna, when I’ll get to eat authentic Italian food again and hear about the

incredible impact my classmates have made on the world!

Mia is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in International Law and

Organizations.

“A Bolognesi in Madrid”

By Rajiv Mehta

I'm Rajiv Mehta, one of the Bologna Strat students. I had the chance to go on theInternational Staff Ride as one of the two Bolognesi chosen. Before the beginningof the Staff Ride, I was quite nervous. Though I had made contact with my TeamLeader and Research Leader, I did not know most of the DC Strat people. I hadalso never done a Staff Ride before. My concerns, however, were allayed as I metup with the DC contingent in Madrid.Everyone turned out to be extraordinarilyfriendly and welcoming, especially thosesecond years who had done the first yearin Bologna.

What's more, the Staff Ride turned out to be a lot of fun. We had the chance totravel to Salamanca, Burgos, and San Sebastian. The best part, though, were ourpresentations. Participants were assigned people who were involved in thePeninsular campaign, ranging from Napoleon to Spanish guerillas. The presenta-tions and following question and answer sessions were in character and reallygave us a chance to understand some of the complexities of fighting an insurgencyand leadership. In the end, I can safely say that the Staff Ride was one of the bestexperiences of my life. Not only did I have the chance to spend a week in Spain,but I also had the opportunity both to meet many of the first and second years inStrat in DC and also experience the excitement of a Staff Ride.

Reflecting on My Year in Bologna

By Rajiv Mehta

“Studying in Bologna was the best decision I've ever made". "The year in

Bologna was the best year of my life". These are things I heard from Bologna

alums before I arrived.To say I took it with a grain of salt would not be accurate;

it was more like the whole salt-shaker. Yet Bologna surprised me: it was really as

good as advertised and more.

The most striking thing is how close everyone is in Bologna. Connections are

forged during pre-term and the early days of the fall semester. Your social life

revolves around the Bologna Center, as you share the experience of being

strangers in Italy with two hundred of your new best friends.

One key way people make connections is through travel. By traveling together,

sharingthe experience of flying with Ryanair. On the weekends, students travel to

places ranging from Florence to Sicily to Vienna to Paris to Barcelona to Berlin

to London to Fez. During breaks, they travel even further afield, going to Africa,

Nepal, and elsewhere. Another striking feature is the incredible diversity of the

student body. Half the students are not Americans. They hail from countries rang-

ing from Italy to Russia to China to Sierra Leone.

The diversity of interests matches that of the student body, everyconcentration,

including Asian Studies, represented. The academic opportunities include fre-

quent speakers and academic trips, including tripsto the Balkans and Israel and

the Palestinian territories. To complement these, there are career services treks to

London, Brussels, and Vienna.

The experience at Bologna is wholly unique and unmatched. There are still a few

weeks left to go, but I feel pretty safe in saying that going to Bologna was one of

the highlights of my life.

Rajiv Mehta is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Strategic Studies,

and currently at the Bologna campus.

8 The SAIS Observer April 2011

Our Life in NanjingBy Michael Carbone & Ray Wang

Inside the Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC), a co-run academic institution which

formed in 1986 between Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced

International Studies and Nanjing University in Nanjing, China, SAIS students

get to sharpen their Mandarin skills while exploring a country rising on the global

stage.

With a student population split evenly between Chinese and international stu-

dents, the HNC provides a unique environment for interacting with international

affairs. Students are offered a variety of classes to better understand Chinese soci-

ety and related areas such as international politics, law, and economics, with

courses challenging international students to take everything they have learned

from past language classes and travelling experiences and apply it to contempo

rary issues in a modern day society in their target language: Chinese.

Opportunities to travel around the Nanjing area and beyond, such as doing field

interviews in the rural Anhui province for a rural development class, allow stu-

dents to gain a new perspective in applying their class work to the world around

them. While the HNC offers a rich learning environment, there is more to Center

life than coursework.

The Center regularly invites speakers to the Nanjing Center to speak about vari-

ous isses regarding Chinese and international affairs. Speakers this year included

New York Times journalist Sewell Chan, former ambassador Chas Freeman, and

U.S. Food and Drug Administration County Director Chris Hickey. Topics dis-

cussed in these lectures are just as varied, with current American Co-Director

David Davies doing a recent lecture on the culture changes at Walmart in China.

In addition to these opportunities to listen and discuss, the HNC offers other activ-

ities for students to engage in and enjoy.

