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| IN THE HOT SEAT: Kristen Curren, a Master's student in political science, plays the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs' director general for聽consular affairs. (Nick Pearce photo) |
Deep in the halls of power they gather. Their problem: Canadian tourists are stranded on a small Caribbean island that鈥檚 been blasted with a major hurricane. Their task: recommend a course of action to the Canadian government.
Almost immediately, civilian and military members of the Interdepartmental Working Group realize they don鈥檛 have nearly enough intelligence on the ground. They鈥檙e facing an information gap that鈥檚 quickly filled with questions. 鈥淲hy weren鈥檛 we there sooner?鈥� 鈥淲e need a plan!鈥� 鈥淲hat is the government direction on this?鈥� 鈥淲hat do we do now?鈥�
Eventually, cooler heads prevail and the group starts brainstorming solutions, filling the room鈥檚 white boards with lists and charts. Forty minutes later, they finally seem to be getting somewhere.
But their confidence is premature and shattered when an intelligence officer calls an emergency briefing in the next room. Jaws drop as the details spill out: all hell has broken loose on the island of St. Gertrude.
Political actors
You may be wondering why you鈥檝e never heard of this crisis, let alone a Caribbean island named St. Gertrude. In fact, neither exist: the scenario has been created by retired military officer Bob Edwards as part of a simulation designed to teach students about how the Canadian government responds to an international crisis.
鈥淭hey get to participate in a realistic crisis which replicates what takes place in the real world,鈥� says Mr. Edwards, a 35-year veteran of Canada鈥檚 armed forces who now volunteers as a Research Fellow with AV俱乐部鈥檚 Centre for Foreign Policy Studies (CFPS). 鈥淲e get them to play the roles of real government officials and develop options, a recommended course of action and media points.鈥澛�
Mr. Edwards has been running this simulation at AV俱乐部 for the past five years, based on a core scenario developed in 2000 by the CFPS鈥� David Griffiths. Late last month, 28 students from various degree programs, along with 12 military officers, took part in the exercise at CFB Halifax. It was conducted in a facility designed specifically for strategy simulations. The location enhanced the authenticity of the exercise, which Mr. Edwards says is almost identical to how a real government meeting dealing with an international crisis would be run.
Rob LaForte, a second-year political science student who took part, said he signed up to get a different perspective on his studies. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really good learning opportunity,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a new experience that鈥檚 separate from class; it鈥檚 more of a direct application.鈥�
Jennifer Chisholm, a second-year poli-sci student who also majors in international development studies, agreed. 鈥淚 have a strong interest in foreign relations, and this gives real insight into how things work in a crisis.鈥�
New perspectives
For many participating students, it was their first experience working with military personnel. While the civilian roles 鈥� positions in Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, the Privy Council, Public Safety Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency 鈥� were played by Dal students, Canadian Forces officers played the military leadership roles. Coming into the exercise with different perspectives and their own sets of intelligence files, the two groups collaborated to achieve solutions.聽
As the day unfolded, more information came in from 鈥渢he field,鈥� allowing the groups to work towards final recommendations. The clock was ticking 鈥� participants regularly received fictional media updates and urgent messages reminding them time was of the essence. To help them stay focused, each team was paired with an experienced foreign affairs/military mentor. When they reached their 2 p.m. deadline, teams presented recommendations to the other groups and answered questions on their course of action.
Reflecting on the day鈥檚 events, Mr. Edwards said he was impressed by the students鈥� capacity of the students to grapple with the big questions of Canadian foreign policy.
鈥淭he simulation gives them an appreciation for the dilemmas that Canada faces in crisis situations,鈥� he said. 鈥淗opefully this will lead them to think critically about our foreign policy capabilities and our role in the world.鈥