Six AGS Students Participate in International Negotiation Simulation in Morocco

Six AGS students enrolled in the dual program in International Relations and Diplomacy/Diplomacy and Strategic Negotiation with Université Paris Sud 11 (Sceaux, France) went on a trip to Tangier (Morocco) to participate in an international negotiation simulation and seminar on April 23-26.

The focus of the three-day negotiation and seminar was Media Ethics. The objective was to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the media with regard to international political, socio-economic and cultural issues. The discussions started with a theoretical reflection on media as one of the pillars of democracy, and ended with the adoption the Tangier Charter for Media Ethics (Charte de Tanger pour l'Ethique des Médias). The two-day negotiation was followed by a one-day seminar on the same topic, and by a full day of site visits to the nearby town of Asillah and to the fortified medina of Tangier.

Over 60 students participated in the experience. They were from three partner universities in France (Université Paris-Sud 11), Morocco (Université Abdelmalek Essaadi) and Lebanon (Université La Sagesse). The assembly was very diverse in national origins - besides those three countries, some students came from as far as Brazil, Mexico and Russia. The six AGS students alone represented four national origins: US, Mexico, Columbia, and Germany.

Every year, students enrolled in the dual program with Université Paris-Sud 11 participate in a moot negotiation in an international location. Previous locations include Alexandria (Egypt), Athens (Greece), and Beiruth (Lebanon), among others.

"One of the most interesting parts of this experience was having people with such international backgrounds come together and debate about subjects that affect everyone and that all were passionate about. And of course, the wonderful Moroccan setting was a plus!" says Rachel Minor (class of 2012) who was one of the participating AGS students.