For sports, the HNC has a long tradition of basketball and dragonboat. The bas-

ketball team, a mixture of Chinese and international students, continued tradition

and won the annual tournament between universities in Nanjing this year. “At the

HNC both Chinese and international students have such an affinity for basket-

ball,” said David Lewis, a certificate student here. “It gives us the edge to be

extremely competitive in the tournament.” During the Dragonboat Festival every

year, a competitive boat race is held and the Center does its best against amateur

and professional racing teams, last year scoring sixth and gaining the quip, “the

best of the teams that can't row straight.”

Students engage in the Nanjing community outside the Center in a variety of

ways, such as the Migrant School Initiative and the Five Project. Begun this year,

the Migrant School Initiative teaches English to the children of migrant workers

in Nanjing, whose opportunities for public education in the city are limited due to

the hukou household registration system that discourages migration in China. The

Five Project in turn works with individuals with developmental disorders in the

local community, who are often excluded from local schools. “Everyone seems to

really appreciate our efforts,” says Laura Dow, a first-year master’s student at the

Center.

Extra-curriculars aren’t just limited to volunteer opportunities. Justin Yang, an

HNC certificate student, notes that he is “a firm believer in putting [him]self out

there and taking risks,” and it seems that among HNCers the feeling is shared.

Three international students this year including Yang have so far appeared on

Chinese television shows: one on “Our World,” where the student's dream of

dueling the girl he likes from the gym for a date comes true (unfortunately she's

a blackbelt in gongfu); and two on “If You're the One,” an extremely popular

competitive dating show where both HNC students won free trips to Hawaii.

Appearing on game shows may not be high on the list of things students do, but

for HNC students it has proved to be a unique way of immersing oneself in

Chinese culture and practicing their Chinese at a much higher level. Although

the Center does not specialize in international law, this has not stopped students

from taking on the challenge of arguing cases in court, with the HNC participating

in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition for the first

time this year. After successfully arguing for the participation of international

SAIS students in the competition, the HNC team faced off against teams from

Chinese law schools and specialized law programs and placed sixth in the nation-

als, with the four team members individually placing first, third, ninth, and

twelfth places (no other team had more than one member in the top fifteen). As

one of the professors who headed the Jessup team Steven Hill noted, this was

“incredible and really unprecedented.” If the group and individual results seems

rather disconnected, just remember that one of the components of an education at

the HNC is how politics is never too far away in the Middle Kingdom.

Every year seems to bring a new political controversy to the Center, and this year

was no different, with protests over the cutting down of historic trees by the new

city mayor to help expedite the building of a subway line, which caused much

controversy within the city. Add to it the sensitive political environment created

by the Chinese government’s over-reaction to the national Jasmine non-protests,

and the local arbor protests became that much more sensitive, with some Chinese

students at the Center being interrogated by the police. The mayor ended up sus-

pending his new policy. While not as internationally well-known as Shanghai or

Beijing, Nanjing's non-stop high-speed rail link to Shanghai is another effort by

the Chinese government to propel the city into the global conscience.

The most recent G20 seminar was held in the city, with a group of 19 nations plus

the European Union representing around 90 per cent of global gross national

product coming together to discuss the international monetary system. Those in

attendance included French President Sarkozy, SAIS alumnus U.S. Secretary of

the Treasury Timothy Geithner, and one of our very own HNC students, Laure

Pallez, who said that, as expected, “it was extremely interesting with high level

discussions on financial topics.”

Although the Hopkins-Nanjing Center is the youngest of the international institu-

tions connected to SAIS, the Center already has a vibrant alumni network, with

this year yielding the largest alumni weekend turnout to date, with well over one

hundred alumni in attendance. As the Chinese co-director Madame Huang says,

“we are a family here,” with Center traditions and a Center network throughout

the world, yet the HNC manages also be a unique and an important part of the

larger SAIS community. We welcome you to inquire about studying at HNC if

China studies is part of your path at SAIS, and if not, you are still welcome to visit

us in Nanjing anytime.

Michael and Ray are SAIS students studying at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in

Nanjing, China.

April 2011 The SAIS Observer 9

SAIS on the Inside

A Revolutionary First Year in Middle East StudiesBy Peter Gruskin

I had studied revolutions and the Middle East but never the two together, until I

came to SAIS. This semester changed the landscape of the region—or was it the

other way around? Powerful narratives have emerged, but of what doctrine or

fate, I am still unsure. As my International Financial Markets course drilled into

my head only weeks ago: randomness. Because the opposite doesn’t explain

much. This certainly holds for the Middle East these days.

