MC Students Honor World Refugee Day By Meeting Secretary of State John Kerry

MC students of American government and international relations were treated to an extraordinary up-close look at the Department of State (DOS) this week when they participated in a simulation of a refugee crisis at the DOS headquarters in Washington. In honor of World Refugee Day, five students from MC's Refugee Center and students from other local colleges, met with US Secretary of State John Kerry and two deputy assistant secretaries. The students were divided into teams representing foreign nations, international agencies, and DOS officers, and given details of an evolving refugee crisis to which they were instructed to respond. Students were able to interact with Secretary Kerry and other high level diplomats and to experience the political complexities and cultural intricacies of transnational negotiations. The event was part of an initiative by the new Diplomacy Center at the DOS, dedicated to understanding international issues and the proper role of US diplomacy in negotiating solutions.