Wow, what an experience.
The past few weeks, I have been working towards arranging a US Delegation coming to the Parliament, and one for the EPP Group Presidency going to the US. This requires me to research, network, and communicate to find good candidates for guest speaking, while simultaneously pondering over whom in the US would be interesting and helpful for the EPP members.
My research for the EPP delegation has led me to delve into South Carolina, where I have been learning all about different businesses and politicians that run the state. I was surprised, for example, that BP had a branch there.
It is also home to Governor Nikki Haley.
Gov. Haley was elected back in late 2010 to become the first non-white and woman to serve as Governor for the state. She is also the youngest governor in the US. What I find interesting about this woman is her ability to captivate her state's constituents (and beyond). She has been part of the state's House of Representatives for two terms, beating the longest serving state legislator in a Republican primary, and was reelected by a very hefty vote. When she shortly thereafter ran for Governor, she was endorsed by big names such as Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin, and was a strong part of the Tea Party.
Due to her international activity, such as meeting with Israelis to help build jobs in her home and international investment in her state, she has received much acclaim and recognition. She is also prospected to be a potential running mate for Palin in 2012 (assuming Palin gets past her primary opponents, of course). She has been successful in getting things passed that she has promised her people, such as ensuring that the legislature pass an on-the-record, roll call vote bill. Thus, all of these qualities provide a politician potentially worth the interest of international leaders.
At work, we are also paying great attention to what is going on in the Middle East. The focus has shifted steadily from solely Libya, to the whole image of the Middle East. Last week I was able to listen and talk to leadership from the Washington Institute, who gave us up-to-date strategy information on the US objective in the Middle East. However, a good amount of the information was not much different than what I could have gotten out of a newspaper. I asked who these rebels were, that we were defending, and received the answer that even the US doesn't know, it is something we learn as we go in and infiltrate the society. From a European and/or skeptical, aware American perspective, this answer is not satisfactory for the US leading another war on the anniversary of the Iraq War. Even from abroad I can sense the growing public dissent back at home. Europeans have many opinions. Some are surprised and pleased that France is dealing with the issue. Others are tired of the Westernization that they sense the US, UK, and France are imposing on these nations. Most Europeans that I spoke to were happy with President Obama's half-hearted efforts concerning intervening deeper into the Middle East, but were very discouraged as soon as the US led the sudden, fierce no fly zone enforcement. As soon as this was on the news, many of my coworkers immediately connected the word "Libya" to the word "oil," displaying the image the US has made on Europeans. Some also viewed Qaddafi as a good dictator - one that has provided water (which is dwindling in the Middle East and will probably increase tensions and problems universally in that region), no conflicts, and an accelerated increase in international monetary prestige for the country (even if a lot of it went into his family's pockets, and came from American businesses). While no dictator is desired, several question why the US selected Libya to intervene with over the other numerous countries where genocide and other violations against human rights are taking place.
As quickly as I was recognizing and pondering about the situation, the media has shifted back to the economic problems back at home, and less about Libya. Furthermore, it is widening its scope to analyze the situations of areas such as Bahrain, Lebanon, and Yemen. Iran is seen as the megaphone for anti-Westernization dissent, and many foresee that Iran's perspective on the Libyan situation, as it develops, will mold the opinions of other Middle East nations. Egypt, like Iraq, is being looked at as a testing ground for democracy. The policy taking place in Libya has been compared to President Bush Senior's Operation Desert Storm, which I find interesting. UN sanctioned movement, with the US leading it...sounds similar, yet different motives. Libya may or may not receive the same fate as Iraq did.
I learn all of these facts and concepts through my weekly news briefings and daily meetings. I love that I can hear all these perspectives, because it helps me form a more educated opinion of my own. That's probably one of the best parts of interning at the Parliament - the ability to take so many different individuals, with different backgrounds, languages, and histories, and to combine us together in an attempt to learn how to maintain peace in foreign policy.
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