Trying to explain too much in one breath is a massive risk with non-commensu-

rate reward, even at a policy school. We all rely on syllabi for grounding in reality

but as events unfolded in the region this semester, we needed more than books

and articles. The buzz around the TV in the lobby was bright. The response of

expert faculty was rapid and bold.

Students of other regions and functions all of a sudden cared about our turf. Hail

the changes in the Middle East?, we humbly wondered. Among the student body,

as of the day before Tunisia’s uprising, who among us knew Tunisia well beside

the professors?

To be sure, we were all equally stunned. It’s amazing how much learning goes on

at a school like this outside of the pages of standard history—whatever that is. All

to its credit! The recognition of mankind’s inability to accurately see the future is

often lost in Washington, but it was dropped in front of us like a grand piano out

of a high-rise on more than one occasion this semester.

When Egypt hit, I suppose we knew considerably more about the place: Nasser,

a U.S.-brokered peace deal which led to the assassination of Sadaat, Cold War

rapprochement with the West, then Mubarak’s dictatorship. I had fatefully read

my first Middle Eastern novel about the brutality of life in Egypt just last fall in

another Middle East studies course, Politics and Literature.

Fortunately for spell-bound students of the world, such stories never end.

A plug for events in the Middle East Studies Program and SAIS more gener-

ally:

Lunch-ins with famous scholars and practicioners are a regular occurrence in

Middle East Studies Program, and all students are welcome to attend. The pletho-

ra of talks and conferences hosted by the other departments at SAIS in any given

week is astounding too if you compile them (sais-jhu.edu/events). The SAIS

administration sends out a weekly synopsis from “dc.linktank.com” which sum-

marizes everything that’s happening in Washington during the week relating to

international relations, policy (divided into all its million subsections), domestic

and international economics, human rights, security studies, etc.

Monetary economics, revolutions in the Middle East, development, every war and

struggle on earth, the future of China, private equity in frontier states—this is just

a random sampling of the multitude of subjects, all with their concomitant cadre

of experts, that the SAIS student has access to morning, noon, and sometimes

night. You really could stay between 16th and 19th Streets and catch a great lec-

ture and lunch, if not both for free, almost anytime of the day, every single day.

Dinners on the other hand, you can count on paying for.

Peter is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Middle East Studies.

What Goes on in Strategic Studies?By Conor J. Halloran

SAIS is full of active students, brilliant faculty and wonderful programs, perhaps

no place more so than the Strategic Studies Department. As with all departments

at SAIS, the courses are all stimulating and wonderful. There are a few infamous

professors and legendary courses, but to be honest, there are no bad courses and

professors. This turns out to be the larger problem. I find myself mourning the fact

that I can only take so many Strategic Studies courses!

What makes “Strat” such a stand-out department is the wonderful student-led and

organized events and programs. The most notable of all of these is the Staff Ride,

a field trip of sorts, either domestically or internationally. Like so many things in

Strategic Studies, the Staff Ride is an adapted military program which combines

research, role-playing, and campaign analysis to allow participants to learn about

military campaigns.

There are three Staff Rides each year: domestic trips in the Fall and Spring as well

as the International Staff Ride during Spring Break. While applications are open to

all students, the Staff Rides are planned by Strat students and the vast majority of

participants are Strat-affiliated.

For a weekend (or a week in the case of the International Staff Ride), students

teach each other about the politics, strategy, tactics, logistics and history surround-

ing many important military campaigns. As corny as it sounds, history has a way

of coming alive on these weekends.

To complement the Staff Rides—which though wonderful are few and far

between—there are several event series: The Strat Film Series, Defense Against

the Dark Arts, and the Strat Speaker Series. Every month of so, the Strat Film

Series presents a film related to Strategic Studies (examples from this year

include Breach, Dr. Strangelove, Seven Samurai and The Battle of Algiers). The

films often include an introduction and discussion of the themes of the movie,

and are overall a good opportunity to relax with fellow students. The Defense

Against the Dark Arts series is a series of discussions, lectures, guest panels and

more to advise students on how to be effective practitioners of defense policy

without being corrupted by DC bureaucracy.

Finally, there are several yearly traditions which help keep your calendar full.

One must-do event every year is the paintball game against IDEV (International

Development) students. For one Saturday each fall, Strat and IDEV battle it out

over a series of paintball matches. Though it’s always a fierce competition, much

fun is had by all sides regardless of the outcome. (In the interest of full disclo-

sure, this fall for the first time Strat actually lost to IDEV.) Another big event is

Dining-in, an end of the year banquet full of military tradition, pomp and circum-

stance, wonderful acts and a significant amount of alcohol for everyone (includ-

ing many of the professors). Lastly is the Quantico Leadership Venture, an

immersive experience at the Marine Corps’ Officer Candidate School designed

to, among other things, help teach students leadership skills.

