Students in Storm King’s International Relations class had the chance to experience real-world diplomacy firsthand recently. On Friday, November 8, two U.S. State Department Diplomats, Foreign Service Officers Emily and George Sullivan, visited The Storm King School to participate in a simulation exercise with SKS’ aspiring diplomats.

In the ongoing exercise, the class plays the part of the U.S. National Security Council developing a Presidential Directive on terrorism in Pakistan.  Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan role-played the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan and the Assistant Secretary of State for that region. Having recently returned from an assignment in Pakistan, the Sullivans provided a realistic summary of the issues and gave solid recommendations as the group discussed important subjects such as human rights, international law, and counterterrorism.

 

 

The class, which role-played as the National Security Council, was led by President Dominque Gooden ‘21, Vice President Emily Elizabeth Kent ‘21, Secretary of State A. River Holasek ‘20, and National Security Advisor Pierce Pramuka ‘20, among others.  The Sullivans were impressed by the students’ level of participation and commented that they “asked very advanced questions.”

Following the exercise, the Sullivans also spoke openly to students about their lives and careers in diplomacy and the opportunities and challenges they faced during their overseas assignments which have included Pakistan, Cairo during the overthrow of the Egyptian government n 2013, Haiti in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, and Brazil during the 2016 Olympics.

Pierce, a senior who is interested in a career in politics or foreign relations, said: “role-playing with real diplomats was a great experience and it also helped me to prepare for our upcoming trip to the Bard College Model UN conference where I will represent Iraq.” Dominque, a junior, also had positive things to say about the visit: “Foreign relations is one of my passions. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan were very insightful about their experiences overseas, and they gave us great information from their work and their personal lives.