For a portion of this year’s “Wyoming Goes Global” conference, Director at UW’s Center for Global Studies and professor of political science and international studies, Jean Garrison, has put together a panel of individuals to discuss American foreign policy in the Trump era.
As organizer and sponsor of the conference, Garrison sought to draw speakers from a variety of backgrounds that dealt with foreign affairs in an effort to provide the audience with a balanced perspective.
“A lot of these folks are UW alum and many of whom have had significant international career … and it’s really useful for people to see how others did it,” Garrison said.
This panel will include Garrison herself, who has worked in the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in the U.S. State Department; Gary Grappo, former Ambassador to Oman; Marc Wall, former Ambassador to Chad; retired two-star Major General Donald C. Alston; and Stephanie Anderson, associate director of the Center for Global Studies, who will be acting as the moderator for the evening.
The discussion on foreign policy in the Trump era is an opportunity for students to both listen and to participate,” Garrison said. “It’s to encourage people to be involved in the world, not just informed.”
The model is to have people speak for a few minutes on their thoughts then turn the discussion over to a Q&A to encourage audience participation. Since its start four years ago, these discussions draw more people from outside of the campus. The goal is to attract more students to participate and ask questions however, because this roundtable discussion is important to UW, according to Garrison.
“It’s important because we are citizens of a democracy and we should be informed about what is going on in our country.” Garrison said. “There’s a lot of change going on and this is a time to be very much aware of what that means and what positives and what negatives might come from it.”
Garrison brings his philosophy to panels. This discussion is not about pushing an ideology or perspective, it’s about bringing in people with real-life experiences in dealing with foreign policy to discuss current issues from an analytical viewpoint.
“I’m not a politician,” Garrison said. “I’m an academic … I’m trained to be an analyst. As a teacher, my role is to get you guys to think and to really push you to be able to say why you think the way you think. Because if you can’t articulate it, then you’re going to be totally ineffective in your desire to maybe persuade folks. I want the audience to see how you talk about issues … how to be thoughtful about issues even if you disagree with what’s being said. It’s really to inform.”
Executive Director at Forward Wyoming, LeeAnn Grapes expressed the importance of being aware of current issues in the government during a phone interview.
“If you’re not paying attention, you won’t know how politics affect your life and won’t be able to make a better future,” Grapes said.
Former UW Student and long time Laramie resident, Liza Cuthbert-Millet, finds it important for students to be aware of current foreign issues.
“Students, if they’re not involved, then they’re not part of anything,” Cuthbert-Miller said.