I cannot talk about what goes on in the Strategic Studies without mentioning the

students. Everything that happens is a result of countless hours from so many

people. I personally have participated in almost all of the events mentioned

above, and have had a chance to help organize a few. This is what makes

Strategic Studies such a dynamic environment— everything is organized and car-

ried out through student initiatives.

Every year there are new initiatives and new programs born out of the brilliant

student body. For example, this past year, thanks to the hard work of one MIPP,

there was an amazing trip to Arizona for an intensive immersion experience with

the Marine Corps Aviation training program. Strategic Studies is a department

full of activities and things to do indeed; the challenge is not finding something

to do, but rather deciding between the many wonderful offerings to be had.

Conor is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Strategic Studies.

Middle East Studies students on a all-expenses paid trip to Kuwait, Dubai and Abu Dhabi

(Winter Break, January 2011)

10 The SAIS Observer April 2011

My Experience in Korea StudiesBy Regina Kim

I chose SAIS mainly because it was one of only two reputable IR graduate pro-

grams I could find that actually offered a Korea Studies concentration. Another

major reason is that SAIS is the home of the U.S.-Korea Institute (USKI), a

research institute with close ties to the Korean government as well as to certain

Korean private sector companies and NGOs. You will probably find no other

graduate school-affiliated institution in the U.S. with such strong ties to Korea.

Notable Korean politicians and Korea experts from around the world often come

to SAIS to give lectures and presentations at USKI-sponsored events. In addition,

most Korea Studies concentrators (including myself) have received a generous

yearly fellowship funded by the Korean government through USKI, which has

gone a long way in reducing the costs of our education.

One of the best classes that I have taken at SAIS is the “Two Koreas” course,

which is offered every fall by the Korea Studies program. The highlights of the

class include a fully-funded week-long trip to Korea over Thanksgiving break, as

well as the opportunity for term papers to be published in a U.S.-Korea Yearbook.

During our stay in Korea, I was able to meet with and interview a number of influ-

ential Koreans in academia, the government, and the private sector for my term

paper, and I have been able to keep in touch with some of them since my trip. My

term paper was also selected for publication, and I think having that on my

resume has helped me gain more credibility in my chosen field with my Korean

contacts as well as with potential employers.

USKI also has a visiting scholars program, which is a program that invites a num-

ber of Koreans who are highly esteemed in their respective fields (which range

from journalism to government to business to academia) to spend a year or so at

SAIS conducting their own research and advising students on Korea-related

issues. The visiting scholars are usually very open to talking with students and are

an invaluable resource for providing students with connections to important peo-

ple in the Korean government and private sector (which can also be quite useful

for finding job opportunities in Korea). Two of them were especially kind and

helpful to me in setting up interviews with people in Korea during my Two

Koreas class trip—in fact, I got to know most of my Korean contacts either direct-

ly or indirectly through these two visiting scholars.

Although I didn’t realize the strength of the Korean language program at SAIS

before coming here, my Korean language classes here have been the most useful

classes I’ve taken at SAIS, not only because I’ve improved my Korean language

skills greatly, but also because Korean has turned out to be the single most impor-

tant skill to have for most of the jobs that I’m interested in. Professor Tak will

teach you a lot in one semester—probably more than you think you can stomach

at first, but class has never been dull for me because she makes sure we have fun

while we’re learning the language. Not to mention, it was kind of cool to watch

my parents’ jaws drop after “briefing” them on a Korean news article that we’d

covered in class when they were used to hearing me say only things that were

more like “What’s for dinner?” in Korean.

Regina is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Korea Studies.

Admiral Mullen Speaks at SAIS on Global SecurityBy Ryan A. Pallathra

On March 31st, the SAIS community was once again privileged to have an

American foreign policy practitioner take a moment out of an immensely stressful

schedule to speak on a range of national security issues. Speaking at the 2011

annual Rostov Lecture on International Affairs, Admiral Mike Mullen presented

“Perspectives on the Global Security Environment”. Admiral Mullen is the

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the highest-ranking officer in the United

States Armed Forces, Admiral Mullen is the principal military advisor to President

Obama. As such, he presides over all meetings and coordinates the efforts of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), advising the Secretary of Defense, the National

Security Council and the Homeland Security Council.

