NATO — ϲ Thu, 06 Mar 2025 20:01:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 Maxwell Students Represent Türkiye and Romania at International Model NATO /blog/2025/03/06/maxwell-students-represent-turkiye-and-romania-at-international-model-nato/ Thu, 06 Mar 2025 20:01:53 +0000 /?p=208182

A delegation of 12 students from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs recently returned from Washington, D.C., where they participated in the International Model NATO under the guidance of Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs and director of the master of arts in international relations program.

International Model NATO students and advisors pose for a group photo

Pictured from left to right are Col. Ben Schneller, Associate Professor Michael Williams, and students Joseph Reed, Casimir Wypyski, Angelica Molina, Austen Canal, Armita Hooman, Jake DeCarli, Megan Whipple, Caleb Mimms, Bella Biorac Haaja, Leah Harding, Ethan Engelhart. Not pictured is Ella Rozas.

The students represented Türkiye and Romania in the three-day simulation of the proceedings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The events, held at Howard University, are augmented by pre-conference study sessions and briefings at embassies.

“Model NATO provides a unique opportunity for students to develop and refine a professional skillset,” says Williams. “It’s no easy task to work under pressure to advance a common NATO agenda against the disparate national interests of each state. But every year, the students come back with the same comments: ‘that was hard, but awesome.’ Watching them learn in real time, and helping them along the way, is immensely rewarding.”

Howard University has hosted Model NATO for the past 40 years, in collaboration with Converse University, Northeastern University and the embassies of NATO member states. This year, 23 universities participated, with students attending from Sweden, Belgium, Canada and the United Kingdom.

This was the third time the Maxwell School participated. The trip was sponsored by Maxwell’s public administration and international affairs department and the Moynihan Institute’s Center for European Studies.

Alongside Williams, Lt. Col. Ben Scheller advised the Model NATO team on military matters, as he previously commanded a NATO battalion with service members from nine allied nations. He is a visiting scholar through the U.S. Army War College, studying at ϲ’s Institute for Security, Policy and Law for a year. As part of his professional development through the Army, Scheller takes courses through Maxwell and the College of Law and will return to command this August.

The student participants included:

  • Joseph Reed, Caleb Mimms, Jake DeCarli, Meghan Whipple and Ethan Engelhart, all of whom are pursuing master’s degrees in international relations.
  • Casimir Wypyski, Austen Canal, Armita Hooman, Ela Rozas and Angelica Molina, all of whom are pursuing master’s degrees in public administration and international relations.
  • Leah Harding and Isabella Biorac Haaja, who are pursuing master’s degrees in public diplomacy and global communications through Maxwell and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Hooman was honored with the “Superior Delegation in Committee” award for her work on the

Armita Hooman holds a certificate

Armita Hooman was honored with the “Superior Delegation in Committee” award for her work on the Partnerships and Cooperative Security Committee

Partnerships and Cooperative Security Committee.

A highlight of Harding’s experience was speaking with a diplomat at the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C. Even with her background covering NATO as a journalistfor Al Jazeera, Harding says that Model NATO gave her a fresh perspective on being part of the decision-making process.

“International Model NATO is all about role-playing,” says Harding. “You have to understand how your country operates and make decisions based on its historical positions, all while responding to real-time scenarios. But it meant more than just knowing its policies—it required interacting with other member states as if I were actually a Turkish diplomat.”

Through this experience, Harding learned to balance diplomacy with national interest, recognizing that decisions for a nation go beyond just policies—they also involve considering its presence, alliances and priorities.

Story by Mikayla Melo

]]> No Ally Pays Any Bill /blog/2024/02/15/196734/ Thu, 15 Feb 2024 18:10:37 +0000 /?p=196734 During a campaign stop, former US President Donald Trump said he might encourage Russians “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that have not met certain defense obligations to be in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
For reporters looking for insight into NATO and impact of such comments, please consider ϲ Associated Professor .
Professor Williams researches, teaches, and writes about NATO and international security at the Maxwell School at ϲ. He is also the director of the Carnegie-Maxwell Policy Planning Lab at the Moynihan Institute for Global Affairs at Maxwell.
  • “Trump’s comments at a political rally this last weekend that he would not defend a NATO ally that wasn’t supposedly ‘paying their bill’ and would let Russia ‘do whatever the hell they want’ are dangerous to the national security of the United States,” said Williams.
  • “First, no ally pays any bill. All allies contribute what they can based on the size of their economy to the collective defense and all have substantially increased spending since the 2014 Wales pledge,” said Williams. “More importantly, however, Russia is deterred from attacking any NATO ally because of a belief that the US and other allies will come to the defense – Trump’s comments dangerously undermine the US deterrence posture in Europe and invite Russian aggression against NATO allies, including the United States.”

Please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu to schedule an interview.

 

]]>