IPS Students Experience Myanmar

“The trip was fabulous. I learned so much from all the meetings, visits, and interactions, both informal and formal. It really has been one of the highlights of my time in the IPS program.” Swain Uber

One of the highlights of being a student in the Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies (IPS) program is the opportunity to participate in an annual trip during Spring Break to an area of current global importance. This year’s trip was particularly exciting … Myanmar, a country emerging from decades of isolation and undergoing democratic transition.  By studying events in Myanmar, students were able to explore many of the issues that may contribute to Myanmar’s path to democracy, many of which manifest in the IPS areas of concentration: International Security and Cooperation; Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law; International Political Economy; Energy, Environment and Natural Resources; and Global Health.

The program is organized on behalf of the first-year student cohort by a core group of IPS second-year students. James Fearon, Theodore and Frances Geballe Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, served as this year’s trip faculty leader.  Twenty students participated in intensive preparatory work that culminated in the week-long series of meetings and cultural activities in Myanmar.  “The case study work and meeting prep that each student performed prior to leaving for the trip was very helpful,” said Mustafa Abdul-Hamid. “Traveling with IPS allowed incomparable access to stakeholders in the country.”

This year’s student leaders, Sumia Ahmad, Erin Connors and Kate Mellor, organized a meeting with Myanmar President Thein Sein and his cabinet. Additionally, they were able to secure a meeting with members of the opposition party (the National League for Democracy) and Aung San Suu Kyi, opposition politician and party chairperson. The group engaged in round-table discussions with the European Union-funded Myanmar Peace Center (MPC); the Myanmar Election Commission; the Yangon School of Political Science; the Irrawaddy Times; USAID; Telenor, the Myanmar subsidiary of a Norwegian telecommunications company; and Proximity Designs.