At a time when the United States is confronted with an extraordinary range of mil-

itary and security challenges, Admiral Mullen called the gravity of these issues

“breath-taking”. Coming to SAIS directly after briefings on Capitol Hill, Admiral

Mullen was humbled and acutely aware of the challenges and “strategic con-

straints” faced by the U.S. military and administration. Despite the support gar-

nered from Arab partners like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the Admiral

stressed the importance of force being executed only in a “precise, principled

manner”.

Faced with growing concerns regarding the American involvement in the opera-

tions in Libya, Admiral Mullen stressed that the President and the military is com-

mitted to not putting “boots on the ground” in a third Muslim country. One of the

greatest strategic difficulties posed to the military leadership is the “tyranny of the

urgent”. Despite the difficulties in proving a negative, he defended Secretary

Hillary Clinton’s remarks that America’s quick and determined action in the Libya

prevented a humanitarian disaster. Speaking on the responsibility of America to

lead, Adm. Mullen said that how we lead is just as important as the quality and

quantity of our resources. Since assuming his position, Adm. Mullen has wit-

nessed what he feels to be the best military the U.S. has ever had. Even still, he

worries about what he perceives to be the growing disconnect between American

civilians and the military. Briefly speaking on the topic of domestic politics and

the future of American leadership, Admiral Mullen called the country’s debt its

greatest threat to national security. Prior to this current position, Adm. Mullen

served as the 28th Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), the Navy's top uniformed

leader and representative to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

Ryan A. Pallathra is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Strategic

Studies.

T h e S A I S I n t e r n a t i o n a l L a w S o c i e t y

The SAIS International Law Society is happy to welcome prospective students.

ILS invites students from all concentrations to learn more about the importance

of international law in an increasingly connected world. Whether addressing

trade and immigration flows, climate change, or the conduct of war, understand-

ing how the law impacts global affairs is critical for all aspiring policymakers

and analysts. ILS is a career network, with the capacity to invite and interact

with diverse speakers across dynamic interdisclinary fields. This year we hosted

an event, The Fog of War: Humanitarian Law on the Modern Battlefield. The

roundtable presentation and discussion with U.S. Judge Advocate General

(JAG) officers, active service duty men, and humanitarian activists was a fasci-

nating way to address complex issues taking place in the international arena. We

look forward to another great year of supporting students with special events and

discussions, and we hope to meet you soon!

April 2011 The SAIS Observer 11

International Law and Organizations concentrators in Sri Lanka over Spring Break.

12 The SAIS Observer April 2011

Spring. Dupont Circle is abloom and SAIS students have begun to think of love

or lust for the last few months. March Madness is over (but remember you go

to SAIS so no one really watched it anyway), midterms are over, and finals seem

so far away. In other words, you have a few days to think about your real future.

Gym memberships have been renewed and the typical SAIS student recalls dat-

ing, getting coffee and discussing politics to impress and not just for an academ-

ic grade.

Dating at SAIS or rather within SAIS is like dating in 9th grade except everyone

is taller and the acne is gone. Everyone knows your business here, and if they

don’t, sitting in the cafeteria or the library makes them think they do. If you dare

venture into this minefield on Massachusetts Avenue, it’s not for the faint of

heart. Tread carefully—crushes are many here, closure a different story. If you

must, here’s a quick run-down and happy hunting!!

Strategic Studies: This concentration runs this school, and it seems like every

other SAISer is one of them. You’ll know them by the copious amount of role

playing they engage on “Staff Ride” field trips. They‘re our future intelligence

leaders; and they already know you, even if you don’t know them. There’s a rea-

son why they’re the Control Room during Crisis Simulation. Be very sure when

dating in strategic studies, for they do not suffer fools gladly.

PROS: They have actually done things you watch on CNN. A majority is in the

military and they have the bearing and abs to prove it. They are driven, Type A

and to the point. Do not waste their time but, they’re always good for cocktail

parties, general bragging to friends and you know you’re safe in a fight.

CONS: You are a civilian. You can’t really complain about being stressed—

they’ve been to war.

IDEV: If they’re not in Strat, chances are they’re in International Development

(IDEV). These guys want to be the change makers; they will [try to] save the

world. They are probably vegetarian, always in a group, and always going to

meetings about the genocide of the day.

PROS: You will be inspired by how fervent their desire is to change everything.

Whole Foods will become a way of life for you. They are always going to read-

ings, speaker series and forums. You’re bound to be more intelligent after dating

one.

CONS: Buying fair trade gets expensive. Hummus gets boring. Heaven forbid

you choose to work in the private sector.

“Couch Crew”: You will find this happy bunch on the couches outside of the

cafeteria. They are a jovial and convivial bunch and they roll deep. Extremely

friendly, they know everyone. They are SAIS’ de facto version of the welcoming

committee.

