Educational news

BSoG Master students visit NATO

On April 17, students from the Master in Global Security and Strategy and the Master in Diplomacy and Global Governance who were enrolled in Professors Carolin Liss and Demir Murat Seyrek's course on "Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and (De)Radicalization", had the chance to make a trip to NATO with the support of the U.S. Mission to NATO.

The students were given two briefings, the first from David Epstein of the U.S. Mission to NATO and the second from Gabrielle Cascone, the Head of NATO Counter-Terrorism, who both provided information on the role of NATO, its pillars and guidelines, its relationship with its members and partners, current trends and challenges facing NATO, and various themes connecting counter-terrorism and NATO.

 

While learning about the structure of NATO's functioning, students had the opportunity to ask any questions related to these presentations or their own personal interests. The students at the Brussels School of Governance had an insightful and exceptional tour that will remain in their memories.

Two students shared their feelings about this unique experience:

Samat, student of the MA in Diplomacy and Global Governance : « It was an interesting and educative session, having the rare privilege of the Head of Counter-Terrorism section of NATO  give an overview of the different objectives, strategies and structure of the organisation. We had a detailed discussion on terrorism as an asymmetric threat to the alliance, collective defence, and how the alliance engages with its allies and policy makers. And we also had the clarification of where and how NATO can be involved in the area of terrorism, which was really enlightening ». 

Linda, student of the MA in Global Security and Strategy : « The visit to NATO is one of those experiences that you are sure will stick with you for a long time. The two speakers who took time to present their work to us and respond to our questions, were very enthusiastic and enlightening in explaining with practical examples what their work consist of, and how NATO internal workings functions. In my opinion it was a great experience to remind us, the students attending the MA programmes offered by the Brussel School of Governance, that the subjects we are studying and the environment we are studying in, is bringing us closer to being able to make a difference when we will enter the working environment. »