Task Force #1

As you may recall, after a difficult and long decision-making process, I chose to major in international affairs and public policy. Well, one of the major’s requirements is that all concentrators take a task force each semester of their junior year, and write their junior independent work (around 25 pages per semester) on a topic from their task force. This was of especial concern to me because I worried that if the task force’s umbrella topic wasn’t something I was interested in, I’d have no choice but to write my independent work on something boring (unlike other majors, where one’s junior work topic is entirely one’s decision).

Next semester’s task forces came out yesterday, and I’ve enrolled in “Toward a New Transatlantic Bargain.” The seminar looks at the evolution of NATO and the US-European relationship, diagnoses their problems and offers recommendations for the future. Specifically, the task force will not only try to examine how NATO and the European Union can “carve out roles that are complementary rather than competitive,” but also explore how NATO can adapt to the new world order–namely the demise of the Soviet threat, the integrated EU, terrorism, and the rise of China.

I’m excited.