PROS: They are funny and nice. You always know where to find them. You’ll

always have a place where everybody knows your name and CNN plays all

day—even during March Madness.

CONS: They’re always sitting on the couch.

SAIS Student Government Association (SGA): Student government: they’re

always planning things and sending emails. What a proactive group of fun-mak-

ers. They make SAIS run and make you think about discounts. You can always

count on an SGA to remind you not to miss the party of the year, every week,

even if you can’t quite figure out what it’s for, or where it’s at.

PROS: You’re significant other’s Friday happy hour discount/free beer.

CONS: The majority of SGA is in a relationship, so unless you’re looking to be

the mistress or “jump off” you may want to look elsewhere. Know now that

every Friday will be spent at happy hour getting drunk in a Soviet-era building

in Dupont Circle and you will be forced to participate in the “fun”.

Bologna Clique: Our European counterparts have returned and in their stead,

there is a plethora of inside jokes that you don’t know and no one will take the

time to explain. They are a lively, dancing bunch. Tough group to hack though,

unless you brush up on your Italian or reference your sojourns in Europe for an

opening. In fact, good luck if you can even find them. Your best bet is to ask one

of the people who look random for a date.

PROS: They love to travel and are fluent in more than English. (But then again

lots of SAIS students are.) Relive your fantasies of a European fling and this

time you’re not the crazy tourist. You get the pleasure of listening to stories

about real pasta, what the “real Italy” is all about, and “the fashion”.

CONS: This is a tight group. Oh, and you get the pleasure of listening to stories

about real pasta, what the “real Italy” is, and “the fashion”.

The Outliers: These are the people you are not so sure go to SAIS. You see them

around; they are in your classes, but you never see them out and about. These are

the classmates who shock you when they materialize at Happy Hour or eating

breakfast in the cafeteria. You’ll recognize them by the recognition they elicit from

their friends who scream, “Oh my God, I never see you, where have you been? Do

you still go here?”

PROS: They are very busy and out of the scene, your business will stay private.

There is a high probability that they are taking monthly vacations to some place fab,

are leading an exciting life and/or actually hang out with people outside SAIS. New

places to go beside Lucky Bar, Might Pint, and/or weekly SAIS functions.

CONS: They are busy; they have a life; it might not include you.

The Library: Who knew the 8th floor of the library would be such an exciting

place. I mean the LIBRARY!! But many SAIS students can be found here studying,

texting, eating. I know quite a few who spent their spring breaks there.

Everyone is there—honestly, if you want to date here’s your real meat market, but

don’t stroll during midterms.

PROS: They are studious, diligent students and can definitely tutor you in more

than one subject. Why not have a fun date in one of the study rooms, pull down the

shade and turn on YouTube; relationships have been made on less than this. You

can study new and exciting subjects together in the study rooms, personal desk area

or the open-air market.

CONS: It’s the library!

Congratulations. You are now armed and ready to start dating at SAIS. Get out there

and if it doesn’t work out, none of them will be in DC this summer anyway!

Nicole is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Middle East Studies.

Dating at SAISBy Nicole Epps

2011 SAIS Cherry Blossom Ball

The Annual SAIS Cherry Blossom Ball hosted by the Student Government Association,

was held at the House of Sweden, on the Georgetown Waterfront.

The beautiful event took place on April 2, 2011.

April 2011 The SAIS Observer 13

2011 Cris is Simulation

Crisis Simulation is a class offered through Strategic Studies in the Fall through

which students learn to execute a crisis simulation. Throughout the Fall, students

meet to discuss historical cases in which various nation-states face challenging sit-

uations regarding their national security. In most cases it is in the nation-state’s

strategic interest to avoid conflict, and students learn the complexities underlying

this objective. All of this is in preparation for a planned simulation run by SAIS

students in the Spring.

This Spring the class tested the following question: “What are various regional

power dynamics in the absence of a strong U.S. power?” Roughly 90 members of

the Washington SAIS community spent an entire weekend playing the various

cabinet positions of participating nations. You can visit: www.crisissim.org

Careers in International Development

The Careers in Development Club (CID) is a professional club that seeks to pro-

vide SAIS students with training, networking, and exposure to a variety of careers

in international development across sectors, regions and specialties. This year,

CID has hosted a variety of diverse events, including

• Happy Hour speed interning: A new brand of speed dating that helped

SAIS students learn about internship opportunities from second year

students.

• The business side of working with USAID: A workshop providing stu

dents with a basic understanding of USAID processes such as request

for proposals, contracting, managing grants, and procurement, amongst

others.

• Various brown bag lunches and breakfasts: Including: Breakfast with

World Bank SAIS alum; lunch with the founder of the innovative NGO

ThinkImpact (founded by SAIS alum Saul Garlick); and a breakfast

presentation about climate change and agriculture.

Speakers and panelists from organizations such as Mercy Corps, Grameen, Pact,

International Rescue Committee, Ashoka, OTI, the Inter-American Development

Bank and the World Bank have also discussed career opportunities with us in sec-

tors such as agriculture and food security, relief assistance, social entrepreneur-

ship, and education. CID provides SAIS students with the opportunity to directly

engage with development professionals, to hear about their career trajectories,

experiences, pitfalls and suggestions about how to maximize their time at SAIS.

A weekly newsletter alerts CID members to job and internship opportunities and

upcoming CID events. For more information, please contact:

sais.cid@gmail.com.

Bologna Campus Wine ClubBy Lindsay La Forge

A recent Bologna campus wine club trip to Rioja Spain was vastly successful.

Amid the buzz of Logroño’s Easter flagellant processions and the salty taste of

Jamón Serrano, the group explored wineries and museums reflecting the past,

present, and future of the region’s unique appellations. The centuries old Marques

de Riscal winery with its Ghery-designed facilities reflected the traditional meth-

ods of the vine-to-bottle process. The young and experimental Bodega Classica

winery described their process of lobbying the region for new appellations and

efforts to differentiate themselves on the lucrative export market. Regulated qual-

ity levels at the regional, national, and supranational level indicated to the group

the exceptional nature of wine vis-a-vis other export goods and the cultural, polit-

ical, and economic relevance of the product in European society.

Tastings of Valpolicella and Sangiovese accompanied by historical presentations

on root stock and soil, and engagement with the local sustainable movements of

Emilia Romagna compliment classroom learning and show the true benefits of

studying at such a unique campus. Reminiscing about the 1984 Lopez de Heredia

she tried while on the trip, club founder Sarah Hexter (BC ’10) commented on the

learning opportunities of the club’s activities, “There is so much at our fingertips,

unusual ways to experience culture here in Europe…agriculture is at the heart of

politics, law, and economics and wine is a uniquely European venue for expand-

ing our view of foreign politics.”

Lindsay LaForge is a second-year M.A. candidate concentrating in International

Law and Organizations.

SAIS-a-PaLoOzA!!On Saturday April 23rd, a Block Party/Talent Show was hosted by

The Soulside Out in conjunction with the SAIS Student

Government Association, complete with live mural painting, dance

performances, various DC and student bands, art auction, and the

one and only ANNUAL TALENT SHOW!

Clubs & Activities

Mr./Ms. SAIS Competition 2011

By Conor J. Halloran

The SGA has several key special events every year. One of the most unique events

is the Mr. and Ms. SAIS competition. Part of the fun is that most of it is a surprise,

so this will be only a superficial overview. Part beauty pageant, part talent show,

Mr./Ms. SAIS is a competition among a select group of men and women to be

named Mr. SAIS and Ms. SAIS respectively. The contestants, who have been

nominated by their peers, participate in a walk-off, talent competition and several

other events. The contestants for each title are narrowed down by a panel of

judges, and the winner is chosen by applause.

This past year I was one of those contestants, and so I will offer advice and

thoughts to those who consider participating. Most importantly, it is extremely

fun. Everyone has a great time, because you are performing more for your friends

and compatriots than for judges or victory. That said, it was a surprisingly large

amount of work: coordinating costumes, arranging choreography, planning a tal-

ent show. Like all good things, a fair bit of effort must be invested, but that invest-

ment will yield massive dividends. As well, I encourage everyone to be supportive

of all the contestants. Everyone on stage is extremely talented, and it is really a

gift for them to be sharing that with us. I encourage you to attend and support your

friends, or better yet participate and give them something to talk about in the fol-

lowing week. People really have much less trouble striking up a conversation with

you once you’ve entertained them on stage! It is a vastly rewarding experience,

win or lose. (And as added incentive for prospective students, a first year has

never won this competition, so a guaranteed way to make yourself a SAIS celebri-

ty is by showing the second years up with superior skill.) Good luck and I’ll see

you on stage.

Conor is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Strategic Studies.

14 The SAIS Observer April 2011

SAIS Bologna Campus Class of 2010

The "SAIS Economists" Kickball Team after a game in September 2010.

Pictured from left to right are students Asa Reynolds, Conor Halloran, Jason

Loughnane, Brittany Andrews, Rebecca Lee, Haein Lim, Cody Dietrich,

and Alex Parcan.

Kickball DiplomacyBy Jason Loughnane

On Saturday, April 16th, the SAIS Kickball Club will host the first ever kickball

tournament among DC's four largest International Relations graduate programs.

Competing against SAIS will be Georgetown's School of Foreign Service,

American University's School of International Service, and George Washington

University's Elliott School of International Affairs. Round robin games will begin

at noon on the National Mall at 15th Street at Constitution Avenue NW, with the

Championship game scheduled for 4pm. After the competition, players and fans

from all four schools will shake hands and nurse their injuries together over food

and drinks at the Exchange Saloon next to the White House.

The idea for an inter-international-relations-program kickball tournament came

about after the SAIS Kickball Club, in coordination with leadership of the SAIS-

Georgetown Exchange club, arranged an exhibition game against Georgetown's

MSFS program last October. The fall event was a smashing success, with SAIS

winning two tight matches by scores of 3-2 and 2-1. The games were followed with

bonding over wings and beer, and some serious discussion of American foreign

policy. The captains of each team agreed to schedule another event in the spring,

and to also invite AU and GWU.

Though the upcoming tournament is sure to be a highly competitive athletic

endeavor, it will also give participating players and fans a chance to make friends

with grad students from around DC. While numerous opportunities exist to meet

other international relations enthusiasts at SAIS's myriad public events and confer-

ences, it's rare to find a networking event that will be as much fun as this one. All

SAIS students, including prospective students visiting for open house, are invited

to play or cheer on the team. Email Jason Loughnane, President of SAIS Kickball,

to sign up or with questions at JLoughn1@jhu.edu. Go SAIS!

Jason is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in International Development.

SAIS as a Professional SchoolBy Conor J. Hallaron

When people ask me what I love most about SAIS, what do I tell them? Do I

go on about how wonderful it is to be studying COIN from the people who

invented it? Do I talk about how it’s not that strange to work on an econ prob-

lem set with a Peace Corps volunteer, retired army sergeant and a former

investment banker? No. What I tell people I love most about SAIS is that it is

so clearly a “professional school.”

SAIS is a lot of work. It has a way of consuming your whole life, absorbing

every moment of your waking time, and much of your sleep as well. But, as

cruel of a mistress SAIS may be, you can’t help but come back for more. I

don’t think it is much of a hyperbole to say that I love SAIS. I love the brilliant

professors and I am constantly stunned to learn about the astounding pasts of

many classmates. Courses, as much as I may moan and gripe, are so wonderful

that I made the foolhardy decision to take an extra one. I love the fact that I

can use the word “hyperbole” in casual conversation. Each and every one of

these points is stand-out fantastic, but you probably have heard so much about

them from others that I’d be preaching to the choir.

Everything SAIS does is targeted somehow towards preparing each and every

one of its students to thrive in the work place. The most obvious place to start

is with Career Services. Needless to say, there is a great staff. You will meet

them and you will see that there really is no way to get through SAIS without

at some point having a conversation with some of them. As much as it is a pain

in the butt, the Career Services mini-course required for most first-years sets

the tone very clearly for your time at SAIS. “You will learn a lot here, but

everything is targeted at improving your abilities so that you can thrive profes-

sionally,” they note.

Skill courses, career treks, e-mails and meetings, career clubs, lectures and

recruiting events; the ways are boundless to directly connect what you are

learning with what you might be doing after SAIS. But the professional nature

of the school goes beyond the obvious Career Services programs into the very

social fabric of SAIS. The staple of social life at SAIS is the weekly Happy

Hour (followed closely by cookie hour on Tuesdays at 4pm). These are more

than just excuses to have fun; these weekly events are all about networking.

Over drinks you meet new people and more importantly you develop better

relationships with your classmates who will be your greatest assets for profes-

sional advancement, quite possibly for the rest of your career. This is most

apparent during the first few Happy Hours, particularly during pre-term (yet

another reason to attend if you can). Indeed, SAIS’s Friday Happy Hour is just

as much about building ties as it is about unwinding after what can be a very

stressful but professional week.

Conor is a first-year M.A. candidate concentrating in Strategic Studies.

April 2011 The SAIS Observer 15

SAIS students sand-skiing and riding camels outside of Dubai.

16 The SAIS Observer April 2011

SAIS Winter Break 2010 Photo Contest - A Few of the Winners

Photos Courtesy of: The Johns Hopkins SAIS Office of Communications (http://www.sais-jhu.edu/saispride)